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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 last Wednesday evening in Lexington.
The eighth-seeded Wildcats (10-11) led 2-1 after the first inning, but the ninth-seeded Red Devils scored four runs in the fourth inning and kept the lead for the rest of the game.
On Friday, Rustburg concluded its season at 8-13 overall after suffering a 9-0 loss at top seed Liberty Christian Academy (20-0).
Against RC, 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 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 hit a 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.
Reviewing the game, RC head coach Travis Roadcap said the Wildcats’ mistakes hurt them. The Wildcats allowed four walks, and the Red Devils took advantage of RC’s fielding troubles.
“We always preach ‘one more,’ but it just wasn’t our night. They get to move on, and we don’t,” said Roadcap.
RC, a young team with four freshmen 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.
Reflecting on the season, Roadcap, completing his fourth year as the Wildcats’ head coach, said, “It was the [most fun] season of my career, and it’s gonna be hard to match that. We were young; we had great senior leadership.”
Despite losing six seniors from a team that went 10-12 last year, the Wildcats won the same number of games this year.
“Unbelievable, the things that we did, the teams that we beat, the careers that our seniors had,” added Roadcap. “It’s a direct reflection of how they led. It was the shortest season of my career simply because it was that fun.”
As a sign of how close the team was, many of the Wildcats dyed their hair blonde before the playoff game to show their unity.
The Wildcats will miss their four seniors: Entsminger, Hopkins, Paxton and Smith.
Paxton was selected to the all-district first team as a pitcher and to the all-district second team as an outfielder, Smith made the all-district first team as a third baseman, and Hopkins was an all-district second team selection as a utility player. Entsminger was a valuable pitcher for the Wildcats.
The Wildcats have high hopes for the future. Among the young stars were a pair of sophomores – Irvine at shortstop and Potter at first base – and a pair of promising freshmen –Lunsford, a designated hitter, and Bennett.
While the future looks bright, Roadcap emphasized that the Wildcats’ senior leadership “carried us all year. The seniors kind of took the young guys underneath their wings, and I hate to see those guys go.”
