Defiance Downs RC, 5-3

Indians Need Extra Inning To Complete Sweep

Despite its best performance so far this season, the Rockbridge County High School baseball team came up short 5-3 in eight innings against Fort Defiance on Monday of last week in Lexington.

With the win, Fort (2-3) completed a sweep of the regularseason series with the Wildcats (0-4). When the teams met on March 15 at Fort, the Indians cruised to a 13-3 win in six innings.

Going over the extra-inning rematch, RC head coach Travis Roadcap said, “We competed a lot better than the first time. We’ve just got to do the little things right – throw strikes, don’t walk people. We left a lot of runners in scoring position. We’ve got to find a way to win.”

The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Price Lunsford put the ball in play, and Brady Majors scored on a Fort error. In the third, the Wildcats extended their lead to 2-0 when Nolan Stines scored on an error.

Fort answered in the fourth when Carter Berry singled to center field to bring home Samuel Garber and Dell Ray Jones, tying the game 2-2. In the fifth, Fort went up 3-2 when Tyler Miller scored on an RC error.

With one out in the seventh, the Wildcats tied the game 3-3 when Clay Irvine scored on a passed ball to force the extra inning.

The Indians scored the final two runs of the game in the top of the eighth, as Garrett Simmons singled on a hard grounder to drive in Jones, and Jacob Shifflett scored on an RC error. The Wildcats then made a double play and got the third out on a catch by their shortstop, Irvine.

In the bottom of the eighth, only Bradi Ziegler got on base for the Wildcats with a walk, but the Indians ended the game with strong fielding.

Fort recorded seven hits, while RC had five. Simmons and Tripp Hanger led the Indians with two hits each.

Irvine paced the Wildcats with three hits, while Thomas Armstrong and Brady Majors each had one hit.

On the mound for RC, Sean Martino pitched the first four innings, striking out four and allowing three hits, three walks and three runs (two earned). “He threw strikes, and he competed, worked his tail off,” said Roadcap of Martino.

In four innings of relief for the Wildcats, Zac Majors struck out one and surrendered four hits, one walk and two unearned runs. “Zac threw well,” said Roadcap.

For Fort, Garber pitched the first six innings, striking out 12 and allowing four hits, four walks and two unearned runs. The Wildcats then got a hit and a run off Hank Thompson before Miller came to the mound for the final 1.2 innings, striking out two and surrendering no hits, three walks and no runs.

RC and Fort each committed two errors. Roadcap realizes he has a young team, with just three seniors – Armstrong, Martino and Zac Majors – but playing in a tight game made him optimistic. “Hopefully, we keep competing because it was at least fun to watch that,” he said.

RC was slated to play host to Alleghany last Thursday, but that game was postponed to a date to be determined due to poor field conditions from an overnight rain.

The Wildcats were scheduled to play at Parry McCluer on Monday before starting Valley District action at Harrisonburg yesterday. RC will continue district action with a home game against Spotswood on Tuesday at 5 p.m.