HIGH SCHOOL BASEBALL: Virginia High downs Richlands, sets up Thursday showdown at Lebanon (copy)
Richlands' Max Herndon swings for a hit against Virginia High.
Richlands' Bradley Fuller bunts the ball against Virginia High on Tuesday.
Richlands' Bradley Fuller throws the ball for an out against Virginia High.
Richlands' Blake Fuller gets the out on Virginia High's Nixon Nowiski at third base.
Richlands' Reed Ratliff slides into second base safe as Virginia High's Ryan Penley misses the throw.
Richlands Gage Hylton throws a pitch against Virginia High on Tuesday evening.
Parker Ryder of Richlands gets the out at second base as Virginia High's Calloway Jordan slides.
BRISTOL, Va. – E.J. Hucks serves many important roles for the Virginia High Bearcats: starting catcher, leadoff hitter and senior leader.
He’s pretty darn good at all of them.
“He just brings a great spirit to the clubhouse and is tough as nails,” said VHS coach Adam Moore. “I love the kid to death.”
Hucks went 3-for-4 and scored two runs as the Bearcats recorded a quality 7-4 Southwest District baseball win over the Richlands Blue Tornado on Tuesday at DeVault Stadium.
Virginia High (10-7, 6-1) goes to Lebanon (9-8, 7-0) on Thursday with a chance to move into a tie for first place in the SWD.
“It’s tough to draw Richlands and Lebanon in the same week, but hey, I don’t think these kids would have it any other way,” Moore said. “The challenges we’ve faced and the adversity, to have a shot on Thursday is all you can ask for.”
The Bearcats began the season with some first-year varsity players in key spots and got off to an 0-4 start.
However, the Bristolians have gotten better as the season’s progressed and beat Richlands (7-7, 5-2) for the second time this season.
“Super proud of our ballclub,” Moore said. “We are playing together, which is what we’ve been striving for all year. If somebody’s not up to par or somebody’s out of the lineup, somebody else always steps up. … This team has earned every bit of what they are getting right now.”
The leadership of Hucks and his fellow seniors has been vital.
“The point of seniors is to teach the freshmen how to do the right things,” Hucks said.
Richlands scored three times in the top of the third inning on Tuesday, but Virginia High responded with four runs in the bottom of the third.
An error by the Blue Tornado put the Bearcats ahead to stay.
VHS added three insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth.
“Every time I’ve coached a game here, we’ve had a lead and it’s gone away in some crazy fashion,” said Richlands coach Ben Brown. “We couldn’t find the clutch hit and made some mistakes. Credit to Virginia High. They had a couple of key hits at the end that extended the lead.”
Ollie Foy got the win on the mound as he pitched for the first time since April 21 after tweaking his hamstring.
He allowed three runs (one earned) in four innings, while issuing zero walks and recording three strikeouts. The senior left-hander also notched his 200th career strikeout.
“We’ve been following the trainer’s orders and he had a little rehab work tonight,” Moore said. “I thought overall he had pretty good stuff on his fastball. That’s where we’re at with him and we’ll reevaluate [Wednesday] and see how we progress from there.”
Foy drove in three runs as well.
Foy's longtime catcher gave the hurler a passing grade.
“He’s still got it,” Hucks said.
Nixon Nowiski and Connor Presley each had two hits, while Calloway Jordan closed out the win by pitching the final three innings to notch the save.
Gage Hylton, Andrew Boyd and Max Herndon drove in runs for Richlands. Riley Perkins had two hits in the setback.
Virginia High makes the trip to Lebanon on Thursday for an important game and Hucks will do his thing – lead off the game, don his catcher’s gear and be a calming presence.
“You have to let no pressure get to you,” Hucks said. “You’ve got to let the game play itself out.”
Richlands 003 000 1—4 7 3
Virginia High 004 003 x—7 10 3
Hylton, Herndon (6) and Gillespie. Foy, Jordan (5) and Hucks. W – Foy. L – Hylton. S – Jordan. HR – none.
