It was exactly the kind of night that Orange County’s baseball team was hoping for.
The Hornets were hosting a playoff game.
There was a big, loud crowd at Porterfield Park.
And Orange got a complete team effort, manufacturing enough runs to make Bradley Hanner’s complete game count as the Hornets won their Conference 16 first round battle with Albemarle 4-2.
“When you know that your team is always going to back you up and you’ve got a man like Bradley on the mound, it’s just a great thing,” said Orange junior Tre Smith. “We had a big crowd tonight and it was just a great thing.”
Hanner threw his sixth complete game of the year, striking out seven and scattering four hits. While he wasn’t as dominant as he has been in other games this season, that’s more a testament to the high bar that Hanner has set for himself during this season where he’s set a record for strikeouts in school history with 101, a mark he reached against the Patriots.
“Bradley didn’t have his A game tonight but any time he’s on the mound, we’re in a position to win,” said Orange coach Dave Rabe.
The Hornets weren’t explosive offensively, as Albemarle pitcher Scott Reid did a tremendous job on the mound for the Patriots, striking out five and walking just one. But the Hornets made the most of the baserunners they did manage, scoring two early runs before tacking on what became the game-winner in the fifth inning. That’s when Smith roped a double to deep left field and set the table for catcher Christian Boswell who singled to left two at bats later to score Smith.
Orange added another run in the sixth on a sacrifice fly, proving the Hornets are capable of grinding things out, of playing fundamental baseball in order to pick up wins.
“No matter how good your pitcher is, you can’t win a zero-zero ball game,” Rabe said. “We had some very good approaches and we got the bunt down when we needed to. Guys really stepped up and started doing their jobs tonight.”
Keenan Williams, Hanner, Boswell and Justin Beaty all notched RBI for the Hornets. Boswell went 2-for-3 with a double, but Orange was balanced beyond Boswell with eight of the starting nine registering hits.
Albemarle’s season ended with the loss. Ryan Porter and Mark Thomas each had RBI, and the Patriots battled at the plate against Hanner, who’s been extremely tough all season long on opposing batters.
“I thought our approach was pretty good at the plate, we battled him,” said Albemarle coach Jimmy Bibb. “We really worked hard on making him work for it. But he’s a good pitcher.”
While the Patriots’ year is over, with just a handful of senior starters and a pack of sophomores filling key roles, the future is bright for Albemarle.
“When you have a young team like that you never know what team is going to show up,” Bibb said. “Even tonight they played well, the last three or four games we’ve really improved. We knew that (it was going to be a work in progress) coming in.”
Orange advances to the Conference 16 semifinals where they’ll face Halifax with a region tournament berth on the line. With a win, the Hornets will earn a region tournament spot and a chance to play for a conference title. If Orange falls, they’ll play in the third place game for a final spot in the region field on Friday.
For now though, the Hornets can savor a huge postseason win and the overwhelming support from Orange’s fan base.
“It says a lot about our community and how much they care about these young athletes when you take an 8-9 team and we pack it, it makes you feel good as a coach,” Rabe said. “These young men have worked hard all season and deserve it.”
