Maggie Walker baseball headed to 2A state championship game for first time in school history
SALEM – One batter into the top of the sixth inning, both Maggie Walker and Grayson County had as many errors as they did hits – four.
The difference, however, was Maggie Walker didn’t let its own mistakes fester. Oh, and it had Matthew Pinson on the mound.
The Green Dragons right-hander kept Grayson County off balance through six innings and off the scoreboard for five, leading Maggie Walker to its first state championship game in program history with a 2-1 win in the 2A semifinal Friday at Kiwanis Field.
“Too many mistakes,” Maggie Walker head coach Meade Langhorne said. “But that horse on the mound kept us in the ballgame.”
Pinson gave up just four hits over six innings and struck out seven. Grayson County’s lone run came in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly that was set up by the fourth-and-final error by the Green Dragon defense.
But Maggie Walker (13-8) was able to get the outs when it mattered, stranding seven Grayson County runners throughout the game and clinching a berth in the state title game Saturday at 1 p.m. at Radford University against Goochland.
“We were pretty disappointed last year losing in the semifinals (to Virginia High), so it’s really nice to get this win and make the finals this year,” Pinson said.
With a veteran team – MWGS only graduated two seniors from last year’s squad – the Green Dragons have played a grueling regular-season schedule against mostly 5A teams.
That’s helped in the 2A playoffs, Langhorne said, as Maggie Walker is now on a six-game winning streak.
“The pitching is a big difference,” he said. “We see good pitching all the time.”
But now it’s about hitting, Langhorne continued.
Maggie Walker had just four hits Friday, scoring two runs on one of those hits in the bottom of the first, only after it capitalized on a Grayson County error.
“Getting those two runs (helped) – the last two games we’ve done that early,” Langhorne said. “Then, you know, we sort of stopped hitting. It’s worked for us the last three games. But we’ve got to get our sticks going (in the state championship game).”
Forrest Smith had two of Maggie Walker’s four hits, including a two-run double in the first, which scored Benjamin McGuigan and Frankie Celentano, who also had a huge play in the field, throwing out a Grayson County baserunner at the plate from left field to end the top of the first inning.
Maggie Walker 2, Grayson County 1
GC 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - 1 4 4
MW 2 0 0 0 0 0 x - 2 4 4
Lundy (6); Pinson (6), Celentano
WP - Pinson
LP - Lundy
Records: Grayson County 18-4 ; Maggie Walker, 13-8