The Riverheads boys and girls teams each made the 100 mile or so trip to Rappahannock County tonight as number four seeds taking on the number one seeded Panthers. The Gladiators came agonizingly close to sweeping both games but the girls lost a 5-4 heartbreaker while the boys stormed back from an early 3-0 deficit and whipped the home team 7-3. The boys will now play later this week for the Region B championship, but at this point I am not sure where that will be or what day. We do know that Riverheads will travel again.
As luck would have it tonight, you could see the softball scoreboard while watching the baseball game, and as near as I could tell, RappCo jumped out to a 3-1 lead, and Riverheads whittled away at it, finally taking a 4-3 lead in the top of the 7th. But from what I overheard, the Lady Panthers then walked off the win with a two run homer in the bottom of the inning. By virtue of their number one seed, they will get to host the Region B championship later this week.
As for the baseball game, Rapp was in control for the first four innings as Riverheads was in danger of an early exit from the playoffs. But a key pitching substitution and some timely hitting turned the tide for the Big Red as they scored all seven of their runs in their final three at bats. In true dramatic baseball fashion, all seven Riverheads runs scored after two outs had been recorded.
The early Rapp lead was mainly due to some first-inning wildness from Gladiator starter Colton Kwiecinski. He walked the first two batters he faced and when the third guy belted a double into left field, those two came in to score. Later in the inning, a wild pitch plated the third Rapp run of the inning.
RHS skipper Rodney Painter gave Kwiecinski a chance to settle down in the second but he pulled him after another walk and that proved to be a smart move as the second and third Gladiator hurlers, Matthew Charles and Ryan Farris, held the home team scoreless over the final six frames. It is quite possible that Coach Painter was thinking long term in hopes of having another game to play this week, which might explain the fact that none of the three pitched as much as three full innings. Therefore the pitch count/rest period rules, whatever those are, might allow one, two or maybe all three of them to be available again in the regional title game.
The Gladiators still trailed 3-0 when they made their biggest move in the top of the fifth. A pair of completely different doubles each brought in two runs to give RHS a 4-3 lead. Bennett Dunlap got the first two RBIs with a blooper of sorts into short right center that looked like it could have been caught for the third out, in which case we might be having a different discussion tonight. Instead it dropped in and the first two Riverheads runs crossed the plate since the base runners had been off at the crack of the bat. Moments later Farris, still the catcher at that point, hit a towering shot to straightaway center that momentarily looked as if it might leave the yard. It didn't but it was still strong enough to drive home the next two runs and give RHS the lead for good.
The Panthers then had their best chance to regain control of the game in the home half of that same inning. Coach Painter made the call for Farris to relieve Charles early in the inning but the Panthers still managed to load the bases with one out. A fly ball to shallow left field "might" have given the guy on third the chance to tag and go for the tie as it would have taken a perfect throw from Riverheads to nail him at the plate. But the dude elected not to go for it, whether or not that was a coaching call, and Farris struck out the next batter to keep RHS ahead 4-3.
Needing an insurance run in the top of the sixth, the Gladiators thought they had it when a base runner came home on a teammate's hit (sorry but I don't remember who either was) and in the eyes of most RHS fans, he slid in under the tag. But he was called out for the first out of the inning. It turned out to be a case of no harm/no foul as Dunlap recorded his third RBI of the game to make the score 5-3 at that point.
When Rapp failed to score in the home half of the sixth, Gladiator fans started to feel it but by that time the fans from the softball game had come over to join in the fun and they did their best, along with a festive PA announcer with a lot of appropriate music, to rally the troops, but instead of a big home team comeback, the Gladiators added their final two runs when a routine fly ball to right, which would have been the final out, simply popped out of the glove, and Riverheads sent its final two guys across the plate. The Panthers then went quietly and quickly in the bottom of the 7th.
By now I am sure the Gladiators know who their opponent will be and when the game will be played. As mentioned above, it will all come down to the question of how wisely Coach Painter used his pitchers tonight, and who might have how much left in the tank. Of course it is only logical to assume that the other team, whoever that may be, was in the same boat tonight and had to use its ace(s) in the other "must win" game. Also at stake in that regional final will be the right to host a state semi-final, as it is pre-determined that the Region B titleholder will host the Region A champ. So Gladiator fans...be pulling for one more road win out of your team because that will mean one final home game to wrap up this crazy, one-of-a-kind sports year!
