By Nolan Potts
Clover Hill scored four runs in the fourth inning and then added another in the fifth and two in the sixth as they pulled away from Bridgewater and took Game 2 of the RCBL Finals by a final score of 9-4 and now have a 2-0 lead in the series.

Bridgewater scored first when they put up two runs in the second inning courtesy of a Malachi Simmons RBI groundout that drove in Noah Cornwell, and Ryan Williams reaching on an error that brought in Grey Sherfey.

The Bucks would respond in the bottom of the second on an RBI single from Brooks Bowman that scored Lucas Bauer, and an RBI groundout from Issac Sumpter that scored Kevin Navedo.

Sherfey would hit an RBI single in the top of the third to drive in Chris Huffman and put Bridgewater ahead, 3-2.

In the fourth, Josh Eberly hit an RBI double to tie the game, and then the Bucks would take the lead for good later that inning on a Bryce Suters RBI single, followed by RBI singles from Luke Shiflett and Bauer.

Huffman drove in a run in the fifth to make the score 6-4 in favor of Clover Hill, but in the bottom of the fifth, Eberly would hit another RBI double to extend the lead back to three.

Clover Hill went with three different pitchers to start the game going two innings each. Cole Freeman got the start before turning it over to Clay Guyer in the third (who was credited with the win), who then turned it over to Tyler Hill in the fifth. Grant Thomas pitched the final three innings to pick up the save.

At the plate, every Clover Hill starter had at least one hit, and the team got three hits from Suters, as well as two hits each from Eberly, John Siciliano, and Navedo.

For Bridgewater, All-RCBL team pitcher Nick Griffin took the loss on the mound, with Eric Yankey and Pat Burke also getting work out of the bullpen. Offensively, the Reds had seven hits as a team and got two hits each from Huffman, Sherfey, and Corbin Lucas.

Game 3 of the series is scheduled for Wednesday night at Ray Heatwole Field at 7:00 PM.

By Nolan Potts
Clover Hill stole home field advantage in the RCBL Finals and held off Bridgewater in the final two innings of Game 1 and won, 4-2.

The Bucks opened the scoring in the top of the second when an Alex Knicely groundout scored Luke Shiflett, and an error on the play enabled Lucas Bauer to score and make the score 2-0. The Bucks would extend the lead to 3-0 with a run in the sixth inning on a Bryce Suters RBI single that drove home Drew Easter.

Bridgewater would finally get on the board in the bottom of the seventh when Mason Hamilton reached on an error that scored Grey Sherfey, and then again in the eighth inning on a bases-loaded walk to Cam Herron. The Reds left the bases loaded in the eighth and trailed 3-2 heading into the ninth.

Derek Shifflett took over for Huffman in the eighth for the Reds and threw a scoreless inning, but the Bucks were able to add one in the top of the ninth on an RBI double off the bat of Drew Easter that drove in Kevin Navedo to make it 4-2.

But the Reds did not go down without a fight. Tyler Conley, who started Game 4 of the semifinals for the Bucks, came in to try to pick up the save. Brett Tharp led off with a walk. Mason Hamilton grounded into a fielder’s choice for out number one. The next batter (Huffman) singled, but Conley got a groundout and a strikeout to strand the tying run at second base.

Both starting pitchers (Chris Huffman for Bridgewater, and Reid Long for Clover Hill) were strong in this game. Huffman went seven innings, allowing five hits, three runs (two earned) while striking out eight. Long went 6.2 innings and allowed eight hits, one run (zero earned) and struck out six.

For Bridgewater, Huffman had three hits while Corbin Lucas, Sherfey, and Herron each had two hits.

Clover Hill was led offensively by Luke Shiflett’s two hits, while six other players had one hit.

Game 2 is scheduled for Monday night at Buck Bowman Park at 7:45 PM.

                         R      H      E
Clover Hill       4      8      2
Bridgewater    2     10     2
Win: Reid Long
Loss: Chris Huffman
Save: Tyler Conley

By Nolan Potts
Trailing 2-0 entering the sixth inning in Game 4 of the semifinals, Clover Hill put up seven runs and pulled away to win Game 4 over Massanutten by a final score of 8-4 and win the series, 2-1.

The Bucks advance to the RCBL Finals and will take on Bridgewater beginning Sunday night.

