DISPUTANTA—The Appomattox River baseball tournament kicked off Wednesday night at the J.E.J. Moore baseball complex in Prince George.

The boys of summer from Wakefield/Waverly would be searching for their fifth title in as many years, taking the field in defense of their championships against Prince George.

Wakefield/Waverly comprised of players from Southampton, Sussex and Surry counties would give the initial pitching duties to Surry’s own J.J. Barry. Barry, a rising senior for the Surry Cougars, wouldn’t disappoint Coach Paul Rogers, pitching a two-hit gem over five innings of work. Barry struck out nine and only issued one base on balls.

Southampton’s Morgan Hall and Blake Rose would provide RBI hits in the bottom of the second inning to bolster Barry’s pitching. The big hit of the game for the home team would come from the bat of Andrew Burkhouse in the fourth inning. Brandon Raiford would reach base on an errant throw from the shortstop, and one pitch later Burkhouse would deposit the ball deep over the left centerfield fence.

Wakefield/Waverly faced Hopewell in Thursday’s championship game, which ended after deadline. Hopewell had already defeated Courtland 5-4 on Wednesday. Courtland battled back from a 3-0 deficit to tie the game in the fifth inning. Errors late in the game would prove costly to Courtland, who played well in their inaugural season.