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Louisa baseball walks off in instant classic with Fluvanna

Photo: Ryan Yemen

Yes, the weather made it feel like a May game, but in truth, it was the quality of the product from both sides of the field that made the first meeting between Fluvanna County and Louisa County feel like a game with a lot on the line… in March. It was a fantastic pitching duel between two rival schools that ended with a walk off double from Dakota Hall in the bottom of the seventh inning that allowed the Lions to hold serve at home 2-1.

 

“We knew coming in how tough this was going to be because we knew what Fluvanna had done already,” said Louisa coach Kevin Fisher. “We have good arms, they have good arms. (Fluvanna coach Mike Sheridan) and I were talking about it — it’s going to comedown to a miscue or a big hit. That’s what happened.”

 

With the game tied at 1-1, Louisa took to the bottom seventh when a 1-out double from Will Butler put the Lions in great position, and when Ethan Fletcher reached on an error that put both he and Butler in scoring position. That set the table from Hall who delivered a line drive double that plated Butler and cemented a 2-1 win.

 

The Flucos drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning when Zach Gentry hit a double to the wall in center field.That set up an RBI single from Ryan Groome. But in the bottom half of the second, the Lions answered right back as they got a leadoff double from Aaraon Szlanakiewicz and RBI single from Ethan Fletcher to knot things up at 1-1 going into the third.

 

From there, it was all about the pitching and great defense. And with the way the field is configured, what wound up happening was Fluvanna coach Mike Sheridan and Fisher positioned next to each other in each inning admiring the way the game played out.

 

“It was just the greatest conversation,” Sheridan said. “We as coaches got to get out of the way and let the kids play the game. It was a hell of a game. You want a playoff game to be that good.”

 

For the Lions, John Reynolds got the starting nod. For the Flucos, the ball went to freshman Kevin Ward. Neither factored into the decisions, interestingly enough. Ward threw four innings, gave up three hits, one walk and struck out three with just one earned run.

 

“It’s our third game this week after playing good teams in Spotsylvania and Powhatan,” Sheridan said. “To see a freshman not have his best stuff and still hold these guys to one run in four innings? Yeah, we think he’s going to be pretty good.”

 

Reynolds, a senior, threw five innings with three hits, no walks and struck out five batters on just 61 pitches.

 

“He’s a crafty pitcher that has enough stuff to get it by you but at the same token he’s got a slider and a changeup that he worked to their lefties,” Fisher said. “John just made a lot of good pitches after that first run.”

 

With the starters locked in an even duel, Ward gave way to Gentry on the mound while Reynolds handed the ball off to Tristan Snyder. Little changed until the bottom of the seventh. Gentry gave up no hits in his first two innings and struck out five batters on the night. Snyder wound up getting the win and gave up no hits, no walks and sat down five Flucos swinging or looking in his two innings pitched.

 

On the night, Fletcher was 2-for-2 for Louisa with an RBI. Hall finished 1-for-3 with an RBI. Szalankwiecz was 1-for-3. Austin Nicholas was 1-for-2.

 

For Fluvanna, Groom finished 2-for-2 with an RBI. Gentry was 1-for-3 with a run scored.

 

The Flucos (2-1) will host Western Albemarle while Lions (1-0) host Charlottesville.

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