PREP BASEBALL: Pionk Ignites Falcons' Offensive Explosion for Victory

ABINGDON, Va. — For Preston Pionk, waiting almost 24 hours to complete his first at-bat in Abingdon’s Region IV baseball quarterfinal was worth it.
Same goes for his teammates.

On Wednesday night’s second pitch, Pionk laced a two-run single up the middle, starting the Falcons’ offensive explosion that led to a 10-4 win over Salem.

Abingdon (17-7) advances to a 4 p.m. semifinal Thursday against Blacksburg at Pulaski’s Calfee Park. The semifinals and finals were supposed to be at Tunstall, but were moved after every Piedmont District team was eliminated in the first two rounds.

Pionk was at the plate Tuesday night with a 2-2 count, the bases loaded and one out when a heavy rain shower stopped the game. After a 68-minute delay, the game was suspended and resumed last night.

“I didn’t really get nervous about the at-bat until right before the at-bat,” Pionk said. “I calmed down once I stepped into the box. It was such a great feeling that I don’t know how to explain it.”

The good feelings didn’t end for the Falcons, which touched four Spartan pitchers for 10 hits and 10 walks while getting a complete game performance from sophomore Zach Witt (7-2).

Pionk and Nathan Hagy each drove in three runs for Abingdon, while Matt Rasnake added three hits and two RBIs. Falcon hitters were so discerning against the wild Salem arms that they ran up a staggering 19 three-ball counts.

“You can’t beat a good team when your pitchers give them 10 walks,” Spartans coach Jim Stepp said.

Tied 3-3 in the bottom of the third inning, the Falcons took advantage of three walks to produce four runs on two-out singles by Justin Malone, Hagy and Rasnake. Hagy’s was a two-run hit, while Rasnake’s was a high pop fly which fell in largely because Salem center fielder Evan Fisher was positioned at the warning track and couldn’t make up enough ground.

Given a cushion which kept expanding by the inning, Witt scattered eight hits, but walked only one and leaned on solid defense. Pionk made a pair of tough running catches in left field, while Malone and Josh Barker turned a professional-grade 6-4-3 double play to snuff out a fourth inning threat.

While Spartan starter Brett Demole (3-4) couldn’t come close to regaining any sort of rhythm when the game resumed, issuing four of his five walks in the 1 1/3 innings he pitched last night, Witt didn’t let the delay or a good-hitting lineup affect his focus.

“I felt pretty normal, just like last night,” Witt said. “It’s good when you get that kind of run support. It’s good to get some good plays behind you, too, because you can’t strike everybody out.”

After throwing 28 pitches Tuesday night, Witt used 69 in last night’s five innings. His two-day complete game allowed Abingdon to save the hard-throwing Malone, who returned to the mound two weeks ago after an elbow injury, for today’s contest.

Falcons coach Mark Francisco felt his team was ready to play, even under unusual circumstances. He said after Tuesday night’s suspension that he’d never been a part of a game like this.

“Our kids came in loose with a lot of confidence,” Francisco said. “Even when they jumped on us the one time, we just kept putting runs on the board and that was big.”

No two runs were bigger than the ones Pionk knocked home after nearly a day-long wait.

“That was one heck of an at-bat by Preston,” Francisco said. “He played one heck of a game offensively and defensively. He and all of our guys stepped up.”

Salem 012 000 1—4 8 2
Abingdon 034 210 x—10 10 2
Demole, Fisher (3), Williams (4), Wimmer (6) and Lawrence. Witt and Payne. W--Witt (7-2). L--Demole (3-4). HR--Fisher (S), 7th, none on.

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