Baseball
Pioneers edge Blues
Lake Baldwin and Jake Hilton combined to pitch a one-hitter as the Lebanon Pioneers edged Richlands 3-2 to remain atop the Southwest District standouts.
Baldwin was perfect through four innings, striking out nine of the first 12 batters he faced and he also had an RBI double among his two hits.
He ran into some trouble in the fifth inning with Hilton coming in to escape the jam and getting the final seven outs to notch the save.
Booker Steffey and Brady Cole added two hits each for Lebanon.
Blake Fuller’s sacrifice fly plated Parker Ryder and Collin Adkins scored on an RBI single by Riley Perkins – the only hit of the day for Richlands – in the bottom of the fifth inning.
Lebanon 100 110 0—3 7 0
Richlands 000 020 0—2 1 2
Baldwin, Hilton (5) and P. Cole. Ryder, Hylton (5) and Gillespie. W – Baldwin. L – Ryder. S – Hilton. HR – none.
Richlands hammers Graham
Blake Fuller pitched a two-hitter as the Richlands Blue Tornado trounced Graham for an 11-1 Southwest District victory.
Bradley Fuller and Gabe Gillespie each hit a two-run double for the Blues (7-6, 4-2), while Andrew Boyd stole three bases and scored twice. Bradley Fuller finished with two hits.
Graham’s hits were singles off the bats of Cam McCroskey and Cooper Hale.
Graham 100 00—1 2 3
Richlands 200 9x—11 8 2
Caldwell, Graves (4) and Ganoe. Bl. Fuller and Gillespie. W – Bl. Fuller. L – Caldwell. HR – none.
Bearcats blast Bulldogs
E.J. Hucks went 3-for-4 with three RBIs as the Virginia High Bearcats topped Tazewell for a 17-2 Southwest District victory.
An eight-run fourth inning put VHS in complete control.
Ryan Penley went 2-for-5 with two RBIs for the Bearcats, while Calloway Jordan had two hits and was the winning pitcher.
Jarae Bryant and Connor Presley scored three runs apiece and Noah Raines drove in two runs.
Virginia High had blasted the Bulldogs 17-1 in the first meeting of the season between the foes.
Tazewell got a home run from Walker Patterson, while Braydon Roberts and Walker Johnson finished with two hits apiece.
Virginia High 310 85—17 11 1
Tazewell 000 02—2 8 4
Jordan and Hucks. Herndon, Myers (4) and Roberts. W – Jordan. L – Herndon. HR – Patterson (T), 5th, none on.
Virginia High bests G-Men
Freshman Ryan Penley pitched three innings of solid relief to shut the door on Graham and polish off Virginia High’s 11-9 victory at DeVault Stadium.
Carter Gemmell was the winning pitcher, Connor Presley drove in two runs and Noah Raines had two hits. They are in ninth grade as well.
“The young kids are still trying to learn the balance of the game,” said VHS coach Adam Moore. “They are lights out when it’s going good. It’s what happens when it doesn’t go good that matters most. If they keep figuring that out, we are going to be pretty good. … I’m so impressed with our senior leadership helping these young kids along.”
VHS led 9-0 after two innings and then held on for the win.
Sophomore Nixon Nowiski (2-for-4, RBI) and junior Ryder Estes (2-for-3, two runs, two RBIs) also played well.
Virginia High beat Marion and Tazewell earlier in the week.
“Really proud of my kids for stepping up this week,” Moore said. “Can’t be disappointed with three district wins.”
The Bearcats have two important SWD games this week, hosting Richlands on Tuesday and going to Lebanon on Thursday.
Cam Graves had two RBIs and Cooper Hale scored two runs for Graham.
Graham 006 201 0—9 3 3
Virginia High 811 100 x—11 9 2
McCroskey, Hale (6) and Walker. Gemmell, Estes (4), Penley (5) and Hucks. W – Gemmell. L – McCroskey. S – Penley. HR – none.
Softball
Pioneers outslug Richlands
In a Southwest District softball showdown on Tuesday, the Lebanon Pioneers came to play.
