The early tension was understandably high. Covenant and Miller played twice this year, and neither game went the full distance but both were close. The Mavericks took the first game 1-0 in a storm-shortened game, and the VIC tournament final this Saturday between the two was 1-0 for the Mavericks through two innings before the weather washed it out and nulled the event entirely. With Miller picking up the fourth seed and Covenant snagging the fifth, Monday’s VISAA Division 2 quarterfinal had everything on the line. And, in a nut shell, the game came down to an odd second inning where both teams struggled defensively, but the Mavericks were able to put together a long rally, and the Eagles were unable to cash in on the errors they were given.
After sophomore Ethan Murray settled in on the mound for the Miller, the writing was on the wall as the Mavericks rolled to an 11-2 win.
“It kind of went both ways there for a while,” said Miller coach Billy Wagner. “We didn’t play well to start but we settled down, Ethan took care of things and then we started hitting. We were opportunistic, we made them try and make plays and they wound up making a few errors and we took advantage of that — and that’s how we’ve got to play because we’re not some team that comes out trying to bang with you. We did enough and we’re on to the next round.”
The Eagles started out with a walk and then a single from Sam Lepage but were unable to plate a runner in the first as Murray worked out of the jam, getting the last two outs of the inning with a pair of strikeouts. In the second though, Covenant got on the board when Trent Miller singled and was plated after Jack Marshall reached on an error. The Mavericks committed three errors in the inning, however Murray earned a strikeout and then an inning ending ground out to second to avoid giving up the big rally.
Miller scored seven runs in the bottom half of the second. With the bases loaded, Jeremy Wagner delivered a sacrifice fly to knot things up at 1-1. In the next at-bat, Jackson Barrett came through with a 2-run single. After Murray was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Connor Gillispie drove in a pair of runs on an error to break the game open. Finally, Jacob Gavin delivered an RBI single and it was 7-1 for the Mavericks heading to the third inning.
“We made four errors and probably four more mental errors in just that one inning,” said Covenant coach Jeff Burton. “Good teams take advantage of that and they did… if we would have handled the ball maybe it’s just one or two runs that inning, so it wasn’t all on (the pitching). When you’re a coach watching your team kick the ball around like that, you wonder if it’s ever going to end, and we’ve been a very good defensive team.”
Covenant answered with an RBI single from Matt Shobe in the top of the third, but Murray retired 11 of the last 12 batters he faced to shut the Eagles offense down. Murray finished with eight strikeouts and one walk.
“I’ve never been more nervous (starting a game) in my life,” Murray said. “We all had a couple miscues early on but after that, the defense played behind me, played really well. After we got the run support and started making the plays on defense, as a pitcher your attitude just gets better. You feel confident in the team as a whole.”
Miller was able to string together a 4-run spurt in the fourth. It was highlighted by an RBI double from Gavin, RBI single from Carson Atkins, a sacrifice fly from Will Wagner and an RBI double from Barrett. Jacob Haney threw 92 pitches on Friday and so was not available to start the contest Monday. The junior finished the game in relief, throwing three innings and retiring six of the last eight batters he faced.
On the day, Barrett was 3-for-4 with three RBI. Gillispie was 2-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Gavin finished 3-for-4 with two RBI. Atkins was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored.
“I think as a team we finally stepped up to hit as a team and not for ourselves,” Barrett said. “We’ve struggled with that a lot this year and finally here in the state tournament, we got ourselves together and stepped up and did the job.”
For Covenant, Shobe went 2-for-3 while LaPage was 1-for-4 in their respective high school finales. The Eagles return the rest of their roster for next season. The 22-8 record was best mark for this program since Burton arrived in 2014, and the best since 2011 when the school won the Division 2 state championship.
“Matt Shobe and Sam Lepage have been fantastic young men to coach,” Burton said. “We did take great strides. Winning 22 games, (not too many) teams have won more games in the state of Virginia — now we’ve played a lot (more games than most). But finishing 22-8, that’s not anything to hang your head on.”
Miller advances to face Greenbrier Christian. The two met once this year with the Gators winning 2-1 in extra innings. The two also met last year in the state title game with Greenbrier edging Miller, 6-3. The Mavericks went with Murray Monday to allow number one starter Connor Gillispie the spot on Friday. The Gators are expected to pitch their stud in Casey Williams. The meeting will put the VCU-bound Miller product against Greenbrier’s Liberty signee.
First pitch for the semifinal is set for 11 a.m. in Colonial Heights at Shepherd Stadium.
