Fluvanna got the run it needed in the top of the eighth, but things looked dire when Western Albemarle loaded the bases with just one out in the bottom half of the inning.
Jake Fulk and the Flucos’ defense was up for the task though, as the Flucos’ reliever struck out one Western batter and induced a groundout to short to secure a 2-1 victory over the Warriors.
“I wish we hadn’t have been in the bases loaded jam but it would’ve been real easy for us to hang out head, pout and let it implode,” said Fluvanna coach Mike Sheridan. “But we just kept working, we kept grinding. Jake’s a senior and he found a way to make pitches when he had to make them.”
It was a key victory for the Flucos who return only three starters from last year’s squad.
“We’ve talked about climbing a ladder and improving every night,” Sheridan said. “We’ve got to buy in … we took a big toward that tonight.”
Fluvanna tied the game when the Flucos’ No. 4 hitter Shaun Holyfield connected on a sacrifice fly to score Brett Haislip. Holyfield delivered again when he hit a bloop single into shallow left to score Haislip, who’d reached on a one-out single in the top of the eighth. Holyfield advanced to second on the Warriors attempt to make a play at the plate.
Fulk, who entered in the sixth for Logan Gibson who’d pitched well, walked Sam Hearn and Ryan Sukovich then struck out a batter. Catcher interference allowed Luke Tenuta to reach and load the bases. That’s when Fulk bore down and threw the strikeout and then forced the final groundout to seal the win.
“We’re working hard, they’re putting in the time and the effort in practice,” Sheridan said. “I can’t say enough about that.”
The Warriors stranded 11 runners during the game as the Flucos seemed to dodge bullet after bullet and escape jam after jam.
Sam Hearn threw 5.1 innings of scoreless baseball, with one baserunner he allowed scoring the tying run after Jack Masloff took over in the sixth. Masloff worked out of a runners on the corner jam with one out to allow just the single run.
The Flucos’ Gibson was stellar before giving way to Fulk, striking out five in five full innings while giving up just a single run, Tenuta’s RBI single that scored Sukovich in the second inning. Fulk struck out six in his three innings. Tre Bright went 3-for-4 at the plate with a trio of singles for Fluvanna.