As luck would have it tonight, you could see the softball scoreboard while watching the baseball game, and as near as I could tell, RappCo jumped out to a 3-1 lead, and Riverheads whittled away at it, finally taking a 4-3 lead in the top of the 7th. But from what I overheard, the Lady Panthers then walked off the win with a two run homer in the bottom of the inning. By virtue of their number one seed, they will get to host the Region B championship later this week.
As for the baseball game, Rapp was in control for the first four innings as Riverheads was in danger of an early exit from the playoffs. But a key pitching substitution and some timely hitting turned the tide for the Big Red as they scored all seven of their runs in their final three at bats. In true dramatic baseball fashion, all seven Riverheads runs scored after two outs had been recorded.
The early Rapp lead was mainly due to some first-inning wildness from Gladiator starter Colton Kwiecinski. He walked the first two batters he faced and when the third guy belted a double into left field, those two came in to score. Later in the inning, a wild pitch plated the third Rapp run of the inning.
RHS skipper Rodney Painter gave Kwiecinski a chance to settle down in the second but he pulled him after another walk and that proved to be a smart move as the second and third Gladiator hurlers, Matthew Charles and Ryan Farris, held the home team scoreless over the final six frames. It is quite possible that Coach Painter was thinking long term in hopes of having another game to play this week, which might explain the fact that none of the three pitched as much as three full innings. Therefore the pitch count/rest period rules, whatever those are, might allow one, two or maybe all three of them to be available again in the regional title game.
The Gladiators still trailed 3-0 when they made their biggest move in the top of the fifth. A pair of completely different doubles each brought in two runs to give RHS a 4-3 lead. Bennett Dunlap got the first two RBIs with a blooper of sorts into short right center that looked like it could have been caught for the third out, in which case we might be having a different discussion tonight. Instead it dropped in and the first two Riverheads runs crossed the plate since the base runners had been off at the crack of the bat. Moments later Farris, still the catcher at that point, hit a towering shot to straightaway center that momentarily looked as if it might leave the yard. It didn't but it was still strong enough to drive home the next two runs and give RHS the lead for good.
The Panthers then had their best chance to regain control of the game in the home half of that same inning. Coach Painter made the call for Farris to relieve Charles early in the inning but the Panthers still managed to load the bases with one out. A fly ball to shallow left field "might" have given the guy on third the chance to tag and go for the tie as it would have taken a perfect throw from Riverheads to nail him at the plate. But the dude elected not to go for it, whether or not that was a coaching call, and Farris struck out the next batter to keep RHS ahead 4-3.
Needing an insurance run in the top of the sixth, the Gladiators thought they had it when a base runner came home on a teammate's hit (sorry but I don't remember who either was) and in the eyes of most RHS fans, he slid in under the tag. But he was called out for the first out of the inning. It turned out to be a case of no harm/no foul as Dunlap recorded his third RBI of the game to make the score 5-3 at that point.
When Rapp failed to score in the home half of the sixth, Gladiator fans started to feel it but by that time the fans from the softball game had come over to join in the fun and they did their best, along with a festive PA announcer with a lot of appropriate music, to rally the troops, but instead of a big home team comeback, the Gladiators added their final two runs when a routine fly ball to right, which would have been the final out, simply popped out of the glove, and Riverheads sent its final two guys across the plate. The Panthers then went quietly and quickly in the bottom of the 7th.
By now I am sure the Gladiators know who their opponent will be and when the game will be played. As mentioned above, it will all come down to the question of how wisely Coach Painter used his pitchers tonight, and who might have how much left in the tank. Of course it is only logical to assume that the other team, whoever that may be, was in the same boat tonight and had to use its ace(s) in the other "must win" game. Also at stake in that regional final will be the right to host a state semi-final, as it is pre-determined that the Region B titleholder will host the Region A champ. So Gladiator fans...be pulling for one more road win out of your team because that will mean one final home game to wrap up this crazy, one-of-a-kind sports year!
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