Massanutten got on the board first in this one on a two-out infield single by Colin Troilo that scored Harrison Madagan, and then an errant throw on the play allowed courtesy runner Brady Hoover to score, as well.

Cole Orr threw extremely well for the Mountaineers, throwing five scoreless innings to start the game before running into some trouble in the sixth. He left the game after 5.1 innings and the game tied at 2-2 with two runners on, but Clover Hill drove in those two runs and added three more to make it 7-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth.

In that inning, Kevin Navedo, Alex Knicely, and Kevin Kirk each had an RBI single, while pinch hitter Drew Easter drew a bases-loaded walk, and Luke Shiflett had a two RBI single. The Bucks also scored two runs on wild pitches.

Massanutten would respond in the bottom of the sixth when they scored on a passed ball, and then Nate Brookshire hit an RBI single to drive in Harrison Madagan.

Navedo led off the seventh with a double for the Bucks and would score on a 6-4-3 double play two batters later to make it 8-4.

Tyler Conley picked up the win for Clover Hill, working his way into the sixth inning before turning it over to Grant Thomas who went the rest of the way allowing just two hits, no runs, and striking out four to pick up the save.

At the plate, Navedo had three hits, while Shiflett and Josh Eberly each had two hits.

For the Mountaineers, Harrison Madagan went 2-3 and five others each had one hit.

Massanutten finishes their inaugural season in the RCBL with a record of 16-15 after starting the season 3-9.

Clover Hill is now 19-12 overall and travel to Bridgewater (24-6) for Game 1 of the Finals on Sunday night at 6:30 PM.

 

By Nolan Potts
Harrison Madagan had five hits and scored four runs and Kaplan Ambrose hit a grand slam and drove in seven runs as Massanutten scored six runs in the third inning and 13 runs in the sixth to force a Game 4 with a 20-5 win over Clover Hill at Buck Bowman Park on Thursday night.

Clover Hill jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning. After Josh Eberly walked and John Siciliano reached on a fielder’s choice that Eberly was safe on at second base, Bryce Suters hit his third home run of the series to right-center field to put the Bucks on top.

In the top of the third, Massanutten’s bats would start to wake up. Harrison Madagan singled to score Kaden Spaid and make the score 3-1. Two batters later, Connor Houser singled to right and scored Nick Arnold. Nate Brookshire would then single to left to score Madagan and courtesy runner Andrew O’Brien and give the Mountaineers the lead. After Colin Troilo was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Ambrose singled to center to score Houser and Brookshire and make the score 6-3.

The Mountaineers would make it 7-3 in the fourth inning after Houser singled and drove in Madagan.

Clover Hill would load the bases in the fifth and score two runs after a Kevin Kirk single and a Josh Eberly hit by pitch, but Massanutten reliever Andrew Baugher induced a 5-2-3 double play to get out of inning without any further damage.

The Mountaineers exploded for 13 runs in the top of the sixth inning. Nick Arnold led off the inning with a walk, followed by a Madagan single and two hit by pitches to Dawson Russell and Houser. Brookshire singled to bring in a run and make it 9-5, and then Ambrose hit a grand slam over the right field wall to break it open and make it 13-5. From there, Massanutten added seven more runs with the RBIs coming from Arnold, Madagan (2), Russell, Ambrose, and House (2).

Massanutten starter Brady Hoover bounced back from the three-run first inning and gave the team 4.1 innings pitched before turning it over to Baugher, who then went the next 1.2 innings allowing no earned runs, one hit, and striking out two. Garett McAlexander pitched a 1-2-3 seven inning, striking out two to finish the ballgame.

On the day for the Mountaineers, Madagan went 5-6 with three RBI and four runs scored, Brookshire went 3-4 with three RBI and three runs scored, and Ambrose went 2-4 with seven RBI. Houser had two hits and three RBI, while House had two hits and two RBI. Arnold had two runs, scored three runs, and walked three times.

For the Bucks, Suters had the home run and three RBI, Siciliano had two hits, while Eberly and Kirk each had a hit and an RBI.

Game 4 is Friday night at Spotswood High School at 7:00 PM. The Mountaineers must win to force a Game 5. A Clover Hill win would put the Bucks in the RCBL Finals against Bridgewater.

By Nolan Potts
There’s a reason that Chris Huffman was named the MVP and Pitcher of the Year in the regular season, and with a chance for Bridgewater to advance to the RCBL Finals with a win, Huffman delivered.

