By RCBL Staff

Corbin Lucas and Nathan Miller have been named the Bob Wade Player and Pitcher of the Week for the fourth week of the RCBL season.

In the last two games with the Bridgewater Reds Lucas went 4-for-9 with five RBIs and one home run for the Reds.

The Reds outfielder started last week hitting 1-for-5 against the Grottoes Cardinals with one run scored.

Lucas batted in five runs for the Reds against the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks on June 20, which helped the Reds get the 12-3 win over the Dbacks.

Lucas got the chance to make an appearance in the 2018 All-Star game as a reserve for the Western Division.

The Reds are now 7-2 on the season and are second in the Western Division. Bridgewater will play again on June 26 against the Clover Hill Bucks at home. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Broadway Bruins pitcher Nathan Miller threw his best game of the season against the Montezuma Braves on June 18. Miller pitched for eight innings, giving up one run on three hits and striking out nine batters.

Miller’s outstanding performance against the Braves helped Broadway keep Montezuma to one run the entire game.

Broadway is now 10-1 on the season and will see action again on June 26 against the Grottoes Cardinals. First Pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. 

By Matthew Atkins

CLOVER HILL - The 2018 RCBL Futures vs. Valley High School Seniors All-Star Game has been postponed, RCBL Commissioner Mike Bocock announced this afternoon. The game will be made up Sunday, July 1. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Buck Bowman Park.
 
The Valley Seniors Home Run Derby has been canceled and will not be made up next weekend.   
 
The Futures game was scheduled to be played tonight at Buck Bowman Park, but storms swept through the area during the afternoon, rendering the field unplayable. Bocock said the game is an important one, though, and the league is still going to get it in.
 
“When I became the commissioner we wanted to have this game because it is the future of the league,” Bocock said. “We want the futures of the league to play, so we definitely want to have this game.”
 
The annual game pits young RCBL players against Valley High School seniors in a matchup that brings together two different worlds of baseball.

This year’s RCBL Futures team is led by the Bridgewater Reds and New Market Shockers, who each have five players on the team. The Shockers lead the way with three starters.
 
The Futures team will be coach by New Market’s Chris Rush, along with Bobby Swink of Grottoes and Justin Getz of Broadway. 

By Nick Stevens

CLOVER HILL - ​Clover Hill- Saturday night, Clover Hill featured a collection of the top players across the RCBL, coming together to participate in the 2018 RCBL All-Star game and Home Run Derby at historic Buck Bowman Park.
 
The night began by featuring the top sluggers in the RCBL with the 2018 Home Run Derby. Tyler Bocock (Bridgewater) led all hitters in the first round with nine home runs, however, it was Kyle Matthews of Montezuma who would eventually come out on top as the home run king. Matthews defeated Cameron Stanley (Elkton) 4-1 in the championship round to take home the crown.
 
First Round
(Bridgewater) Tyler Bocock 9               (Stuarts Draft)- Will Hass 1
(Grottoes)- Nathan Rebich 1                             (Montezuma)- Kyle Matthews 5
 
(Broadway)- Dan Fry 5                         (Clover Hill)- Danny Grogg- 2
(New Market)- Josh Taymen 0              (Elkton)- Cameron Stanley- 5
 
Second Round
Tyler Bocock-2                                                            Dan Fry- 1
Kyle Matthews 2 (Matthews 2-1 in tie break)    Cameron Stanley 2
 
Championship Round
Kyle Matthews- 4
Cameron Stanley- 1
 
Immediately after the Home Run Derby,  the 2018 All-Stars took the field at Buck Bowman Park as the Eastern Division and Western Division All-Stars battled it out, with the West ultimately coming out on top, 9-1.
 
The West came out of the gate strong, with Owen Stewart (Montezuma) and Gavin Kandrick (Broadway) hitting back-to-back singles to start the game. Stewart would later score on an error off a Tyler Bocock batted ball.
 
It was the third inning that provided the most action, as the West All-Stars brought in four runs off six hits off New Market pitcher Seth Comer. Danny Grogg, Grey Sherfy (Bridgewater), Brady Duff (Broadway), and Matt Lawson (Clover Hill) all brought in runs on singles, except for Duff who brought in a run on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch.
 
