ABINGDON, Va. – Preston Pionk will have to wait almost 24 hours to finish perhaps the biggest at-bat of his high school baseball career.
The Abingdon senior can blame his two-strike peskiness, as well as persistant rain showers that forced the suspension of Tuesday night’s Region IV baseball quarterfinal.
With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of a rainy second inning, Pionk fouled off a pair of tough 2-2 pitches from Salem lefthander Brett Demole.
Plate umpire Randy Sturgill sent the teams to their dugouts as the downpour intensified. Following a 68-minute rain delay, the game was suspended with the Spartans leading 1-0 and will be resumed
Wednesday night at 6.
So what will Pionk’s game plan be for the at-bat’s remainder?
“With two strikes, I’m just trying to watch it in and go opposite field,” the left-handed hitting left fielder said. “Hopefully, I can see a pitch and [get a hit] or even draw a walk. We’ll see what happens.”
Had the Falcons (16-7) run the bases a little better earlier in the inning, Pionk would have been batting with a run already on the board.
Bobby Webb’s looping liner to right field, which was caught on a dive, managed to score no one because the runner at third failed to tag up. He was 30 feet off the bag when the catch was made and
couldn’t score.
“I had heart palpitations watching that play,” Abingdon coach Mark Francisco said, half-jokingly.
That increases the pressure on Pionk, who could set up a big inning if he can reach base because leadoff man Justin Malone is on deck.
“I know all the guys coming up behind me could get me in and we could score some more runs,” Pionk said. “Hopefully, I can get a pitch to put in play.”
Pionk and the rest of the Falcon seniors have known nothing but disappointment at this stage the last two years, ending both seasons with first round losses in the regionals.
“Hopefully, we can get through this game and carry the momentum into the next couple of [games],” Pionk said.
Sophomore Zach Witt (6-2) gave up a double and single to start Salem’s half of the second but did a good job of damage control, yielding just a one-out sacrifice fly after that.
Witt started Abingdon’s second inning with a double to right-center and reached third when Brandon Ketron’s bouncer to shortstop was booted. Josh Barker then worked a walk to fill the bases.
Tomorrow night’s winner will advance to a regional semifinal Thursday at Tunstall High School against Blacksburg, which upset Tunstall 4-3 in eight innings Tuesday night.
bdent@bristolnews.com | (276) 645-2543
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