The right-hander threw a complete game and struck out 17 and also went 2-5 at the plate as the Reds are back in the RCBL Finals for the third straight year after a 5-1 win over Broadway in Game 4 of the semifinals.

Bridgewater scored a single run in five innings: the first, third, sixth, seventh, and eighth, and every starter in their lineup had at least one hit as the team had eleven total hits.

Huffman and Mason Hamilton each had two hits, while Corbin Lucas had two RBI and Brett Tharp, Malachi Simmons, and Mason Mantz each had one RBI.

For Broadway, Jayden Nixon had two hits, while Brody Bower, Micah Canterbury, and Ryan Martin each had one hit. Canterbury drove in Broadway’s lone run of the game in the ninth inning on an RBI single to left field that scored Nixon.

Huffman threw 134 pitches with 102 of those going for strikes. He also didn’t walk or hit anyone in the complete game gem.

Bridgewater now awaits the result of the other semifinals series between Massanutten and Clover Hill to see who they’ll go up against in the RCBL Finals.

By Nolan Potts
Clover Hill took a 5-3 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning, and Massanutten ended up leaving the bases loaded. From there, the Bucks scored four runs in the sixth, two in the seventh, and four more in the eighth and they took Game 2 on the road by a final score of 15-3.

The Bucks scored two runs in the first inning on a two-RBI single off the bat of Lucas Bauer, but Massanutten would respond with two runs of their own in the bottom of the first after RBI singles from Harrison Madagan and Dawson Russell.

The Mountaineers would take the lead in the bottom of the second on an RBI groundout from Kaden Spaid, but Clover Hill responded with two runs in the top of the third and would never relinquish the lead.

Massanutten had a shot in the bottom of the fifth, but Clover Hill starting pitcher Jaden Isidro worked out of the jam and kept the game at 5-3.

From there, the Clover Hill offense exploded, as the team ended up with 15 hits in the game.

Bryce Suters and Lucas Bauer each had four hits, with Suters being just a double away from hitting for the cycle. Josh Eberly, John Siciliano, and Kevin Kirk each had two hits. Kirk had four RBI, Suters had three RBI, and both Bauer and Luke Shiflett each had two RBI.

Isidro went the first five innings, allowing seven hits, three runs (two earned) and striking out eight. Clay Guyer pitched three shutout innings to finish the game and picked up the save.

For Massanutten, Spaid and Russell each had two hits and one RBI, with Harrison Madagan picking up the other RBI.

Game 3 of the series is Thursday night at Buck Bowman Park at 7:45 PM. The Mountaineers need to win in order to keep the series going. A Clover Hill win would end the series and propel the Bucks to the RCBL Finals against the Bridgewater Reds.

By Nolan Potts
Bridgewater scored in six of the eight innings they hit in and took Game 3 against Broadway by a final score of 10-3 and find themselves one win away from returning to the RCBL Finals.

The Reds jumped out to a 6-0 lead after four innings and despite Broadway scoring two in the sixth and one in the seventh, Bridgewater answered with runs in those innings, as well, plus two more in the eighth.

Corbin Lucas had a monster day at the plate, going 4-5 with five RBI and two runs scored. Malachi Simmons went 3-4 with three RBI and a home run, while Mason Hamilton went 3-3 with three runs scored. Cam Herron and Chris Huffman each also had two hits for the Reds.

On the mound, veteran right-hander Derek Shifflett picked up the win. He went the first eight innings and allowed just three hits, three runs (one earned) and struck out seven while throwing 120 pitches. He turned it over to Colton Harlow for the ninth, and the former minor leaguer struck out the side on just eleven pitches.

Broadway got a double and a run scored from Jayden Nixon and an RBI from Gavin Cunningham, as well as a hit each from Micah Canterbury and Bryce Turner.

Game 4 of the series is scheduled for Tuesday night at Broadway High School starting at 7:00 PM.

By Nolan Potts
The Bucks took a 3-0 lead in the first and extended it to 8-0 after two innings and took Game 1 from the Mountaineers by a final score of 13-8.

Massanutten showed some live in the middle innings as they scored two runs in the fifth, one in the sixth, and five in the seventh to make it a 10-8 game, but Clover Hill added three in the bottom of the seventh to get the lead back to five.