The East threatened in the fourth, but a diving stop behind second base by Tyler Bocock halted the attack after Jacob Slaughter (Elkton) doubled to lead off the inning, later brought home on a Ryan Cooper (Stuarts Draft) double off the power-line in left field.
 
In the sixth, Corbin Lucas (Bridgewater) led off with a double, coming home on a Tyler Bocock fielder’s choice. Home run derby champ Kyle Matthews (2-2, RBI, R) doubled home Bocock, coming around on an error later in the inning to put the West up 8-1.
 
It was the pitching staff of the West that dominated last night’s All-Star game. Luke Foss (Bridgewater), Tucker Garrison (Bridgewater), Bocock, and Eric Yankey (Clover Hill) all faced the minimum in their innings of work. Bocock struck out the side in his frame, producing three swinging strikeouts. Yankey continued to do what he’s done all season, produce a shut down ninth, recording two strikeouts to end the night’s festivities. The East All-Stars were limited to just five hits throughout the night.
 
Notable offensive performances included:
 
Jacob Slaughter - 3-4, 2B, run scored
 
Owen Stewart - 2-3, run scored
 
Boo Dean - 2-2
 
Grey Sherfey - 2-3, RBI, run scored, SB

By Matthew Atkins

BRIDGEWATER - Following a rough start to the 2018 season, the Bridgewater Reds have found a way to win six consecutive games, finding themselves in second place in the Western Division. Led by right fielder Corbin Lucas, the Reds dismantled the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks on Wednesday night 12-3.

Lucas started the scoring early in the game and kept the runs coming all night for the Reds. After hitting a three-run home run in the bottom of the first, Lucas finished the night 3-for-4 with two runs and five RBIs.

Bridgewater started to run away with the game in the first couple of innings, but the Dbacks wouldn’t go down easily.

Stuarts Draft started to come back in the top of the sixth as Calen Owens and Reeves Whitmore each came around to score, cutting the Reds’ lead to 5-3.

With the Dbacks closing in, the Reds bats lit up and Bridgewater started to pull away again with a four-run sixth inning that was highlighted by a two-run double from Brian Bocock.

The Reds tacked on three more runs in the eighth, coming just one run shy of ending the game by slaughter rule.

Reliever Tristan Eppard got three quick outs in the top of the ninth to end the game, giving Bridgewater its sixth straight win.

“Is it six straight?” said Tyler Bocock, in his first game back since being on vacation. “Dang. It feels good. We’re rolling”

The Reds shortstop finished the game 1-for-4 with two runs scored. He also reached base once after being hit by a pitch.

Bridgewater starter Hunter Miller, who is the youngest player in the league at just 14 years old, tossed 4.1 innings, giving up one run on four hits and striking out five.

John Page picked up the win for Bridgewater, pitching 2.2 innings of relief. Page allowed two runs on three hits and struck out two Dbacks.

The Reds will be in action tonight and tomorrow before heading into the All-Star break this weekend. Bridgewater heads to Elkton tonight before returning home on Friday to host the first-place Broadway Bruins.

Bocock says that going into the All-Star break this weekend, it’s good for the team to be gaining some momentum.

“I think, where the standings sit now, it’s kind of nice to go in, hopefully get a win tomorrow and then give Broadway our best shot since they’ve proved that they’re solid." 

By Nick Stevens

CLOVER HILL - The Broadway Bruins have officially separated themselves from the rest of the RCBL. Sitting at the Clover Dome on Tuesday night, a group of fans talked amongst themselves , wondering “how in the world can these boys stay competitive by playing five games in five days?” The Bruins answered that question with leadership and Logan Morrison.
 
After pitching the final inning on Monday night against Montezuma (struck out all three hitters he faced), Morrison started Tuesday night for the Bruins, leading his team to their fifth win in five nights and nine-straight wins overall.
 
Over seven innings, Morrison gave up seven hits, one earned run, and three walks while striking out nine en route to a 4-2 victory for Broadway over Clover Hill.
 
