As the old saying goes "some days you are the windshield and some days you are the bug." Well neither that cliche or any other could come close to describing the beatdown visiting Riverheads put on Buffalo Gap tonight. Most of us in red are pretty sure the final score was 22-0, although the Bison scoreboard operator apparently had enough by the time the Gladiators scored their 19th run, and did not even change it over to 20 for quite some time. We are pretty sure RHS finished with 22 but as the field emptied the scoreboard read 21-0, for what that is worth.
Needless to say this was a five-inning run-rule game but it still took a shade over two hours to finish. Brody Phillips, who generally works as a reliever, got the starting nod tonight, and to say he pitched a "perfect game" is either an understatement or just plain fact. Since I don't keep those kinds of stats, I cannot say for sure but the word in the stands was that he threw a no-hitter, did not walk or hit anyone, and therefore did indeed pitch a "perfect game." I certainly cannot recall ever seeing a Bison standing on first or any other base.
Someone was keeping up with his pitch count and I believe it stayed within the 40s for the five Bison at-bats. By contrast, the Bison starter was up in the 90s when he was lifted in the third inning and the two or three that followed him obviously could not control RHS either.
For the Big Red to score 22 runs, it goes without saying that they hit the living daylights out of the ball. They opened the first with three runs, leaving two more stranded at second and third. They then added four more in the second to make it 7-0.
First baseman Henley Dunlap then stepped to the plate to open the third and smacked the first pitch over the left field fence for his first homer of the season, and only Riverheads' second as a team. David Austin hit the first one just earlier this week.
Little did we know it at the time but Dunlap opened the floodgates as the top of that third inning took at least 45 minutes to play. The Gladiators sent an astonishing 16 men to the plate and scored 12 runs in the inning, making the count 19-0 and causing the temporarily frozen scoreboard. They then added two more (we think) in the fourth and one more in the fifth. By that time, you could actually see signs that the Gladiators were trying their best NOT to score anymore.
But the Bison staff plunked at least five or six batters tonight and some of those came when the bases were loaded, so what can you do? I am pretty sure that run number 22 came by way of a hit by pitch.
In addition to Phillip's masterful game and the Big Red's power at the plate, the game was made worse than it might have been by an absolutely horrible night by the Bison defense. They booted several grounders, they one-hopped throws to first base, they misjudged routine fly balls, and in one especially bizarre sequence, they literally threw the ball all over the place and allowed Riverheads to score three runs on what could have been a routine ground-out.
It was just not the Bison's night and who can say at what point they lost control of whatever game plan they may have had coming in? But if their coach is smart, he has already convinced his troops to put this one behind them and get ready for the next one. Likewise, Riverheads fans should put this one in perspective as the "game of the season" that it was and think back to Tuesday when they only scored one run in seven innings.
It was a doubly successful night for RHS as the Lady Gladiators prevailed over BG down on the lower diamond. You could read the score from the baseball field and I believe the final was 7-3. RHS fans were saying that it was a very important win for the RHS girls.
As for the Gladiator boys, they will next host Staunton on Tuesday night, which will complete the first cycle through the district schedule. Not to wish the Big Red any bad luck, but so far they are 3-0 in league games played on the road, including tonight, and have outscored those three teams by a whopping 49-4 margin; whereas at home, they have dropped 1-0 and 3-1 decisions.
You can certainly bet that The Storm is already aware of those stats or will be by the time they come to Greenville Tuesday. Should make for an interesting game........
Needless to say this was a five-inning run-rule game but it still took a shade over two hours to finish. Brody Phillips, who generally works as a reliever, got the starting nod tonight, and to say he pitched a "perfect game" is either an understatement or just plain fact. Since I don't keep those kinds of stats, I cannot say for sure but the word in the stands was that he threw a no-hitter, did not walk or hit anyone, and therefore did indeed pitch a "perfect game." I certainly cannot recall ever seeing a Bison standing on first or any other base.
Someone was keeping up with his pitch count and I believe it stayed within the 40s for the five Bison at-bats. By contrast, the Bison starter was up in the 90s when he was lifted in the third inning and the two or three that followed him obviously could not control RHS either.
For the Big Red to score 22 runs, it goes without saying that they hit the living daylights out of the ball. They opened the first with three runs, leaving two more stranded at second and third. They then added four more in the second to make it 7-0.
First baseman Henley Dunlap then stepped to the plate to open the third and smacked the first pitch over the left field fence for his first homer of the season, and only Riverheads' second as a team. David Austin hit the first one just earlier this week.
Little did we know it at the time but Dunlap opened the floodgates as the top of that third inning took at least 45 minutes to play. The Gladiators sent an astonishing 16 men to the plate and scored 12 runs in the inning, making the count 19-0 and causing the temporarily frozen scoreboard. They then added two more (we think) in the fourth and one more in the fifth. By that time, you could actually see signs that the Gladiators were trying their best NOT to score anymore.
But the Bison staff plunked at least five or six batters tonight and some of those came when the bases were loaded, so what can you do? I am pretty sure that run number 22 came by way of a hit by pitch.
In addition to Phillip's masterful game and the Big Red's power at the plate, the game was made worse than it might have been by an absolutely horrible night by the Bison defense. They booted several grounders, they one-hopped throws to first base, they misjudged routine fly balls, and in one especially bizarre sequence, they literally threw the ball all over the place and allowed Riverheads to score three runs on what could have been a routine ground-out.
It was just not the Bison's night and who can say at what point they lost control of whatever game plan they may have had coming in? But if their coach is smart, he has already convinced his troops to put this one behind them and get ready for the next one. Likewise, Riverheads fans should put this one in perspective as the "game of the season" that it was and think back to Tuesday when they only scored one run in seven innings.
It was a doubly successful night for RHS as the Lady Gladiators prevailed over BG down on the lower diamond. You could read the score from the baseball field and I believe the final was 7-3. RHS fans were saying that it was a very important win for the RHS girls.
As for the Gladiator boys, they will next host Staunton on Tuesday night, which will complete the first cycle through the district schedule. Not to wish the Big Red any bad luck, but so far they are 3-0 in league games played on the road, including tonight, and have outscored those three teams by a whopping 49-4 margin; whereas at home, they have dropped 1-0 and 3-1 decisions.
You can certainly bet that The Storm is already aware of those stats or will be by the time they come to Greenville Tuesday. Should make for an interesting game........
