Louisa vs. Powhatan (April 17, 2018)
Photos courtesy of Andrew Woolfolk
Louisa fell just short against Powhatan on a very special Tuesday night in the baseball community. The Louisa County High School baseball field was dedicated to Coaches Joseph Bradford and Bill Pelot and will now be recognized as the Bradford-Pelot Field. The night started with a reception for the families and friends of both coaches and was followed by a ceremony on the field. The ceremony concluded after the unveiling of the new sign in center field and the varsity match-up was soon underway. “The entire community is a family,” said Bradford. “It is pretty easy to assimilate into a community where you feel welcome, where everyone pulls for one another. It’s heaven on earth as far as I’m concerned.”
Lliam Grubbs started on the mound for the Lions, coming off of a strong start against Western Albemarle last Thursday. Grubbs got three quick outs in the top of the first inning. Trenton Tiller started on the mound for the Indians, giving up a leadoff single to Austin Nicholas. After a stolen base from Nicholas, Grubbs drew a walk to give Louisa two baserunners, but quickly got three outs and the inning was over.
Grubbs pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the second, holding the Indians to no hits through two innings. The inning quickly ended on a flyout to right field and Nate King would lead off for the Lions in the bottom of the second. With one out, Tyler Earley recorded a single to the shortstop to give Louisa another baserunner. The inning then ended on a strikeout swinging.
Grubbs continued his dominant pitching into the third inning with two strikeouts and a flyout to continue his no-hit bid. Austin Nicholas led off the bottom of the third inning for the Lions with a groundout to the third baseman. Senior, Matt West followed with a single to left field and later stole second base. Louisa still failed to score a run after stranding West in scoring position.
The Indians had a productive fourth inning, recording their first hits of the game. Logan Amiss started the rally with a catcher’s interference. Virginia Tech commit Brandon Eike followed with a single and Cody Willis walked to load the bases. Singles and errors allowed three runs to score, giving the Indians a 3-0 lead over Louisa. Grubbs then recorded three outs and the inning was over. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, back-to-back singles from Tyler Earley and Garrett Duerson gave the Lions two baserunners, but failed to cut the Indians’ lead.
The Indians recorded three baserunners in the top of the fifth inning, but failed to score a run after a groundout to second base ended the inning. Austin Nicholas lead off the bottom of the fifth for the Lions with his second single of the game. West followed with a walk and Grubbs then nailed a single to centerfield to score Nicholas. “I knew I needed to get something on the ground,” said Grubbs. “I saw the curveball right out of his hands, and hit it back up the middle. Zach Tillery came in to pitch for the Indians against McDonald and struck him out. Eike was then brought in to pitch against Snyder and gave up an RBI double to right field. Eike then recorded the third out and Louisa trailed the Indians 3-2.
Grubbs continued pitching in the top of the sixth inning for the Lions, recording another 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. Tyler Earley then lead off the bottom of the sixth inning for Louisa. Pitcher Brandon Eike recorded his first 1-2-3 inning of the game with two strikeouts and a pop out.
Tristan Snyder came in to pitch for the Lions in the top of the seventh inning, allowing one baserunner on a walk. Snyder then recorded three outs and Louisa would get their final at bat of the game. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Grubbs drew a walk, but was stranded after McDonald struck out to end the game.
Despite the loss, Grubbs only allowed three hits through 6 innings. “All of my stuff was working for me,” explained Grubbs. “I was hitting my spots. Just a tough inning and it hurt a little in the end.” Although the Lions lost a tough battle, the night was very special to coaches, players, family, and friends of the Louisa community. When asked about the highlight of his coaching career, Bradford responded, “The number of young men who, not only played baseball, but became good fathers, good citizens, and gave back to their communities. Those are the things that I value more than anything.” The Lions now stand 8-3 on the season and are set to face Monticello on Thursday night at 6:30. Let’s go Lions!
Louisa fell just short against Powhatan on a very special Tuesday night in the baseball community. The Louisa County High School baseball field was dedicated to Coaches Joseph Bradford and Bill Pelot and will now be recognized as the Bradford-Pelot Field. The night started with a reception for the families and friends of both coaches and was followed by a ceremony on the field. The ceremony concluded after the unveiling of the new sign in center field and the varsity match-up was soon underway. “The entire community is a family,” said Bradford. “It is pretty easy to assimilate into a community where you feel welcome, where everyone pulls for one another. It’s heaven on earth as far as I’m concerned.”
Lliam Grubbs started on the mound for the Lions, coming off of a strong start against Western Albemarle last Thursday. Grubbs got three quick outs in the top of the first inning. Trenton Tiller started on the mound for the Indians, giving up a leadoff single to Austin Nicholas. After a stolen base from Nicholas, Grubbs drew a walk to give Louisa two baserunners, but quickly got three outs and the inning was over.
Grubbs pitched another 1-2-3 inning in the top of the second, holding the Indians to no hits through two innings. The inning quickly ended on a flyout to right field and Nate King would lead off for the Lions in the bottom of the second. With one out, Tyler Earley recorded a single to the shortstop to give Louisa another baserunner. The inning then ended on a strikeout swinging.
Grubbs continued his dominant pitching into the third inning with two strikeouts and a flyout to continue his no-hit bid. Austin Nicholas led off the bottom of the third inning for the Lions with a groundout to the third baseman. Senior, Matt West followed with a single to left field and later stole second base. Louisa still failed to score a run after stranding West in scoring position.
The Indians had a productive fourth inning, recording their first hits of the game. Logan Amiss started the rally with a catcher’s interference. Virginia Tech commit Brandon Eike followed with a single and Cody Willis walked to load the bases. Singles and errors allowed three runs to score, giving the Indians a 3-0 lead over Louisa. Grubbs then recorded three outs and the inning was over. With two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning, back-to-back singles from Tyler Earley and Garrett Duerson gave the Lions two baserunners, but failed to cut the Indians’ lead.
The Indians recorded three baserunners in the top of the fifth inning, but failed to score a run after a groundout to second base ended the inning. Austin Nicholas lead off the bottom of the fifth for the Lions with his second single of the game. West followed with a walk and Grubbs then nailed a single to centerfield to score Nicholas. “I knew I needed to get something on the ground,” said Grubbs. “I saw the curveball right out of his hands, and hit it back up the middle. Zach Tillery came in to pitch for the Indians against McDonald and struck him out. Eike was then brought in to pitch against Snyder and gave up an RBI double to right field. Eike then recorded the third out and Louisa trailed the Indians 3-2.
Grubbs continued pitching in the top of the sixth inning for the Lions, recording another 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. Tyler Earley then lead off the bottom of the sixth inning for Louisa. Pitcher Brandon Eike recorded his first 1-2-3 inning of the game with two strikeouts and a pop out.
Tristan Snyder came in to pitch for the Lions in the top of the seventh inning, allowing one baserunner on a walk. Snyder then recorded three outs and Louisa would get their final at bat of the game. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Grubbs drew a walk, but was stranded after McDonald struck out to end the game.
Despite the loss, Grubbs only allowed three hits through 6 innings. “All of my stuff was working for me,” explained Grubbs. “I was hitting my spots. Just a tough inning and it hurt a little in the end.” Although the Lions lost a tough battle, the night was very special to coaches, players, family, and friends of the Louisa community. When asked about the highlight of his coaching career, Bradford responded, “The number of young men who, not only played baseball, but became good fathers, good citizens, and gave back to their communities. Those are the things that I value more than anything.” The Lions now stand 8-3 on the season and are set to face Monticello on Thursday night at 6:30. Let’s go Lions!