Boo Dean began the scoring early with a bases loaded grounder back to Clover Hill’s starting pitcher Jordan Showalter. Showalter attempted to start the inning-ending double play, rather than getting the force out at home, however, the double play attempt didn’t materialize as Gavin Kandrick scored from third.
 
Kandrick would later drive in a run of his own with a seventh inning RBI-single, scoring on another Boo Dean fielder’s choice later in the frame.
 
As for Clover Hill, the Bucks lost a lot more than just a baseball game on Tuesday night. In the seventh inning, Clover Hill 1B/DH Cody Swisher took an awkward swing at a Morrison fastball, doubling over in pain after completing his swing.
 
Late last night, Swisher released the news on social media that he tore his bicep tendon and will now miss the rest of the season after having surgery to repair the damage.
 
Heartbreaking news not just for Clover Hill, but the entire league. Swisher is a vocal leader for the Bucks, who will now rely on their deep bench to try and replace his production on the field.
 
The Bucks attempted to rally twice, late in the game. Ross French brought in the first run of the game for the Bucks in the sixth with a push-bunt down the first base line, beating out the hit and scoring John Siciliano. Blake Sipe drilled his first home run of the season, deep over the left field wall, in the ninth, trying to spark a late rally.
 
Ultimately, Cole Holsinger slammed the door shut on a ninth-straight victory for the Bruins. Broadway finally gets a short break, taking two days off before taking the field again on Friday against the hot-hitting Bridgewater Reds. 

By Dwyer Neal

MONTEZUMA – The Montezuma Braves hosted the Broadway Bruins on Monday night, keeping the game close until they fell in the last inning, losing 10 – 1.

Trent Abernathy got the Braves on the board early in the game, driving a big hit which brought Brandon Lambert home. The Bruins did not get on the board until the top of the third when a hit from Dan Fry brought in Bryce Strawderman and Matt Meiser.

The Braves left those two runs unanswered and did not score another run the rest of the game. The Bruins got a run across in the top of the seventh as Logan Morrison came around on a wild pitch.

“Just put the right guys on the field, we had a good line up tonight,” Coach Justin Getz said. “We had a heck of a crew on the mound. Nathan Miller isn’t a regular starter for us and did an outstanding job.”

The Bruins got into their groove late in the game, scoring seven runs in the last inning. Logan Morrison was brought home on an error made by the Montezuma catcher before Boo Dean scored by stealing home.

The Braves pitcher let in a walk while bases were loaded, landing Gavin Kandrick on first and bringing Kevin Rush home. Another walk was given to the Bruins, allowing Matt Meiser to score.  

John Ackerman got a hit and advanced to first, giving Bryce Strawderman a chance to bring home a run, which made the score 8 – 1. The last two runs of the night were from Gavin Kandrick and Dan Fry.

Up Next -
Broadway left Montezuma with a 10 – 1 win and will see action again tonight, against the Clover Hill Bucks at 7:30 p.m. at Buck Bowman Park.
​
The Braves will play again against the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks at the Diamond Club tonight at 7:30 p.m.

By Matthew Atkins

The Rockingham County Baseball League has announced the rosters for the 2018 All-Star Weekend sponsored by the Hall of Fame Sports Grill and Dick Myers Chrysler Dodge Jeep.
 
The 2018 RCBL East vs. West All-Star game will be played on Saturday June 23 at Buck Bowman Park in Clover Hill. First pitch is scheduled for 8 p.m.
 
The Broadway Bruins lead the way with nine players on the Western Division All-Star roster. Elkton, New Market and Stuarts Draft each have six players on the Eastern Division roster. Broadway and Elkton have four starters on each of their respective divisions’ teams.
 
The starters for the Western Division are catcher Matt Larson (Clover Hill), first baseman Cody Swisher (Clover Hill), second baseman Brady Duff (Broadway), third baseman Brandon Lambert (Montezuma), shortstop Tyler Bocock (Bridgewater), left fielder Grey Sherfey (Bridgewater), centerfielder Dan Fry (Broadway), right fielder Owen Stewart (Montezuma), designated hitter Gavin Kandrick (Broadway), and pitcher Logan Morrison (Broadway).

