By Matthew Atkins

GROTTOES - ​The Elkton Blue Sox bounced back from Thursday night’s loss and are now within half a game of first place as they defeated Grottoes 7-4 Friday.
 
“It’s a good win,” Elkton head coach Dave Loker said. “We’ve still got a ways to go, but tonight was good. After last night’s game, a win feels good.”
 
The Blue Sox lost 13-3 at New Market on Thursday night, but they found their stride against Grottoes as they were able to knock off the first place Cardinals.
 
Elkton didn’t waste any time getting things started as they put one run on the board in the top of the first inning thanks to an RBI double by JJ Loker.
 
Elkton extended its lead in the top of the third inning, scoring five runs to make it 6-0 in favor of the Blue Sox. Chris Smith, Lee Carneal, JJ Loker, Connor Lilley and Jacob Slaughter all came across the plate in the third.
 
The Cardinals finally answered back with four runs of their own in the bottom of the fourth, all of them unearned.
 
With the score close at 6-4, Elkton scored an insurance run in the top of the seventh to put it out of reach as the Cardinals were unable to find their way across the plate in the final three frames.
 
“Tonight we were hitting the ball pretty good and we had more guys tonight. Last night we were short,” Coach Loker said. “I thought we hit the ball pretty well. I’m happy with seven runs.”
 
The Cardinals bested the Blue Sox in number of hits, knocking in 13 on the night, but they left 14 runners on base throughout the game. Grottoes stranded nine runners in the last four innings of the game, including leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Elkton starter Corey Wright pitched six innings, giving up four unearned runs on nine hits and striking out two. Reliever Bradley Hanner, who started the night as the designated hitter, tossed the final two innings, giving up just two hits and striking out two batters on his way to earning the save.
 
“Corey did a real nice job,” Loker said. “He threw strikes, he made them hit a lot of ground balls. If you back him well, he’ll do a good job. He doesn’t walk too many people. Tonight I thought he pitched a real good game.”
 
With the win, the Blue Sox improve to 6-9 on the season and are quickly closing in on first place in the Eastern Division. New Market and Grottoes are currently tied for first at 7-9, half a game ahead of Elkton.
 
The Blue Sox have the night off tonight as they prepare to battle for first place tomorrow night when they host the New Market Shockers. Tomorrow’s game will begin at 7:30 at Stonewall Memorial Park. 

By Matthew Atkins

NEW MARKET - The New Market Shockers continued their streak of high-scoring games on Thursday night, defeating Elkton 13-3 in seven innings.
 
The night was full of Shockers players joking around and chatting on the field as they scored in double digits for the second straight game.
 
New Market head coach Chris Rush thinks that the jovial atmosphere of the team may has helped them in recent games.
 
“After one of the losses we had, I’m not sure which one, we got together the team before the next game and we said our play isn’t bad, but our energy is way down,” Rush said. “Your energy will affect how you play. These guy took it to heart and even the guys that aren’t playing, they’re keeping it up in the dugout, they’re cheering each other on.”
 
The lighthearted nature of the team’s play on Thursday night seemed to work as New Market pulled away from an early deficit. Elkton led 2-1 going into the bottom of the second inning, but the Shockers put up some big offensive numbers from that point on.
 
New Market scored three runs in the second, five in the fourth and four in the sixth to win the game by slaughter rule.  
 
“I think hitters just became more patient,” Coach Rush said about his team’s offensive performance. “They started waiting more for their pitch, not necessarily trying to rush things, just letting it come to them.”
 
Every batter in the Shockers’ lineup got at least one hit on the night with Nick Goode and Robbie Marcelle each knocking in three base hits. Goode finished the night 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Marcelle, who was playing just his first game with the Shockers, went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs.
 
Marcelle’s first hit in a Shockers uniform was an RBI-triple to the right field corner to help New Market take their first lead of the game.  
 
New Market starter Brett Ritter tossed seven innings, giving up three runs on six hits. Ritter struck out seven batters in the game.  
 
The Shockers and Blue Sox have been jockeying for second place in the Eastern Division, with New Market taking the position over after last night’s win. The Shockers are currently 6-9 and one game behind the first-place Grottoes Cardinals.
 
Going into tonight’s game against Montezuma, the team is feeling pretty good about where they’re at.
 
“I think just a couple things came together today and came together pretty good the last game,” Rush said. “Hopefully it carries over to tomorrow.”

