In a game that was closer than the final score might indicate, the Gladiators needed a while to get into their rhythm, but finally broke away from a tight 5-3 game by scoring three runs in both the sixth and seventh to put the home team away.
The game actually started out as a pitcher's duel, although Riverheads' Jakob King had by far the better control between the two starters. The Lee starter (Mason Luck I believe was the name I heard) was wild in the early going as he plunked four of the first eight Gladiators he faced. He would eventually hit at least two more.
However, to their credit, the Lee defense kept those gimmes from crossing the plate in the early frames as RHS led only 1-0 after three innings. But in the top of the fourth, the Big Red strung together three consecutive RBI hits to move ahead 4-0.
But instead of that being their big move to take charge of the game, the Leemen fought back in the bottom half of the frame on a two-run homer to straight-away center that cut the deficit in half. Two batters later, they hit another one to the center field fence for a double that might have helped them move closer but that runner was left stranded.
The teams then traded single runs in the fifth, leaving the game very much in doubt with a 5-3 Riverheads lead with two innings to go. But after the first two batters reached safely in the top of the sixth, Elijah Dunlap stepped to the plate for what turned out to be the game-deciding at-bat.
With runners on first and second, he laid a nice bunt down the third base line. It was a textbook sacrifice that should have been the first out of the inning, but the Leemen threw it away at first. By the time they finally retrieved the ball and got it back in play, both base runners had scored and Dunlap made it all the way to third.
The next batter brought him home to make it 8-3 and pretty much settled the issue. The Gladiators would go on to score three more in the seventh before Lee tallied once more for the 11-4 final.
Riverheads now entertains unbeaten Page County on Thursday in a Senior Night game. Although the Gladiators will hopefully get fired up for that one, a win will not change anything for either team. Page will still be the number one seed going into next week's district tournament and Riverheads will be second.
They have each then presumably nailed down number one seeds and home-field advantage for the Region B playoffs further down the road. Chances are pretty good that one or both will be doing some traveling down Radford way that weekend of June 7th and 8th.
The game actually started out as a pitcher's duel, although Riverheads' Jakob King had by far the better control between the two starters. The Lee starter (Mason Luck I believe was the name I heard) was wild in the early going as he plunked four of the first eight Gladiators he faced. He would eventually hit at least two more.
However, to their credit, the Lee defense kept those gimmes from crossing the plate in the early frames as RHS led only 1-0 after three innings. But in the top of the fourth, the Big Red strung together three consecutive RBI hits to move ahead 4-0.
But instead of that being their big move to take charge of the game, the Leemen fought back in the bottom half of the frame on a two-run homer to straight-away center that cut the deficit in half. Two batters later, they hit another one to the center field fence for a double that might have helped them move closer but that runner was left stranded.
The teams then traded single runs in the fifth, leaving the game very much in doubt with a 5-3 Riverheads lead with two innings to go. But after the first two batters reached safely in the top of the sixth, Elijah Dunlap stepped to the plate for what turned out to be the game-deciding at-bat.
With runners on first and second, he laid a nice bunt down the third base line. It was a textbook sacrifice that should have been the first out of the inning, but the Leemen threw it away at first. By the time they finally retrieved the ball and got it back in play, both base runners had scored and Dunlap made it all the way to third.
The next batter brought him home to make it 8-3 and pretty much settled the issue. The Gladiators would go on to score three more in the seventh before Lee tallied once more for the 11-4 final.
Riverheads now entertains unbeaten Page County on Thursday in a Senior Night game. Although the Gladiators will hopefully get fired up for that one, a win will not change anything for either team. Page will still be the number one seed going into next week's district tournament and Riverheads will be second.
They have each then presumably nailed down number one seeds and home-field advantage for the Region B playoffs further down the road. Chances are pretty good that one or both will be doing some traveling down Radford way that weekend of June 7th and 8th.
