In a game that was moved up to 12 noon in an effort to stay ahead of afternoon thunderstorms (which judging from what I am hearing outside now was a wise move) Riverheads and William Campbell locked horns in a tussle that featured almost as much explosive offense as some of their infamous football battles. The Gladiators built a seemingly insurmountable 10-4 lead after six innings, only to see the visiting Generals storm back with four runs in the top of the seventh to close to within 10-8, and when Big Red right fielder Adam Painter hauled in a fly ball for the final out, they had the tying runs on second and third.
But as they say a win is a win and therefore a loss is a loss, so with the victory Riverheads gets to stay at home Tuesday to host Colonial Beach and WC will travel to Lancaster. The format being what it is, if both were to win, they could meet again before all is said and done.
The teams combined for 21 hits in the game so power was not a problem by any stretch. But the fundamental difference that ultimately cost the Generals was their shaky fielding. They were charged with six errors in the game, some of which directly plated runs for the Big Red, and in one particular sequence, they dropped routine back to back fly balls that simply popped out of the gloves.
Riverheads on the other hand had only one error and even that occurred in the top of the seventh during the WC comeback. Pitching-wise the Gladiators won by committee as Jakob King pitched the first three innings, Michael Robertson the next three and Casey Butler the final inning. WC on the other hand did not replace their starter until the bottom of the 6th when it was already 9-4.
The Generals started things off with a two run blast over the left field fence in the top of the second. Riverheads then struck back in the bottom of the same frame to take a 3-2 lead. The Generals regained the lead in the third with a pair of runs before RHS made its big move of the day with a four-run spurt in the bottom of the same inning, helped along by some of those errors.
Riverheads then added three more in the bottom of the sixth to seemingly seal the deal, but the Generals refused to fold and immediately greeted Butler with a series of solid hits that got them back in the ball game in their final at bat. But finally the fly out to Painter ended the suspense and got everyone out of the heat.
Last we heard the Lady Gladiators were pounding Rappahannock County on the road, by a 9-1 count late in the game, so if they prevailed in that one, Riverheads fans can look forward to a state quarterfinal side-by-side event on Tuesday. Game time for those will likely also depend on the weather, opponents' travel times, etc.
But as they say a win is a win and therefore a loss is a loss, so with the victory Riverheads gets to stay at home Tuesday to host Colonial Beach and WC will travel to Lancaster. The format being what it is, if both were to win, they could meet again before all is said and done.
The teams combined for 21 hits in the game so power was not a problem by any stretch. But the fundamental difference that ultimately cost the Generals was their shaky fielding. They were charged with six errors in the game, some of which directly plated runs for the Big Red, and in one particular sequence, they dropped routine back to back fly balls that simply popped out of the gloves.
Riverheads on the other hand had only one error and even that occurred in the top of the seventh during the WC comeback. Pitching-wise the Gladiators won by committee as Jakob King pitched the first three innings, Michael Robertson the next three and Casey Butler the final inning. WC on the other hand did not replace their starter until the bottom of the 6th when it was already 9-4.
The Generals started things off with a two run blast over the left field fence in the top of the second. Riverheads then struck back in the bottom of the same frame to take a 3-2 lead. The Generals regained the lead in the third with a pair of runs before RHS made its big move of the day with a four-run spurt in the bottom of the same inning, helped along by some of those errors.
Riverheads then added three more in the bottom of the sixth to seemingly seal the deal, but the Generals refused to fold and immediately greeted Butler with a series of solid hits that got them back in the ball game in their final at bat. But finally the fly out to Painter ended the suspense and got everyone out of the heat.
Last we heard the Lady Gladiators were pounding Rappahannock County on the road, by a 9-1 count late in the game, so if they prevailed in that one, Riverheads fans can look forward to a state quarterfinal side-by-side event on Tuesday. Game time for those will likely also depend on the weather, opponents' travel times, etc.
