By Ernie Inzana / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
Less than a week removed from a late-inning loss at the hands of Fluvanna Post 2003, Albemarle Post 74 team made sure put the game away for good Tuesday night. Behind a strong offense led by Lee Carneal and Josh Malm, and a complete game tossed by Austin Turner, Albemarle defeated Fluvanna 11-1 in a run-rule shortened 7-inning game.
“Guys at the front of the order did a great job of getting on and then we kept driving them in,” said Albemarle coach Mike Maynard. “We were fortunate to get those runs early and then Austin Turner was able to throw a great game.”
After allowing base hits to two of the first four Post 2003 batters he faced, Turner found his groove and stuck with it. He retired 18 of 23 batters to end the game with only two Fluvanna base runners reaching scoring position after getting TJ Dudley to ground into a fielder’s choice to end the first unscathed.
“Basically my fastball had pretty good velocity and I had my curveball today,” Turner said. “A lot of their players I know so I knew where to place the ball; that helps.”
The complete game effort was applauded by Turner’s coach, with the team entering the stretch of their season where innings are piling up.
“Anytime a pitcher can go the distance for us, that’s great. It saves everybody else and now he doesn’t have to pitch again until Monday,” Maynard said.
The AHS product had plenty of help from his own lineup, as well. Fellow AHS teammate Lee Carneal went 3 for 4 with three RBIs from the clean-up spot, and Josh Malm rounded out the order with a 2-for-2, two RBI night while reaching base four times.
Post 74 benefitted from an off night from Fluvanna’s pitching staff, pounding out 13 hits in only six innings worth of at-bats. The hits came early and often for Albemarle, with five singles alone in the first inning. Following a deep Keegan Woolford fly-out to centerfield to start the game, Ryan Leake, Austin Batten, and Carneal delivered three straight base knocks. By the time Brett Johnson plated Batten with a sac fly, Post 74 had all the offense it needed.
Albemarle tacked on nine runs over the next three innings to officially put the game out of reach. A fourth inning sequence epitomized Post 2003 struggles from the mound. Ryan Morris started the inning with a long double down the left field line. After advancing to third on a passed ball, Morris was able to score on a Connor Lilley groundout to short. Malm then reached first on a HBP, advance to second on a wild pitch, moved up to third on a passed ball, and finally scored on another wild pitch.
TJ Dudley was able to contribute with an RBI single in the sixth inning after Dale Richardson delivered a double off the centerfield fence. But Fluvanna coach Rodney Carter recognized his team’s struggle with errors in the game and is eager for his team to resolve them.
“You can’t give Albemarle four or five outs an inning and you can’t get behind on all your pitches,” said Carter. “We’re just struggling right now. We have to move past it.”
Fluvanna hosts Staunton Post 13 on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Albemarle heads to play at Spotsylvania Post 320 on Thursday 7 p.m.