The Shockers head to Montezuma to take on the Braves at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Ruritan Field. 

By Nick Stevens

ELKTON - Mark Arrington has made only three starts this summer, but he has made every single start count. The Blue Sox pitcher tossed his third complete game of the year on Monday night, leading his team to a 5-3 victory over the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks.
 
Last night’s win was a big one for the Blue Sox, who move to within one game of the first-place Grottoes Cardinals. Coming off a tough, late-inning loss to Clover Hill on Sunday and taking the field without regular starters Lee Carneal, Connor Lilley, and Cameron Stanley, Elkton hitters worked 9 walks en route to their fifth win of the year.
 
A J.J. Loker RBI-single and passed ball gave the Blue Sox an early 2-0 lead, before both starting pitchers cruised through the next three frames.
 
Trent Miller, Jacob Slaughter, and Jack Decker each drove in a run (one in the fifth, one in the sixth, and one in the seventh) to break open the game and give Arrington the run support he needed.
 
The story of the night was Arrington’s performance on the mound. Arrington took a two-hit shutout into the sixth inning before Jay Thompson drove in Ryan Cooper with a sacrifice-fly to right field. His final line on the night read: 9 IP, 8 H, 3 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 11 K. Arrington is now 2-1 with a 1.60 ERA on the year.
 
J.J. Loker reached base in every plate appearance last night, going 1-1 with three walks. He also stole two bases, giving him five on the year.
 
With the loss, the Diamondbacks fell to 4-11, however, they remain just three games out of first place in the Eastern Division. Ryan Cooper continued his hot-streak, knocking in three hits, including his third double of the season. Since June 19th, Cooper has raised his batting average from .258 to .327. He has reached base at least once in his last seven games and is on a six-game hitting streak.
 
Cooper will look to extend those streaks as Stuarts Draft travels to Bridgewater tonight, while Elkton is off until Thursday night when they travel to New Market to take on the Shockers. 

By Matthew Atkins

Lee Carneal and Logan Morrison have been named the Bob Wade Player and Pitcher of the Week for the fifth week of the 2018 RCBL season.
 
Elkton’s Carneal finished the week 8-for-15 with three home runs and eight RBIs. Carneal was an instrumental part of two Elkton wins this week as the Blue Sox defeated Broadway and New Market to finish the week 2-2.
 
Carneal hit two home runs on June 26 as Elkton won 4-1 over the Bruins, who were in first place at the time. He finished that game 3-for-4 with two runs scored and four RBIs.
 
The Elkton shortstop had a perfect night at the plate on Wednesday, going 3-for-3 with another home run and two runs driven in as the Blue Sox fell 5-4 against Clover Hill.
 
On Saturday night against New Market, Carneal went 2-for-5 from the plate and scored three times as the Blue Sox dismantled the Shockers 16-6.

Carneal is batting .364 on the season and is tied for the league lead in home runs with four.
 
Elkton currently sits in third place in the East with a record of 4-8. The Blue Sox will be back in action tonight as they take on Stuarts Draft at home. 
 
Broadway’s Logan Morrison continued his hot start to the season, earning his second Pitcher of the Week honor.
 
Morrison took the mound on Wednesday night against Grottoes, tossing eight innings of shutout baseball for the Bruins. Morrison allowed five hits and walked just one batter while striking out 13.
 
Wednesday night’s strikeout total is only the second-highest this season for Morrison, who struck out 14 batters in a game against Bridgewater earlier in the season.
 
Morrison leads the league with four wins and is second in strikeouts with 44 on the season.

Broadway is currently 11-4 and in third place in the West. The Bruins will travel to Bridgewater tonight to take on the Reds at Ray Heatwole Field. 

By Nick Stevens

ELKTON- It was a hot and humid Sunday evening in Elkton as the Blue Sox played host to the Clover Hill Bucks. As is the norm between the two teams, much of the contest was a pitcher’s duel between Kris Lalk and Waring Garber, before a barrage of late-inning runs resulted in a 7-6 win for Clover Hill.
 
Clover Hill opened the scoring in the third inning as Cody Warner ripped his second base hit of the night past an outstretched first baseman, scoring All-Star catcher Matt Larson.
 
Elkton responded quickly in the top of the fourth with Cameron Stanley’s fourth home run of the year. Stanley is now tied for the league-lead in home runs, and is hitting an impressive .459 on the year.
 