Massanutten committed seven errors in the game and their pitchers walk or hit 13 Clover Hill batters.

The Bucks got multi-hit games from Luke Shiflett who had three, including two doubles, as well as from John Siciliano, Bryce Suters, Lucas Bauer, and Kevin Kirk. Suters hit a two-run home run, while Siciliano had a two-run triple.

Reid Long got the win on the mound for the Bucks, going the first six inning and allowing seven hits and three runs while striking out four. Grant Thomas was strong out of the Clover Hill bullpen, pitching the final 2.1 innings and allowing just two hits, no runs, and striking out three.

Massanutten tried to claw their way back into the game, but the miscues early on and the eight-run deficit were too much to overcome. Matt House led the way with four hits and two RBI, while Nick Arnold had two hits and two RBI, as did Connor Houser.

Game 2 is scheduled for Tuesday night at Spotswood High School at 7:00 PM.

By Nolan Potts
Kirk Messick threw 130 pitches in a Game 1 victory on Wednesday night, and in a game where the winner advances and the loser sees their season ends, the veteran left-hander turned in quite a performance.

The 2021 and 2023 RCBL Pitcher of the Year threw a complete game and allowed just one run as Massanutten knocked off Stuarts Draft 2-1 to move onto the semifinals where they will take on Clover Hill.

Messick threw 127 pitches on this night, scattering ten hits (only one extra base hit) and striking out eight while allowing his defense to make plays behind him.

Massanutten had some prime opportunities to score early, but great defensive plays by Stuarts Draft prevented any from scoring. The Mountaineers loaded the bases with no one out in the third, but a nice play by Ryan Jones on a bullet off the bat of Matt House resulted in a double play, which led to no runs scoring in the inning.

In the fourth with men on first and third and one out, Colin Trolio ripped a ball to first base, but Caden Richter laid out to stop the ball, threw it to shortstop Grayson Bush at second for an out, and then Bush fired it to pitcher Colton Harris who was covering first to complete the double play and get out of the inning.

Massanutten got their only two runs in the fifth inning. Nick Arnold led off with a single and stole second, the throw from the catcher went into the outfield and allowed Arnold to go to third. Haden Madagan followed with a walk. Dawson Russell hit a ball to first, and Richter threw home and got Arnold trying to score for the first out. The next batter was Connor Houser, and he hit a double into the left-center gap to score Madagan and courtesy runner Andrew O’Brien.

From there, it was up to Messick to keep the Diamondbacks off the board. Stuarts Draft collected ten hits in the game as a team and drew two walks, but they were never able to get a run across against Messick.

Eight of the nine Diamondback hitters had at least one hit, with Zach Roberts and Ryan Jones each collecting two.

Colton Harris pitched very well for Stuarts Draft but was the tough luck losing pitcher after allowing six hits and two runs over seven innings of work.

For Massanutten, Haden Madagan and Harrison Madagan each had two hits.

Game 1 between the Mountaineers and Bucks will be Monday night at Buck Bowman Park at 7:45 PM.

By Nolan Potts
Broadway got a complete game from right-hander Wesley Landis and despite getting just five hits in the game, the Bruins evened their semifinal series against Bridgewater with a 4-3 win in Game 2.

Landis allowed seven hits and three runs (just one earned) while striking out eight and throwing 132 pitches.

The Bruins got just enough offense to support their pitcher, including a hit and two RBI from leadoff hitter Brody Bower, two hits and a run scored from Carl Keenan, and a hit and RBI each from Ethan Burgreen and Conner Michael.

Bridgewater got out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning after an error on a bunt off the bat of Mason Hamilton scored Brett Tharp, and a sacrifice fly from Corbin Lucas scored Hamilton.

Broadway responded with an RBI single from Burgreen in the bottom of the first that drove home Keenan.

In the fourth inning, the Bruins got an RBI double from Michael that scored Jayden Nixon, and then Bower drove home Bryce Turner and Michael on a single.

Bridgewater would cut the Broadway lead to one in the seventh on an RBI double by Caden Swartley that drove home Lucas, but that would be the last run they scored in the game.

Nick Griffin went the first six innings for the Reds, allowing four runs on four hits and striking out three. He turned it over the Eric Yankey and the southpaw dominated in his two innings of work, allowing just one hit and striking out five.

Game 3 of the series will be Monday night in Bridgewater at 7:00 PM.