Warriors Fall in Region C Semifinal

BUCHANAN, Va. – Chilhowie High School sophomore Scott Pennington was confident on Friday afternoon. His confidence level soared even higher when he blasted a first-inning home run for the Warriors.

However, the feeling didn’t last long.

Capitalizing on five Chilhowie errors, James River posted a 6-2 victory over the Warriors in the semifinals of the Region C baseball tournament.

“We were pretty confident,” Pennington said. “Just watching them warm up and after the first couple of batters, we were confident we could pull it off. But in the end, they just beat us.”

Chilhowie (17-7) held a 2-1 lead after three innings thanks to Pennington’s two-run shot that easily cleared the fence in left field with two outs in the bottom of the first. However,
James River (19-3) took the lead for good in the fourth with a three-run outburst.

The Knights added two more in the sixth, an inning that featured two Warrior errors.

“They are a very solid, well-coached team,” Chilhowie coach Jeff Robinson said. “We knew we couldn’t give them extra outs.”

Chilhowie’s bats also went silent against James River ace Tyler Duke. The sophomore right-hander relieved starter Andrew Fields in the third inning and proceeded to allow just three hits in five innings.

Chilhowie got a gutsy performance from senior pitcher Aaron Clampitt. Pitching on two days rest after throwing a complete-game gem on Tuesday against Fort Chiswell, he struck out nine in seven solid innings.

However, miscues by the Warriors and timely hitting my James River did in the right-hander.

“He was not going to start [Thursday], but we got a rain out and that changed it around,” Robinson said. “I think it was the right decision. He got us here, he’s a senior and he’s worked his butt off to get back [from a knee injury]. He’s fresh this time of the year, because he hasn’t thrown that much. He pitched well enough to win.”

It was the third straight year Chilhowie’s season ended with a tough loss. The mood was somber as players mulled around outside the dugout following the game.

“At some point, we have to rise about this game and get to the next level,” Robinson said. “But these guys fought all year. They started the year with a lot of question marks, but we had some people step up. It was a great effort, but it’s a disappointing way for it to end.”