Chloe Couch went 2-for-4 with three RBIs to highlight an 11-hit attack as head coach Dennis Price’s club took over sole possession of first place in the SWD with a 9-5 victory over the Richlands Blue Tornado on Tuesday.
Abigail Skeen, Kaitlynn Morrison, Chadyn Musick and Kursten Morrison each had two hits apiece. Raelyn Huff contributed two RBIs and Musick was the winning pitcher.
Lebanon (13-4) took the lead for good with a three-run third inning.
Richlands (11-5) had posted five straight shutouts and won seven in a row overall before Tuesday’s setback.
The Blues received two hits apiece from Haven Crabtree and Paytlyn Barnett. Irelyn Osborne added three RBIs.
Richlands committed four errors
Lebanon 003 033 0—9 11 1
Richlands 100 030 1—5 9 4
W – Musick. L – Fuller. HR – none.
Bulldogs swamp G-Girls
Aaelyn Snapp had a home run among her three hits as the Tazewell Bulldogs bested Graham 11-2 in a Southwest District showdown.
Jillian McFarland pitched a two-hitter with 13 strikeouts. Josie McGraw (three hits, three RBIs) and Warner Pyott (two hits) played well for Tazewell too.
A home run by KaLeah Ross was the highlight for Graham.
Blues blank G-Girls
Paytlyn Barnett hit two of the Richlands Blue Tornado’s six home runs in a 15-0 Southwest District beatdown of Graham.
Averi Fuller, Cami Spencer, Irelyn Osborne and Josey Gentry also went yard for the Blues. Haven Crabtree finished 3-for-3 and scored thrice.
Fuller pitched a two-hit shutout with 10 strikeouts.
Both of Graham’s hits were supplied by Paylin Cline.
Richlands 456 00—15 12 0
Graham 000 00—0 2 5
Fuller and Hill, Whitt (4). Houchins, G. Kaklis (2) and B. Kaklis. W – Fuller. L – Houchins. HR – Osborne (R), 1st, one on; Barnett (R) 2 — 2nd, one on & 3rd, none on; Spencer (R), 2nd, one on; Fuller (R), 3rd, none on; Gentry (R), 3rd, none on.
Bulldogs best Bearcats
Jillian McFarland pitched a five-hitter with 13 strikeouts as the Tazewell Bulldogs vanquished Virginia High 6-2 in Southwest District play.
Aaelyn Snapp homered, while Josie McGraw was 2-for-3, scored two runs and tallied two RBIs. A four-run third inning put the Bulldogs in control and was highlighted by Snapp’s two-run shot.
Kalayah Bristol and Harmoni Bernard scored Virginia High’s runs.
G-Girls edge Bearcats
The Virginia High Bearcats scored seven times in the bottom of the seventh inning, but their comeback fell short in a 14-13 Southwest District loss to Graham.
VHS trailed 9-1 and 11-1, but made things interesting by scoring 10 times over the final two innings. The Bearcats had runners on the corners when Graham pitcher Abigail Houchins got the final out.
Riley Harvey went 3-for-4 with a homer and four RBIs for Graham. Houchins added two hits and three RBIs
Kalayah Bristol went 3-for-5 with five RBIs to lead Virginia High. Kileeah Tucker (3-for-5, three RBIs) also had a big night at the plate.
Soccer
G-Men beat Tazewell
Lucas Nash scored two goals as the Graham G-Men edged Tazewell 2-1and remained in first place in the Southwest District.
Gate City blanks Tazewell
Isabella Hartsock and Aubrey Smith each scored two goals as Gate City trounced Tazewell 4-0.
Goalkeepers Avery Elam and Addison Weatherly combined for the shutout.
G-Girls improve to 8-0
Graham posted a 22-2 record last season in girls soccer en route to the VHSL Class 2 semifinals.
Five seniors graduated from that squad, including record-setting goal scorer Ella Dales.
Behind versatile senior Sophie Scarberry setting the pace, the good times continue.
Graham improved to 6-0 in the Southwest District on Friday night with an 8-0 victory over the Virginia High Bearcats before a large crowd at the East River Soccer Complex.
“There was a lot of pressure entering the season after we lost so many key pieces, but that has fueled us,” Scarberry said.
Scarberry has set a torrid pace as an athlete and student over the past four years.
