STATE EXTRA: A painful loss; Giants fall to Indians

By Cody Clifton Correspondent
Published: June 6, 2008

PULASKI — Having used both aces in the state quarterfinals, Waynesboro and Powhatan had to pitch their No. 2 starters. It seemed fitting that whoever could score quick and often would win the game. Riding the powerful hitting of their No. 3 and 4 hitters, Powhatan hammered the Little Giants, 15-3, in the first Group AA semifinal of the day.
Indians starting pitcher Hunter Gordon made use of his defense in the first inning, getting two ground-ball outs to retire the top of the Little Giant order in three up, three down fashion.
The Indians struck against Little Giants pitcher Jeremy Hahn in the first inning, when after getting the first batter to ground out to third, Paul Nice singled to left. Gordon stepped up to the plate and roped a double to the wall in left-center field, scoring Nice. After a strikeout on Brent Mikionis, Hahn walked Matt Hall. A Nathan Mullins single drove in two more runs, making the score 3-0 after the first inning.
Waynesboro was able to get the bats working against Gordon in the third, thanks to three Little Giant hits and sloppy Indian defense.
Will Freeman led off the inning reaching on an error by Boonie Hagy at second. Joseph Lucas got to first on a fielder’s choice to second. Another error on Hagy moved Lucas to second. Terrell Thompson laced a ball to center and used his speed to leg out an RBI triple. An Eric Hall double scored Thompson, and a throwing error on the catcher scored Eric Hall to tie up the game 3-3. That would be the last offense the Little Giants would muster against Gordon.
The Indians broke through in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring 10 runs on two Waynesboro pitchers.
With two runs already in and a runner on second, Gordon stepped to the plate. On a 3-1 count, Gordon drove the pitch over the left field wall for a two-run homer. After a Mikionis double, Waynesboro coach Jim Critzer went to the mound to bring in pitcher Drew DeMoss. DeMoss got out of the fourth inning on a pop out to the second baseman, but ran into trouble of his own in the fifth.
“A lot of our hitters are peaking at the right time,” Powhatan coach Gregg Conner said. “Things seem to be falling our way, and whatever other clichés you like.”
The Indians bats clicked in the fifth inning off of DeMoss, scoring six runs while batting around in the lineup. With two runs already across and the bags full of Indians, Mikionis dug into the box. Having already hit a home run, he was ready for more. On DeMoss’ first pitch, Mikionis launched a grand slam deep over the fence in left, taking what was left of the Little Giants’ spirit out of the game and extending an already mammoth lead to 15-3. DeMoss was able to overcome the home run, getting out of the inning on the next two batters.
“I couldn’t be prouder [of these guys],” Critzer said. “We had a great senior class that I thought the world of. They played hard and did all they could do, but it just wasn’t our day.”
Gordon coasted through the rest of the game, pitching a complete game, giving up only one earned run along the way, but Critzer wouldn’t trade the players he had for anything.
“They’re friends, they’re buddies, they’re pals,” Critzer said about his team. “I’d rather have nine Josh Craigs or nine Eric Halls instead of having individual all-stars who have their head above their shoulders all the time and think they’re the greatest thing since the electric light.”
John Plonk came in to pitch the bottom of the sixth, striking out a batter with a breaking ball on a full count, facing four batters while not allowing a run after just being called up from the JV squad.
“I brought [Plonk] up from the J’s,” Critzer said. “He hadn’t pitched a game on varsity all year. He struck a kid out on a full count curve ball. I called the pitch, but it took a lot of guts on his part to throw it.”