Dukes upset in come-from-behind victory
Published 5:20 pm Thursday, May 28, 2015
Junior first baseman Gregory Ashburn sends a two-hopper through the infield during his first at-bat on Wednesday. The slugger ended the day 2 for 3 with an RBI. — Cain Madden | Tidewater News
WINDSOR
The King William Cavaliers continued their late-inning theatrics in the VHSL 2A Conference 33 semifinal, denying the Windsor High School Dukes baseball team a trip to the promised land with a 9-8 victory. The Cavs also came back 4-3 in the eighth inning on the Bruton Panthers in the quarterfinals to reach the Dukes, who had earned a quarterfinal bye.
Sophomore lefty Hunter Williams completed the game and struck out seven, but he gave up three home runs, including a three-run blast to left-center in the seventh inning to tie the game at 8-8.
A double, a pair of walks and an error later gave the Cavaliers their second lead of the game.
In the bottom frame of the inning, senior catcher Lance Sexton tried to get a two-out rally going with a single placed between first and second. That brought up Williams with the game on the line.
The 0-2 pitch was in the dirt, and the passed ball put Sexton in scoring position. The next pitch was high, and the one after that on the inside. The count full, Williams would battle off a pair of foul balls before striking out swinging, having to step aside as the Cavaliers charged the mound from the dugout in celebration.
Sexton finished the day 2 for 4 and also reached by being hit by a pitch. Leadoff hitter and outfielder Corey Childress was 3 for 4 on the day with two doubles; he scored two runs. Drew Parsain, 2 for 4, led the Dukes with 2 RBIs off of his pair of singles. Gregory Ashburn was 2 for 3 with an RBI. Alec Kiser was 2 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI.
With the Dukes having to reach the VHSL 2A Conference championship to make the regional, they fall short for another year.
The Dukes finished the season 17-9, and defeated the Park View Dragons 5-4 on Friday during the district tournament to claim a share of the TriRivers Championship. Seniors Chris Funai, Holtz, Parsain, Sexton and Alec Kiser will move on to college. Sexton will bring his talents behind the plate to the NCAA Division III Randolph-Macon College Yellow Jackets.
Meanwhile, head coach Robert Hedrick said he’d give the rest of the team a couple of weeks off, and then they’d be back on the diamond preparing for next year.