For a last place team, the Fighting Leemen lived up to their name as they took an early lead this afternoon before Riverheads eased ahead with a four-run second inning and coasted to victory behind the combined pitching efforts of Casey Butler and Matthew Charles. With the win, the Gladiators remain firmly in second place in the Shenandoah District.
However, in the top of the first the visitors looked like anything but a cellar-dwelling team as they opened the game with three consecutive singles, two of which came on first pitches. With bases loaded and nobody out, it looked as if RHS was about to give up a big inning, but the Gladiators turned a double play on the next grounder, and Butler struck out batter number five, limiting the Lee threat to only one run.
RHS then took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the first, helped along by Lee errors on consecutive at-bats. The Big Red then scored four more in the bottom of the second before Lee could even record an out, which pretty much settled the issue as Riverheads remained unbeaten at home this season.
However from that point on, it was an even game as each team scored twice more to account for the final 8-3 tally. This was a make-up game from an earlier rain-out, so the teams will meet again in Staunton on Tuesday. Before that, Riverheads has a home date Friday with Luray and then closes out the regular season at home against Page on Thursday the 9th.
However, in the top of the first the visitors looked like anything but a cellar-dwelling team as they opened the game with three consecutive singles, two of which came on first pitches. With bases loaded and nobody out, it looked as if RHS was about to give up a big inning, but the Gladiators turned a double play on the next grounder, and Butler struck out batter number five, limiting the Lee threat to only one run.
RHS then took the lead for good with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the first, helped along by Lee errors on consecutive at-bats. The Big Red then scored four more in the bottom of the second before Lee could even record an out, which pretty much settled the issue as Riverheads remained unbeaten at home this season.
However from that point on, it was an even game as each team scored twice more to account for the final 8-3 tally. This was a make-up game from an earlier rain-out, so the teams will meet again in Staunton on Tuesday. Before that, Riverheads has a home date Friday with Luray and then closes out the regular season at home against Page on Thursday the 9th.
