For the second time in as many days, Riverheads picked up a run-rule victory as they easily handled visiting Luray. Although the end result was pretty much the same as it was last night in Staunton, The Big Red accomplished tonight's victory in a somewhat different fashion.
Last night it was all about power at the plate as the win over The Storm featured an 11-run fifth-inning explosion in which the Gladiators hammered the ball at will including two bases-loaded triples. In tonight's win, of course they had some hits but Luray made this win a lot easier to accomplish.
For one thing, the Dogs' pitching staff had terrible control issues, especially in the very first inning. In the first cycle through the RHS batting order, four of the nine Gladiator batters reached base by way of being hit by a pitch. That stat allowed The Big Red to take an early 3-0 lead.
RHS was also VERY aggressive on the base paths all game long and took full advantage of the fact that Luray was unable (and sometimes even unwilling to try) to nail anyone attempting to steal. I did not keep a count but I would not be surprised to see that Riverheads stole a double-digit number of bases tonight and at least three of those involved stealing third base. So it was all about taking advantage of their opportunities and constantly keeping runners in scoring position.
The Gladiators did not have the big inning that they did last night but still in their four at-bats, they scored consistently, crossing the plate five times in the second and third innings, and finally three more times in the fourth which was enough to put the slaughter rule in effect.
Luray to its credit continued to battle as best they could, scoring twice in the third and three more times in the fourth. A two-run homer in the third barely cleared the fence in left center and just a batter or two later, a solid double to right center came just a few feet short of the fence. Fortunately in the top of the fifth, Ryan Farris sent the Dogs down in order because the pace of the game had slowed to a crawl, as it still took almost two full hours just to play the minimum 4 1/2 innings.
Both teams went deep into their pitching rotation, but in the case of Riverheads, that was not because any of the four guys they used were ineffective. Instead they were looking ahead to Friday's district game with Fort Defiance and wanting to keep at least a fresh arm or two ready for that one. Luray also used at least three hurlers today.
The weather is not looking the greatest for that Friday game, but if it does get played, it will be a crucial one for Riverheads to build some momentum for a late-season push.
Last night it was all about power at the plate as the win over The Storm featured an 11-run fifth-inning explosion in which the Gladiators hammered the ball at will including two bases-loaded triples. In tonight's win, of course they had some hits but Luray made this win a lot easier to accomplish.
For one thing, the Dogs' pitching staff had terrible control issues, especially in the very first inning. In the first cycle through the RHS batting order, four of the nine Gladiator batters reached base by way of being hit by a pitch. That stat allowed The Big Red to take an early 3-0 lead.
RHS was also VERY aggressive on the base paths all game long and took full advantage of the fact that Luray was unable (and sometimes even unwilling to try) to nail anyone attempting to steal. I did not keep a count but I would not be surprised to see that Riverheads stole a double-digit number of bases tonight and at least three of those involved stealing third base. So it was all about taking advantage of their opportunities and constantly keeping runners in scoring position.
The Gladiators did not have the big inning that they did last night but still in their four at-bats, they scored consistently, crossing the plate five times in the second and third innings, and finally three more times in the fourth which was enough to put the slaughter rule in effect.
Luray to its credit continued to battle as best they could, scoring twice in the third and three more times in the fourth. A two-run homer in the third barely cleared the fence in left center and just a batter or two later, a solid double to right center came just a few feet short of the fence. Fortunately in the top of the fifth, Ryan Farris sent the Dogs down in order because the pace of the game had slowed to a crawl, as it still took almost two full hours just to play the minimum 4 1/2 innings.
Both teams went deep into their pitching rotation, but in the case of Riverheads, that was not because any of the four guys they used were ineffective. Instead they were looking ahead to Friday's district game with Fort Defiance and wanting to keep at least a fresh arm or two ready for that one. Luray also used at least three hurlers today.
The weather is not looking the greatest for that Friday game, but if it does get played, it will be a crucial one for Riverheads to build some momentum for a late-season push.