In addition to crafting a 4.0 grade point average, she helped engineer the turnaround in Graham’s basketball program as a four-year starter at point guard and has accumulated nearly 100 goals during her four-year run in soccer.
“I’ve always had big goals in life,” Scarberry said. “I love to succeed in the classroom and win on the field.”
The Scarberry resume extends to competitive cheerleading where she helped Graham win a pair of state titles.
“I rarely take a break,” Scarberry said.
Scarberrry contributed three goals on Friday as Graham (7-5) controlled the action on senior night.
Senior Cadence Owen, who is nearing 100 career assists, also collected three goals.
Junior Hayleigh Fitzpatrick and freshman Lily Goldsworthy supplied the other goals, while junior Kadance Bowman was perfect as the goalkeeper.
“I’ve competed with some of these girls since I was four,” Scarberry said. “We knew that we had to work harder as a team this year and I think we are filling our roles.”
According to new Graham head coach Kaylei Towe, the 5-foot-4 Scarberry excels in the role of team leader.
“Sophie is a wonderful athlete and person,” Towe said. “She does good things for us all-around.”
Towe, who played soccer at Bluefield University, replaced Lee Brown as the Graham head coach. Graham dropped a 4-0 decision to Clarke County in the 2025 state semifinals at Roanoke College.
The other seniors for Graham are Cydney Spurgeon and Isabella Hernandez.
“I worked with most of these girls as the junior varsity coach,” Towe said. “We’ve focused on team ball this year with a lot of passing and crosses, and the girls make it look beautiful. Our seniors are rocking it.”
Virginia High (5-6-1, 2-2-1) features eight seniors but coach Justin Hayden said his squad needs refinement
“I was not happy with this match,” Hayden said. “Graham had a better mentality coming in and we need to do a better job in that area.”
The Bearcats have posted district wins over Tazewell and Lebanon.
“Briley Bolling has played really well for us but we have a lot of work to do as a team,” Hayden said. “We need to do a better job of making runs, stepping out on defense and just working together.”
Meanwhile, the work continues for Scarberry and company.
“We’re proud of the progress we’ve made this season, but we have to keep pushing,” Scarberry said.
Scarberry will attend Bluefield University where she plans to study elementary education and play basketball.
G-Men stop Bearcats
Senior Blake Adkins scored twice as the G-Men toasted a cast of eight seniors in style.
“I’m really proud of this group,” veteran Graham coach George Aiello said. “Six of the seniors have been in the program all four years and they have built quite a legacy.”
Graham bested Virginia High 6-0.
Seniors Ethan Horn, Dalton Robinson and Jordan Kegley also scored for Graham, while junior Lucas Nash supplied the other goal.
Senior Tristen Wyatt and sophomore Kayden Hunsucker combined on the shutout.
“This was a big night for our program. All the boys did a great job,” Aiello said.
Graham (8-2-1, 6-0) has delivered 35 goals on the season while allowing just 21.
The only two losses came against traditional Class 3 power Blacksburg (14-0) from the River Ridge District. The G-Men battled to a 1-1 tie with Class 3 Lord Botetourt.
Marcus Protti, Eli Wilkinson and Carson Roten are the other seniors. The roster also includes junior basketball hero Channing Disibbio.
“It’s been a team effort for us all season,” Aiello said. “I’m really proud to coach this group.”
The Bearcats (6-6, 2-3) had no answers for the experience, depth and balance of the G-Men
First-year VHS head coach Danny Peterson declined comment after the match.
Tennis
Lebanon 7, Richlands 2
Singles
Baleigh Bonney (R), forfeit; Kenlie Fields (L) def. Baleigh Sturgill, 8-5; Mercedes Raguz (L) def. Eliza Culbertson, 8-1; Alexis Mitchell (L) def. Abby Allen, 8-1; Brooklyn Sutherland (L) def. Sophie Jackson, 8-2; Olivia Gibson (L) def. Scarlett Dunford, 8-2.
Doubles
Bonney-Sturgill (R), forfeit; Raguz-Mitchell (L) def. Culbertson-Allen, 8-1; Gibson-Fields (L) def. Jackson-Dunford, 8-0.
