Fort Defiance locks up Region III berth

By Dana Jones Correspondent
Published: May 16, 2008

FORT DEFIANCE – The Fort Defiance game plan of early scoring took them to a 6-1 win over Stuarts Draft in the first round of the Southern Valley District tournament on Friday.
The Indians got on the board early in the first after a three up, three down defensive inning. Fort’s Blake Sipe smacked one to the Draft shortstop, who then let it roll into the outfield. The Indians’ Justin Chittum’s sacrifice bunt then moved Sipe to second and Michael Wade drove him in with a hard grounder up the middle.
“This could have been a potential elimination game,” Fort Defiance coach Vic Spotts said. “So we got on the board early.”
The Indians’ pitcher Daniel “Righty” Wright let his arm, and his infield, do the talking on defense, allowing no hits until the fourth frame and walking only one batter in the second.
“That’s a typical performance for Daniel,” said Spotts. “He’s capable to deliver and that’s what he expects out of himself.”
Fort kept the runs coming in the second when Righty Wright led off with a single. The Indians’ Aaron Sheets then followed with a single of his own and Daniel “Lefty” Wright brought in Righty Wright with his kill to the outfield. With Sheets on third and Lefty Wright on second, after being stranded by the next two batters, Sipe dug in with two outs on and the Indians craving for some Cougar blood. Sipe then let one rip to center field driving in Sheets and Lefty Wright.
With the score at 4-0 in the top of the third, Righty Wright was sent back to work at the mound. The Cougars’ first batter Stephen Showalter hit an easy grounder to the pitcher, followed by Ben Cook’s line drive to the same place. Righty Wright then struck out Draft’s Jeremy Fitzgerald and sent the Indians back to the plate.
The Cougars didn’t see any base past second up until the fifth inning and wouldn’t score until the sixth off of a Cole Beyeler RBI.
“Their pitcher was on today,” Stuarts Draft coach Josh Podgorski said. “He kept us off balance, but they’re a really good team.”
The bottom of the third started with a Cougar pitching change, Chris Henkel for Fitzgerald, but the alteration had no effect on the Indians. Henkel walked the first two Indian batters, Wade and Sean Britt, and then Righty Wright went to work in the box. With two balls and a strike against him, he sent one flying to the center field fence, driving in Britt and Wade, and landing himself on third. Though this was the last time the Indians would score, their bats never rested.
Fort Defiance earned a Region III birth with this win.
“We’d like another shot at Waynesboro,” Spotts said. “They beat us twice before and if they beat us for a third time then we would tip our hats to them.”
Stuarts Draft will play Rockbridge in a consolation game for the Southern Valley’s final Region III team.
“We just have to go out there and play baseball,” Podgorski said. “There’s no magic formula.”