Making an All-Star appearance in his first season in the league, Fry currently leads the Western Division in RBIs with 14 on the season. He's also tied for the division lead in home runs with two.

Morrison is currently third in the division with a 0.90 ERA and second in strikeouts with 22 on the year. He has won two games so far this season, tied for the most in the West. 

The Western Division reserves are Boo Dean, Bryce Strawderman, Cole Holsinger, Brett Whiteman and John Judy of Broadway; Derek Shifflett, Luke Foss, Tucker Garrison, Jared Talley and Corbin Lucas of Bridgewater; Eric Yankey, John Siciliano and Corey Armentrout of Clover Hill; and Kyle Armstrong and Kyle Matthews of Montezuma.
 
Holsinger is currently the division leader in strikeouts with 23 on the season while Whiteman leads the division with a 0.75 ERA.

The Western Division team will be coached by Robert Sherfey (Bridgewater), Justin Getz (Broadway), Chris Cofer (Clover Hill) and Ronnie Brunk (Montezuma).
 
The starters for the Eastern Division are catcher Cameron Stanley (Elkton), first baseman Ryan Cooper (Stuarts Draft), second baseman Jacob Slaughter (Elkton), third baseman Pat Wingfield (New Market), shortstop Will Hass (Stuarts Draft), left fielder Jacob Merica (Grottoes), centerfielder Nick Goode (New Market), right fielder Jack Decker (Elkton), designated hitter David Wood (Grottoes), and pitcher Kris Lalk (Elkton).

Playing in his first season in the RCBL, Hass currently leads the Eastern Division in all three offensive triple crown categories. The Stuarts Draft outfielder is batting .454 with four home runs and 10 RBIs. 

Starting pitcher Kris Lalk has yet to allow an earned run this season, leading the East with a 0.00 ERA. He is also second in the division with 22 strikeouts. 
 
The Eastern Division reserves are Taylor Morris and RJ Payne of Elkton; Dylan Nicely of Grottoes; Seth Comer, Tyler Ritenour, Ty Bennett and Nate Jaye of New Market; and Cody Bartley, Chandis Goff, Tyler Wilcher and Calen Owens of Stuarts Draft.

Comer, a junior at Shenandoah University, shares the Eastern Division lead in wins with two on the season. Bartley shares the lead for ERA with Lalk, allowing zero runs through 10 innings. 
 
The Eastern Division team will be coached by Dave Loker (Elkton), Bobby Swink (Grottoes), Chris Rush (New Market) and Les Sandridge (Stuarts Draft).
 
Also taking place on June 23 will be the 2018 RCBL Home Run Derby, which will begin at 5 p.m. at Buck Bowman Park and feature one representative from each team.
 
The participants in the home run derby will be Tyler Bocock, Cody Swisher, Dan Fry, Kyle Matthews, Josh Tayman (New Market), Cameron Stanley, Will Hass, and Nathan Rebich (Grottoes).
 
The 2018 RCBL Futures team has also been announced. The Futures team will play in the RCBL Futures vs. Valley High School Seniors All-Star game on June 24. The game is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. at Buck Bowman Park.  
 
Starting for the RCBL Futures team will be catcher Tyler Mahone (Bridgewater), first baseman John Ackerman (Broadway), second baseman Gavin Rush (New Market), third baseman Ty Michaud (New Market), shortstop Ross French (Clover Hill), left fielder Grey Sherfey (Bridgewater), centerfielder Matt Meiser (Broadway), right fielder Joseph Rutherford (New Market) designated hitter Jordan Brake (Montezuma), and pitcher Cade Templeton (Montezuma).
 
The reserves for the RCBL Futures team will be Tucker Garrison and Andrew Berry of Bridgewater; Trent Miller and Chris Smith of Elkton; Sam James and Adam Dofflemyer of Grottoes; Brett Ritter and Jonathan Nagle of New Market; and Colt Miller and Taz Miller of Stuarts Draft.
 
The RCBL Futures team will be coached by Chris Rush, Bobby Swink and Justin Getz. 

