Saturday, May 31, 2008
Falcons nip Titans in the 9th
Abingdon's six-run sixth leads to extra innings and sends Hidden Valley on the road for the quarters.
varsity.roanoke.com
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PULASKI -- By the time a high school baseball team reaches a regional final, depleted and tired, it better have a deep bullpen and a long lineup.
Abingdon proved to be just a bit deeper and a hair longer than Hidden Valley in the Region IV final at Calfee Park Friday.
The Falcons were all the way at the end of the lineup when No. 9 batter and senior Preston Pionk hammered a home run down the right-field line in the top of the ninth inning to give his team a classic 11-10 comeback victory.
The Titans, who had blown a 9-4 lead then revived their chances with Zack Helgeson's opposite field solo blast in the bottom of the seventh to tie the score 10-10, never gave up. Mikey O'Brien and Scott Stillwell were aboard with one out in the bottom of the ninth, but Eric Vess grounded into a smartly-executed double play to end it.
It was Pionk's first home run, anytime, anyplace.
"Not even in batting practice," said the tall and slender center fielder bound for Virginia Tech with plans of engineering studies.
Pionk's two-run single had helped construct a big inning that was the centerpiece of Abingdon's 10-4 come-from-behind victory over Salem in the second round. That game had covered two days because of rain.
The game with Hidden Valley didn't take quite that long, but 312 hours was plenty enough baseball for one blue sky afternoon.
Now both teams have until Tuesday to regroup for the state quarterfinals. Abingdon (19-7) will entertain the Region III runner-up, either Waynesboro or Alleghany, time to be announced. Hidden Valley (21-4) goes to the winner of Region III.
"I'm glad we have another one to play," said Helgeson, who has 12 homers this year. "This will motivate us. We don't want to feel like this again."
The key to the Falcons' comeback was the six-run sixth when they brought 12 batters to the plate for five hits and three walks.
"That six-run inning was what hurt us," Hidden Valley coach Jason Taylor said.
"We've been hitting the ball real well the past couple of games," Abingdon coach Mark Francisco said. "We told the kids, 'hey, let's keep swinging the bats, chipping away, and get back in this game.' Then we got that six-spot, and the kids started believing again."
Nobody's believing in the majesty of a mighty bat any more than Falcons leadoff man Justin Malone, a senior with eight hits his last two games. All he wanted to talk about, though, was Pionk.
"It couldn't happen to anybody else," Malone said. "He's a great kid and I love him to death."
Then the two of them hustled off. They had less than two hours to get back to Abingdon for graduation.
Abingdon 002 106 101 -- 11 14 0
Hidden Valley 131 220 100 -- 10 12 0
Hagy, Read (2), Nadler (5) and Payne. Kuhlman, Ferguson (3), Moore (6), Kidd (8) and Vess. W -- Nadler. L -- Kidd. HR -- Helgeson (H), 7th, none on; Pionk (A), 9th, none on.
