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Wednesday, May 24 – The Rockbridge County High School baseball team concluded its season with a 6-3 home loss to Rustburg in the first round of the Region 3C tournament on Wednesday evening in Lexington.
The eighth-seeded Wildcats (10-11) led 2-1 after the first inning, but the ninth-seeded Red Devils (8-12) scored four runs in the fourth inning and kept the lead for the rest of the game.
Rustburg took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first when Hunter Carlson scored on a groundout by Evan Martin.
The Wildcats responded by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead. Clay Irvine scored on a Rustburg error, and Thomas Armstrong singled on a fly ball to center field to drive in Derek Smith.
Rustburg tied the game 2-2 in the fourth when Martin scored on an RC error. The Red Devils then took the lead when Preston Dooley singled on a line drive to center field to bring home Jackson Hall. The Red Devils extended their lead to 4-2 when Dooley scored on a sacrifice fly to center field by Walter Jackson.
In the bottom of the fourth, the Wildcats cut the lead to 4-3 when Irvine hit a grounder and reached first base on a Rustburg error, driving in Drew Potter.
The Red Devils answered back in the top of the seventh when Jackson singled on a line drive to right field to bring home Dooley, stretching their lead to 5-3. Rustburg scored the final run of the game in the seventh when Camden McCormick fly ball to right field to drive in Martin.
In the bottom of the seventh, Paxton and Tucker Hopkins got on base with grounders, but Carlson, Rustburg’s relief pitcher, ended the game with a strikeout.
Rustburg recorded eight hits, while RC had seven. McCormick led the Red Devils with three hits, while Jackson had one hit and two RBIs.
Smith led the Wildcats with two hits. Adding one hit each for RC were Paxton, Hopkins, Armstrong, Price Lunsford and Nolan Stines.
Paxton pitched the first four innings for the Wildcats, striking out three and allowing five hits, one walk and four runs (two earned). Bennett Bishop came to the mound for the next two innings, striking out two and surrendering two hits, one walk and one earned run. In the seventh, Sean Martino struck out one and allowed one hit, two walks and one earned run.
For Rustburg, McCormick pitched the first six innings, striking out eight and allowing six hits, one walk and three runs (two earned). In the seventh, Carlson struck out one and surrendered one hit, one walk and no runs.
RC and Rustburg each committed two errors.
The Red Devils advanced to the Region 3C semifinals and will travel to take on top seed Liberty Christian Academy on Friday.
RC, a young team with four freshman and five sophomores guided by strong senior leaders, accomplished a lot and showed great improvement toward the end of the season, winning six of their final nine games. The highlight of the season was at Alleghany on May 18, when the Wildcats earned a 7-4 win to deal the Mountaineers their first loss of the year. In the Valley District, RC went 3-5.
The Wildcats, guided by fourth-year head coach Travis Roadcap, will miss their four seniors: Entsminger, Hopkins, Paxton and Smith.
For the full story and photos from the final game, with a season wrap-up, please see our May 31 newspaper.
