Essex’s Jay Jeter slides head-first into second base on a steal attempt as Northumberland shortstop Chase Hymes prepares to catch the throw from home plate.
In fashioning a seven-game winning streak, the Essex High baseball avoided devastating errors that cost teams games.
That wasn’t the case during the Trojans’ Region 1A tournament semifinal match-up with Northumberland.
Essex committed four errors during the first two innings that helped Northumberland grab a 4-0 lead en route to an 8-3 victory over the Trojans.
The result ended the Trojans’ season at 12-6.
Northumberland, meanwhile, improved to 14-3 and advanced to the Region 1A championship game where they faced the tournament’s top-seed Rappahannock. The Raiders blanked Lancaster 5-0 in the other semifinal contest.
“We can’t seem to get past this round,” Essex coach Reed Harmon observed. “We’ve only got beyond this point once before (under Harmon).”
Northumberland touched Essex starter Noah Thompson, who suffered just his second loss of the season, for 10 hits.
“This is the first time since I’ve been the head baseball coach at Northumberland that we’ve been able to drive in runs off Noah,” Northumberland coach Michael Baker noted afterward. “He has done a real good job of stranding our runners, and while we did score some runs off errors tonight, our kids stepped up and did a good job of driving in some runs.”
Essex shortstop Keion Hence makes a throw to first base.
Northumberland produced five extra base hits including doubles by Taylor Reeves, Lyndon Williams, and Kenyon Ball and a triple by J.P. Withers. Chase Hymes blasted a game-deciding three-run homer over the left field fence in the sixth off Essex reliever Jake Richardson.
After Essex was retired in order during its first turn at bat, Northumberland’s first two batters reached base on errors. The most catastrophic was a three-base error that produced the Indians’ initial run.
A Withers single produced the Indians’ second run in the opening frame.
A two-out, dropped foul ball in the Northumberland second paved the way for a pair of unearned runs for the Indians whose lead ballooned to 4-0.
Essex center fielder Hunter Byrd prepares to catch a fly ball during the Trojans’ loss to Northumber- land.
After a single, a double, and a walk loaded the bases, the Indians’ Cameron Minor delivered a two-run single to produce the 4-0 score.
Essex cut its deficit in half with single runs in the third and fourth innings.
In the Essex third, Jay Jeter singled with two outs, stole second, and scored on a Hunter Byrd single.
Keion Hence led off the Essex by being hit by a pitch. He stole second and scored on a Thompson single.
Second-seeded Northumberland, though, scored once in its half of the fourth to hike its lead to 5-2.
A two-out triple by Withers scored Ball who led off the inning on a four-pitch walk.
Third-seeded Essex closed to 5-3 in the sixth when Zay Bundy’s two-out single plated Hence.
After Thompson was lifted in the bottom of the inning after reaching his pitch limit, Hymes hit the third pitch he saw from Richardson over the left field fence for a 3-run homer.
“If I could’ve hand-picked a kid to do that it would’ve been him,” Baker said. “This has been his best year offensively for us. He’s shown that kind of power and it was a good time to do it.”
Northumberland’s Kenyon Ball starts to slide at home plate as Essex catcher Jacob Durham awaits a relay throw. Ball scored from second base on Cameron Minor’s two-out single in the second inning.
On the mound, Withers finished with a six-hitter and struck out eight.
The Trojans, who lose five starters, will now have about 10 months to mull what could have been.
“We made a good run while playing sound ball,” Harmon said. “We probably had more five-inning wins than ever before. We’re going to miss the seniors, but we’ve got some young players who are talented.”
In Warsaw, Brayden Hayes tossed a complete game one-hit shutout and struck out 12 in the Raiders’ blanking of Lancaster (13-8).
Hayes lost his no-hit bid when Lancaster’s Brady Vanlandingham led off the sixth with a single.
Rappahannock (17-3) produced seven hits and drew six walks off two Lancaster hurlers.
After grabbing a 1-0 first inning lead, the Raiders got RBI singles from Landon King and Cain Edwards in the second.
Both Northumberland and Rappahannock earned Class 1 state tournament berths.
In Region 1A softball semifinal results, top-seeded Rappahannock blanked Northumberland 10-0 and sixth-seeded Lancaster defeated seventh-seeded Westmoreland 9-4.
Rappahannock and Lancaster earned spots in the Class 1 state tournament.
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