James River softball shuts out John Battle on the road
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
5. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
6. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
7. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
8. WOYM: Fewer stinkbugs? You may have wasps to thank
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
BRISTOL, Va. - A couple of hardy meals and team bonding certainly go together.
Meanwhile, a game of putt-putt made for a rather unique, yet calming trifecta before James River took the field for Tuesday's Group A, Division 2 state quarterfinal showdown against John Battle.
"We left early this morning and had breakfast - along with lunch - together," grinned Knights' designated player Jessica Simmons. "Then, we had a round of putt-putt before we came to the game. We just wanted to get mentally prepared."
Evidently, grub and golf make for a rather mean focus.
The Knights saved their best for the game's proverbial 18th green, drilling four two-out, seventh-inning hits to break open a scoreless deadlock and take a 3-0 victory.
"We tried to do some laid-back stuff today," said James River coach Kasey Phillips, who got a gutsy five-hit, complete-game effort from starter Abby Tincher. "We're trying to take the pressure off them a little bit, especially since they were playing so tight."
The win sends James River (19-5) into Friday's 1 p.m. semifinal contest at River Field in Radford against Goochland, a 2-1 winner Tuesday.
With two out in the seventh, Simmons and Alexis Breeding connected for consecutive singles, while teammate Lindsey Shotwell smacked a looping liner into right four pitches later for the contest's first run.
Kaitlyn Barger then reached on an error to net James River's second run, while Ashley Tiller followed with an RBI single into left.
"We knew they played flawless defense, so we knew we had to hit the ball in the holes and somehow get it past them," Simmons noted. "We did just that. Everybody hit the ball hard."
- Josh Floyd, Bristol Herald Courier
James River 000 000 3 -3 6 2
John Battle 000 000 0 -0 5 1
Tincher and Hannah. Hensley and Casteel. W - Tincher. L - Hensley. HR - None.
BASEball
GROUP AA
Tunstall 20, Alleghany 3
DRY FORK - The Trojans got out to an 8-0 lead after two innings and went on to eliminate the Mountaineers (19-7).
"They hit the ball because we let them hit the ball in the middle of the strike zone," Alleghany coach Gary Rice said. "Our pitching was absolutely terrible until [Alex] Javins came in and did a decent job. They're a quality ball club that's for sure. That's all I've heard about them. They're well coached and fundamentally sound, and yeah they hit the ball well. We didn't do a great job of locating pitches."
Ethan Nicely hit a two-run single for Alleghany.
Amherst County 3, Bassett 2
AMHERST - Amherst County scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh to defeat visiting Bassett to advance to the Group AA state semifinals.
It's the second time in four days that the Lancers (25-0) have thrilled fans with a dramatic comeback. Last Friday, they rallied for eight runs in the bottom of the seventh against Alleghany to win the Region III Championship, 8-7.
Bassett ace Kemper Terry (6-4) tossed six scoreless innings and kept Amherst off-balance with his sweeping curve. Bassett (19-6) broke open the scoreless game with two runs in the sixth.
GROUP A DIVISION 2
Grayson County 7, Honaker 5
HONAKER - The Blue Devils scored four runs in the top of the fifth inning and outlasted the Tigers to advance to the Group A Division 2 semifinals.
Spencer Roberts had two hits and three RBIs for Grayson County.
Honaker had two on with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, but hit into a double play.
1. 41-vehicle wreck ties up traffic Sunday on I-81 in Rockbridge County
2. Virginia Tech football roster has holes on picture day
3. Medicare penalties hit hospitals in Roanoke, New River Valleys
4. McFarling: 2 little numbers are a big hurdle for Virginia Tech football
5. Microfestivus beer event gets downtown Roanoke hopping
6. Arrest made in case of missing Nelson County teen
7. DAN CASEY: Copter cost still stirring up dust
8. WOYM: Fewer stinkbugs? You may have wasps to thank
9. Virginia attorney general's office grows under Ken Cuccinelli
10. Roanoke farmers markets making local foods more accessible
THE ROANOKE TIMES
