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Three for three: Western baseball caps busy week with wild win over Monroe

Photo: Ryan Yemen

With a pair of Jefferson District wins over Louisa County and Monticello already in hand, Western Albemarle came into Friday’s out of district meeting with William Monroe with a plan — to pitch by committee. The Warriors didn’t stray away from the plan. So while Friday’s action with the Dragons had some serious back and forth, a young Western team showed patience at the plate and was able to build a quick lead, hold on tightly when things got rough, and then tack on some late insurance for an 8-5 win to cap a perfect week at 3-0.

 

“Our plan was to throw four kids and we stuck with it and it wasn’t easy to do but we did and thankfully it worked out,” said Warriors coach Skip Hudgins. “I’m just really proud of this group — they might be the youngest I’ve ever had. But they’ve come on this week and really we’re just getting better every week and you love to see that.”

 

Western scored twice in each of the first three innings to build a commanding lead. The Warriors got a 2-run double from Devin Powell to draw first blood in the bottom of the first. Then in the second, Wyatt Hull delivered an RBI single and Zach Simpson was able to to score from third on a throwing error to make it 4-0.

 

The lead got to as good as 6-0 for Western a solo homerun from Zach Mallia and RBI single from Trevor Veronon in the bottom of the third.

 

“The team just rallied all around this week, we’re all hitting well, throwing well, playing well, it’s just a great feeling,” Mallia said.

 

In the top of the fourth, the Dragons came to life with a 5-run rally. The scoring spree was led by Brayden Collier who came up with a bases loaded triple to cut the deficit in half. An RBI single from Alex Kinsey and then an RBI double from Hunter Powell made it a 6-5 game and changed the tone for the next three and half innings.

 

“We came out flat and they just hit the ball so well early, capitalized on some mistakes and a few walks,” said Monroe coach Mike Maynard. “There are no excuses there though. We got back into it and so I’m proud of that, some younger guys coming up with big hits. I’m glad we showed some fight. Unfortunately, and we were talking about it as coaches, it seems every time we take a step forward we take a step back. We played great baseball against Brentsville on Tuesday and obviously Western’s a great team but I would have liked to have seen that same great energy all game.”

 

In the top of the sixth, Western’s Hull further put his stamp on the game with a diving play at shortstop to rob Reilly Owen of a likely extra base hit and then get the ball over to first to complete an inning ending double play that more than likely saved a run.

 

“I told Wyatt today, that’s the second play he’s made this year where you won’t see a better one on Sportscenter,” Hudgins said. “He’s having a great year. That’s a play that’s akin to a pick-6 in football, a steal and a dunk in basketball in critical moments. It brings such emotion. It did for us in a upward way and I think when you’re on the wrong end of a play like it’s a downward feeling too.”

 

The momentum carried over into the bottom half of the inning with Jacob Lively coming up with a double. With a walk and then a 2-run double from Mallia, the Warriors went into the seventh up 8-5.

 

“In that last at bat I’m just sitting dead red for a fastball,” Mallia said. “I got a couple of breaking balls from them but when it got to 3-2 I just tried to widen up and to be honest, I don’t know, the ball is just looking pretty big right now so that’s always good.”

 

Lively finished the job on the mound, retiring Monroe in order including a pair of strikeouts to end the game.

 

Monroe started Riley Owen but was only able to get one inning out of him before pulling him out of precaution of injury. The Dragons did get three quality innings of relief from Lance Tate. He was dominant in his first two innings before Western was able to capitalize on a pair of walks and Mallia’s big sixth inning hit.

 

Offensively for the Dragons, Collier led the way going 2-for-3 with three RBI. Powell was 2-for-2 with an RBI. Kinsey was 1-for-3 with an RBI.

 

At the plate for Western, Mallia finished 2-for-3 with three RBI.

 

“I mean he’s got a homerun in each game this week,” Hudgins said. “But him giving us that hit in the sixth, going into the seventh with a 3-run lead instead of a 1-run lead, that’s the distance between here and the moon.”

 

Sims Setser was 2-for-4. Powell was 1-for-4 with two RBI. Vernon was 1-for-1 with two walks.

 

And arguably most importantly, on the hill for the Warriors, Simpson pitched two shutout innings to start, Zakk Hodge went two and third innings without allowing any runs and Lively picked up the save. That trio allowed just three hits and two walks in their combined 5.1 innings.

 

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