After a Ross French triple led to Clover Hill taking a 2-1 lead, a five-run seventh inning by Elkton appeared to have the Blue Sox well on their way to a much-needed victory. Luke Easter, JJ Loker, Jack Decker, Connor Lilley, and Trent Miller all recorded singles in the frame. Lilley’s hit was his third of the night, pushing his batting average to .310 on the year.
 
However, the Clover Hill Bucks were not to be denied, scoring three runs in the eighth inning and two in the ninth to secure their 13th win of the year. Back-to-back-to-back singles by Blake Sipe, Cody Warner, and Luke Shifflett brought the Bucks to within one, before Drew Easter decided he wasn’t ready to go home.
 
With two outs in the top of the ninth, Easter climbed into the box and drilled a solo home run to deep left-centerfield, making it a 6-6 ballgame. Blake Sipe followed up the home run by drawing a walk, eventually scoring the winning run on a Luke Shifflett RBI-single into centerfield.
 
Eric Yankey put in his longest outing of the season, throwing 2.2 innings of shutout baseball. He allowed just one hit while striking out four, allowing his offense to climb back into the game.
 
VMI Keydet Cody Warner capped off his impressive return to Clover Hill, going 5-5 on the night, driving in two, and scoring a run. He finished his weekend 7-9, reaching base in nine of his 11 total plate appearances.
 
For Elkton, Kris Lalk struck out five hitters over six innings. His league-leading strikeout total now sits at 49.
 
The Blue Sox are back in action tonight, hosting the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks. Meanwhile, Clover Hill will enjoy a long Fourth of July holiday. They won’t return to the field until Friday, when they take on the Broadway Bruins at Broadway High School. 

By Dwyer Neal

CLOVER HILL – The Elkton Blue Sox had the lead for two innings, but ultimately fell to Clover Hill 5-4 on Wednesday night.  

The Bucks got on the board early by bringing in two runs in the second inning. An RBI-single from Matt Larson brought home Danny Grogg and Jonny Wood scored on an error by the catcher, making the score 2-0.  

After a rain delay, Elkton answered back by hitting two home runs. Lee Carneal hit the first home run of the evening, bringing home Jacob Slaughter.

Trent Miller hit the second home run for the Blue Sox and brought home Cameron Stanley to make the score 4-2 in favor of the Blue Sox.

After a pitching change for Clover Hill from Nick Corbin to Tyler Conley, the Bucks started to find a rhythm.

“Nick battled, he threw well… they made some good swings on a couple of pitches he left up,” Clover Hill head coach Chris Cofer said. “The good thing is Tyler and Moyers came in and really kept the game moving for us, so we could stay in rhythm.”

The Bucks could only get one run on the board in the bottom of the fourth inning. A sacrifice hit from Ross French brought home Josh Eberly, making the score 4-3.

The Bucks brought in the two last runs of the game in the seventh inning. An RBI-single from Blake Sipe brought home Drew Easter. Sipe later advanced to third from an error made by the pitcher.

Luke Shifflett singled on a 2-2 pitch to bring in Sipe for the winning run of the game for Clover Hill.

Up next –
The Bucks are now 11-2 on the season and will play again on Saturday June 30 at Montezuma.  

The Blue Sox will travel to New Market on Saturday to take on the Shockers in an Eastern Division matchup.  

By Dwyer Neal

ELKTON -  The Elkton Blue Sox hosted the Broadway Bruins last night, where they defended their home field and took a 4-1win, taking down the number one team in the league.
 
The Elkton Blue Sox came prepared for a tough game, and they got on the board early in the first inning taking a 1-0 lead. 
 
The defensive plays for the Blue Sox kept coming naturally. Mark Arrington’s pitching kept the Sox right on track, limiting Broadway’s offense.
 
The Blue Sox took a strong lead in the fifth inning as Lee Carneal hit a three-run home run to make it 4-0 Elkton.
 
The Bruins answered back late in the eighth inning. An RBI single from Boo Dean scored Bryce Strawderman to make it 4-1 in favor of the Blue Sox.
 
In the final innings of the game, Broadway could not get the three runs they needed on to tie it. With the loss, the Bruins are now 10-2 on the season.
 
Up Next –
The Broadway Bruins will play again against the Grottoes Cardinals at Shifflett Field on June 26. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
 
The Elkton Blue Sox will play the Clover Hill Bucks on June 26 at Buck Bowman park. First pitch is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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

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 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.