It took Riverheads 11 games into the season but they finally had a game this evening that demonstrated the kind of excitement baseball is supposed to have as the Gladiators took their one and only lead of the night with two outs in the bottom of the 7th when Brody Phillips' grounder into right field gave the home team an incredibly hard-fought 3-2 walk-off win over visiting Staunton. Prior to this game, all 10 games RHS had been involved in were decided well before the 7th so that this kind of drama was new for both the team and the fans.
Although Phillips' hit will be called the "game winner," the real credit in this game goes to the two starting pitchers. Riverheads sophomore Levi Dunlap and Staunton junior Jaxson Nuckoles each earned the trust of their head coach as each lasted into the 7th inning and beyond the 90-pitch level, a stat we can now follow on the brand new RHS scoreboard. They combined to allow only 9 hits in the game as each team had to scratch and claw to get what they could.
Dunlap was replaced in the top of the 7th by classmate Ethan Fitzgerald who worked out of a jam to keep the score tied. Nuckoles however went the distance and as a result absorbed the hard-luck loss since he was on the mound when Phillips delivered the game-winner.
Staunton struck first in the top of the opening frame when a Riverheads error allowed the lead off batter to take first. He then stole second and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly. Riverheads tied things up in the bottom of the second. That pattern repeated itself in the third and fourth innings as Staunton eased ahead 2-1 and RHS tied it 2-2. Two scoreless innings followed to set up the dramatic winner-take-all seventh.
Staunton was momentarily in good shape as they had runners on first and third with only one out, but Fitzgerald recorded a strikeout for the second out and the Gladiators nailed the runner on second as he was attempting to steal to end the inning.
RHS designated hitter Holden Fitzgerald (cousin of Ethan) drew a tense walk on a full count to open the frame. He was replaced by pinch runner Grady Campbell, who is a tad leaner than Fitzgerald and therefore more likely to be able to run the bases a little quicker.
That proved to be the case as he was sacrificed to second on a nicely executed bunt that stayed barely fair down the first base line. On the next play, the Storm had no choice but to go to first for the sure thing, allowing Campbell to motor over to third. Phillips, who is only a freshman on this very young Gladiator squad, then delivered his game-winning blow that sneaked between first and second. and the celebration was on.
With the win, Riverheads completes the first cycle through district competition with a 5-1 record, losing only to Wilson. However the Hornets lost one also along the way, so depending on what they do this week, the two will likely be tied heading into the second round of district contests. Riverheads is now 8-3 overall with a non-district game at Harrisonburg up next on Wednesday. Then weather-permitting, they are scheduled to host Stuarts Draft Friday.
To wrap up, this was definitely the most entertaining game of the season for the Big Red. They learned to keep their poise when challenged and also that you don't have to score in double digits every time in order to win. But Staunton learned a lot about itself tonight as well and hopefully celebrated the near-victory on the ride back into town. They should now feel confident that they can play with anybody, so you can bet that no one will be overlooking them the rest of the season.
Although Phillips' hit will be called the "game winner," the real credit in this game goes to the two starting pitchers. Riverheads sophomore Levi Dunlap and Staunton junior Jaxson Nuckoles each earned the trust of their head coach as each lasted into the 7th inning and beyond the 90-pitch level, a stat we can now follow on the brand new RHS scoreboard. They combined to allow only 9 hits in the game as each team had to scratch and claw to get what they could.
Dunlap was replaced in the top of the 7th by classmate Ethan Fitzgerald who worked out of a jam to keep the score tied. Nuckoles however went the distance and as a result absorbed the hard-luck loss since he was on the mound when Phillips delivered the game-winner.
Staunton struck first in the top of the opening frame when a Riverheads error allowed the lead off batter to take first. He then stole second and eventually came around to score on a sacrifice fly. Riverheads tied things up in the bottom of the second. That pattern repeated itself in the third and fourth innings as Staunton eased ahead 2-1 and RHS tied it 2-2. Two scoreless innings followed to set up the dramatic winner-take-all seventh.
Staunton was momentarily in good shape as they had runners on first and third with only one out, but Fitzgerald recorded a strikeout for the second out and the Gladiators nailed the runner on second as he was attempting to steal to end the inning.
RHS designated hitter Holden Fitzgerald (cousin of Ethan) drew a tense walk on a full count to open the frame. He was replaced by pinch runner Grady Campbell, who is a tad leaner than Fitzgerald and therefore more likely to be able to run the bases a little quicker.
That proved to be the case as he was sacrificed to second on a nicely executed bunt that stayed barely fair down the first base line. On the next play, the Storm had no choice but to go to first for the sure thing, allowing Campbell to motor over to third. Phillips, who is only a freshman on this very young Gladiator squad, then delivered his game-winning blow that sneaked between first and second. and the celebration was on.
With the win, Riverheads completes the first cycle through district competition with a 5-1 record, losing only to Wilson. However the Hornets lost one also along the way, so depending on what they do this week, the two will likely be tied heading into the second round of district contests. Riverheads is now 8-3 overall with a non-district game at Harrisonburg up next on Wednesday. Then weather-permitting, they are scheduled to host Stuarts Draft Friday.
To wrap up, this was definitely the most entertaining game of the season for the Big Red. They learned to keep their poise when challenged and also that you don't have to score in double digits every time in order to win. But Staunton learned a lot about itself tonight as well and hopefully celebrated the near-victory on the ride back into town. They should now feel confident that they can play with anybody, so you can bet that no one will be overlooking them the rest of the season.
