By Ben Sheridan / Scrimmageplaycva.com contributor
In a highly anticipated Class 3 baseball state tournament rematch between Fluvanna and Abingdon Tuesday night at Fluvanna County, the Flucos were the squad seeking a little revenge.
Last year the Flucos’ season ended at the hands of the Falcons in the Class 3 state semifinals. In this matchup, the Flucos were intent on not letting history repeat itself.
With dominant pitching performances from both starters, Fluvanna emerged victorious with a final score of 1-0 thanks to a Cam Shields RBI double in the fourth inning.
“I was just trying to put the ball in play, keep the next man rolling, and it just happened to get down the line, and we were able to score from first,” Shields said.
Starting pitcher Andrew Ward struggled in the first inning, allowed a walk and hitting two batters, loading the bases.
“I shook it off, and the coaches talked to me and said calm down and win the ballgame,” Ward said.
That simple approach paid off, as he got out of the jam without allowing any damage and was dominant the rest of the night, posting a one-hit shutout with eight strikeouts.
While Ward was dominant on the mound, the Fluco offense needed a spark. In came in the bottom of the fourth as Shields ripped a double down the left field line that rolled and bounced off the wall, allowing Kevin Ward to score from first after he reached via a fielder’s choice. That run proved to be the winning run.
The Flucos were able to walk away with a victory, and during the postgame festivities multiple members of the team were honored with All-Region 3C awards, including the two highest honors in the region. Catcher Jacob Critzer was named the region player of the year while Joel Gray picked up coach of the year honors.
“To be honest I’m speechless, I never thought I’d be at this moment right now, and it being my senior year, I just don’t know how to explain it,” Critzer said after connecting on a pair of singles in the game.
But awards aside, it was clear the Flucos were locked in and eager to advance against the Falcons.
“The number one thing was beating Abingdon, they’re a very good program, their fourth year in a row with 20-plus wins, they expect to win, they’re a little younger than last year, and I won’t lie in the back of our minds we knew we owed them a little something,” Gray said.
That something came in the most gratifying form it could have come in for the Flucos, a win to send them to the Class 3 state semifinal, keeping their title aspirations alive.
With the win, the Flucos will play Friday for a spot in the Class 3 state championship game, taking on Brentsville at 1 p.m. in Salem in the state semifinals.
