Granted it is early in the season as the two teams are only 5-0 between them, but Riverheads and Fort Defiance will lock horns this evening at 6:00 at the Fort. The leader will take early charge of the district race. Check back later tonight for a recap.
Battle of the Unbeatens On Tap Tonight at Fort Defiance
- Thread starter longtimerhsfan
- Start date
In a 3+ hour marathon affair, the visiting Riverheads Gladiators built an early 7-1 lead, then held on for dear life to edge by Fort Defiance 7-6. Finally Ryan Farris, the Big Red's SIXTH pitcher of the night, struck out the final two batters to save the win and keep RHS unbeaten on the year.
There were so many turning points and key plays in the game that it would be impossible to recap them all but four come to mind that all went the way of Riverheads and had a hand in the victory.
In the top half of the first, RHS had a 1-0 lead with the bases loaded and two outs when Colton Kwiecinski stepped to the plate. First he ripped a hit to the deep right corner that looked like it would be serious trouble but it curved just foul. Then on the next pitch, he popped up just beyond first base for what should have been an inning-ending out and kept the lead at just one run. Instead the first baseman misjudged the ball and two runners who had been off at the crack of the bat scored to make the lead 3-0.
In the home half of the first, the Indians threatened to match if not exceed Riverheads' production, but a line drive to first baseman Ty Morris allowed him to double up a base runner right in front of him and as a result, the Fort only scored once. The Gladiators would eventually snag at least three line drives in the game.
Then in the bottom of the sixth, the Indians caught not one but two bad breaks that might have allowed them to overtake Riverheads. The first was a towering fly to deep left field that was easily the hardest hit ball of the night for either team but it too curved foul.
Moments later an Indian hit (may have been an intentional bunt...I just don't remember) trickled down the third base line at a snail's pace. Riverheads' Landon Lightner alertly watched the ball and did not touch it, knowing that it was going to curve foul, which it did after an agonizingly long time. Had he tried to field it, he would not have had a play and the Indians would have scored.
Until Farris' efficient ending to the game, both teams had control issues on the mound as there were numerous walks, hit batters, and passed balls. Riverheads' Matthew Charles started the game and lasted into the fourth before being relieved, in order, by Kwiencinski, Lightner, Morris, Aidan Miller, and finally Farris. Apologies for not knowing the Fort roster but I believe the tandem of Camden Herron and Ryan Cook worked the game for the home team.
From a fan perspective it was a tense enough game as it was, but some "technical" issues made it even more stressful to watch. First of all, there was no functioning scoreboard, which kept fans guessing all game long about the count on any given batter, as well as the score itself. Secondly the PA system was very weak, and if you know the Fort diamond, you know how far the fans are away from the action, so that made it even harder to hear a score when it was given.
On top of all of that, the soccer game between the two teams started an hour after the baseball game, so even before the first inning was over, the action on the diamond was competing with a blaring pre-game rock concert behind us, not to mention a siren that screamed every time the Indians scored a goal. And it screamed a LOT as the Fort apparently demolished Riverheads in that one.
Hopefully we can assume that these issues were one-time only events, especially the scoreboard, and that the athletic department is working to ensure a more enjoyable viewing experience for their future home games.
Riverheads will now take its 3-0 record and its potentially-exhausted pitching staff to Buffalo Gap Thursday for a 5:30 first pitch.
There were so many turning points and key plays in the game that it would be impossible to recap them all but four come to mind that all went the way of Riverheads and had a hand in the victory.
In the top half of the first, RHS had a 1-0 lead with the bases loaded and two outs when Colton Kwiecinski stepped to the plate. First he ripped a hit to the deep right corner that looked like it would be serious trouble but it curved just foul. Then on the next pitch, he popped up just beyond first base for what should have been an inning-ending out and kept the lead at just one run. Instead the first baseman misjudged the ball and two runners who had been off at the crack of the bat scored to make the lead 3-0.
In the home half of the first, the Indians threatened to match if not exceed Riverheads' production, but a line drive to first baseman Ty Morris allowed him to double up a base runner right in front of him and as a result, the Fort only scored once. The Gladiators would eventually snag at least three line drives in the game.
Then in the bottom of the sixth, the Indians caught not one but two bad breaks that might have allowed them to overtake Riverheads. The first was a towering fly to deep left field that was easily the hardest hit ball of the night for either team but it too curved foul.
Moments later an Indian hit (may have been an intentional bunt...I just don't remember) trickled down the third base line at a snail's pace. Riverheads' Landon Lightner alertly watched the ball and did not touch it, knowing that it was going to curve foul, which it did after an agonizingly long time. Had he tried to field it, he would not have had a play and the Indians would have scored.
Until Farris' efficient ending to the game, both teams had control issues on the mound as there were numerous walks, hit batters, and passed balls. Riverheads' Matthew Charles started the game and lasted into the fourth before being relieved, in order, by Kwiencinski, Lightner, Morris, Aidan Miller, and finally Farris. Apologies for not knowing the Fort roster but I believe the tandem of Camden Herron and Ryan Cook worked the game for the home team.
From a fan perspective it was a tense enough game as it was, but some "technical" issues made it even more stressful to watch. First of all, there was no functioning scoreboard, which kept fans guessing all game long about the count on any given batter, as well as the score itself. Secondly the PA system was very weak, and if you know the Fort diamond, you know how far the fans are away from the action, so that made it even harder to hear a score when it was given.
On top of all of that, the soccer game between the two teams started an hour after the baseball game, so even before the first inning was over, the action on the diamond was competing with a blaring pre-game rock concert behind us, not to mention a siren that screamed every time the Indians scored a goal. And it screamed a LOT as the Fort apparently demolished Riverheads in that one.
Hopefully we can assume that these issues were one-time only events, especially the scoreboard, and that the athletic department is working to ensure a more enjoyable viewing experience for their future home games.
Riverheads will now take its 3-0 record and its potentially-exhausted pitching staff to Buffalo Gap Thursday for a 5:30 first pitch.
Having now read a newspaper account of the game, I can report a quirky statistic. The Gladiators scored their seven runs on only TWO hits. The Indians by contrast, had eight hits, but they were charged with five errors, one being the crucial first-inning drop at first base, whereas Riverheads played error-free ball. Just like football, you can have 500 yards of offense, but those turnovers and penalties can kill you every time.
Anyone have an idea what’s the points look like across the A division? Just curious how the post season could potentially look in a few weeks
