Hot start sparks Chatham in rout of Rappahannock

By: Jason Wolf | GoDanRiver
Published: June 07, 2009

RADFORD — Chatham put a whipping on Rappahannock from the start, scoring five runs before recording an out in the first inning of the Cavaliers’ 14-3 Group A state semifinal victory against the Raiders on Saturday morning at Radford.

Rappahannock (17-5) coach Larry Barker admitted that his team — and his starting pitcher, Tyler Roberts, a Northern Neck District first-teamer — was clearly nervous about being on the big stage and that those nerves got the best of the Raiders, especially early.

“I think that was a lot of it, (being worried about) that red team standing over there,” Barker said about Chatham (24-2) and its high-powered offense, which has scored double digits in all but one game this postseason. “I think it was a lot of Tyler. We were a little nervous.”

Roberts drilled Chatham leadoff batter Drew Arnold in the kidney with his first pitch of the game and surrendered four hits and a walk as the Cavaliers batted around in the first inning. Tyler Younger singled to right to put runners on the corners and took second on a wild pitch before a walk to Gavin Hylton got the Raiders into deep trouble, loading the bases with nobody out.

Chatham cleanup batter Drew Kirks, who went 2-for-3 with four RBIs and two runs scored, ripped a triple to center field to clear the bases and hand the Cavs a 3-0 advantage. Kirks scored when Matt Bray reached base on a fielding error by Rappahannock’s second baseman and singles by Brent Shelton and Beau Cassada and a sacrifice bunt by Greg Doss allowed courtesy runner Brad Haymes to round the bases for a 5-0 lead.

The sacrifice bunt by Doss was the first out of the inning.

“Chatham had real good bats first inning,” Roberts said. “I don’t think it was nerves.”

Roberts surrendered seven runs, five of them earned, in three innings on the mound. He struck out three and walked two. While Rappahannock rallied to cut its deficit to 5-3 in the second inning, the Raiders pitchers who followed Roberts didn’t fare much better as the Cavs tacked on four runs in the fourth inning, three in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

Rappahannock committed five errors in the game.

“He was a good pitcher, I’ll give him that,” Kirks said about Roberts. “He hit his spots pretty well, but luckily, we had our day. Again.”