By RCBL Staff

John Ackerman and Ryan Brewer have been named the Bob Wade Player and Pitcher of the Week for the third week of the RCBL season.

In four games with the Broadway Bruins this week, Ackerman was 8-for-13 with five RBIs. He also recorded five walks on the week.

Ackerman drove in most of his runs during the Bruins’ game against Stuarts Draft on Saturday night, going 2-for-2 with two RBIs and a run scored.

The Broadway first baseman followed up Saturday’s performance with a 1-for-4 outing against the Dbacks on Sunday night. Ackerman also drove in a run in the Bruins’ 13-3 win to end the weekend.  

​The Bruins are now 8-1 on the season and are in first place in the Western Division.

Ryan Brewer pitched his best game of the season for the Montezuma Braves on June 14 against the Elkton Blue Sox.

Brewer pitched for eight innings, giving up no runs on four hits and striking out nine batters. Although he was not the winning pitcher, Montezuma ended up winning the game in extra innings.   

Montezuma is currently 2-5 on the season and looking to gain some momentum before the All-Star break.

The Bruins and Braves will square of tonight at Ruritan Park in Montezuma. First pictch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

By Nick Stevens

NEW MARKET - The Bridgewater Reds entered Sunday night’s road contest against the New Market Shockers coming off a big win over their rival Clover Hill Bucks, putting up double digits in the runs column.
 
They did it again Sunday evening, defeating the Shockers 14-8 at Rebel Park.
 
Brian Bocock led the scoring attack early, driving in Kevin Bocock for the first run of the game. New Market responded with two quick runs in the bottom of the first, taking their only lead of the contest.
 
The Reds scored their 14 runs off 15 hits and six errors by the Shockers (Bridgewater committed five of their own) and were backed by a strong pitching performance from Tucker Garrison.
 
Garrison went five innings, giving up five hits, two earned runs, and three walks while striking out six New Market hitters.
 
Cory Murphy and Tyler Mahone led the way with three hits each on the night. Mahone chipped in a game-high five RBIs. A seventh inning bases clearing triple by Mahone was the highlight of the night, missing the grand slam by only a foot or two in right field.
 
New Market leadoff hitter Nick Goode continued his hot-hitting ways last night. Goode led off the game with a triple, scoring on a throwing error, quickly energizing the New Market bench. Goode went 2-for-3 on the night with two walks and three runs scored. Both Goode and Chase Smallwood continue to hit well over .400 as we head to the second-half of June.
 
Bridgewater returns to action for a fourth-straight night tonight at Grottoes. New Market can rest until Wednesday, when they return to Rebel Park to take on the Montezuma Braves. 

By Dwyer Neal

CLOVER HILL - The Clover Hill Bucks took a big 4-2 win over the Elkton Blue Sox Sunday night to improve to 8-2 on the season.

Elkton started off the scoring in the top of the third as Lee Carneal came around to score, but Clover Hill answered back in the bottom of the third by bringing in a run from Alex Knicely.

“It was good, seemed like things were different. Seemed like we were going to get going early but things didn’t work out,” Bucks head coach Chris Cofer said about the game. “Kept us off balance all night and then their bullpens didn’t really do well for us. I think that the story of it was really we had a bullpen that kind of just kept us fresh and in our rhythm.”

Lee Carneal had a big home run in the top of the fifth that put the Blue Sox back in the lead, which was the last earned run of the night from Elkton.

The Bucks answered back in the bottom of the seventh with a home run from Cody Swisher that brought Ross French around to score.

“Swisher had a big hit there obviously, between him and the bullpen guys it kind of kept us where we needed to be, but that was a big hit from Swisher,” Cofer said.

The Bucks managed to bring home one more run from Addison Griffin in the bottom of the eighth, increasing their lead to 4-2.

The Blue Sox couldn’t get anything going in the top of the ninth as Clover Hill sealed the deal on the win. Elkton dropped to 2-5 on the season with the loss.

Up next –Clover Hill will play again Tuesday, June 19 at Buck Bowman park against the Broadway Bruins. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

The Elkton Blue Sox will also play again on Tuesday, June 19 at Stonewall Memorial Park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.