Patriots stop Eagles

Having lost its past two games, and the last by slaughter rule, Carroll Bickers was hoping that his Albemarle baseball team would bounce back against one of its biggest rivals, Colonial Forge.

In a mostly defensive game, the Patriots got back on the winning track after putting together a 5-run rally in the bottom of the sixth inning to win 7-3.

“We’ve been waiting for that,” Bickers said. “We had never lost two in a row before and we were waiting to see if it was going to be three.”

The Patriots started the big rally with four straight singles, but were gunned down on their first attempt to cross home plate on an outstanding throw from Eagles centerfielder Kyle Booster.

Shortly after Garrett Scarborough was thrown out at home, Josh Sites was able to tie the game on a RBI single up the middle.

With the bases loaded and just one out, the Forge defense gave the Patriots a big break by dropping a routine fly by Adam Utz at the edge of the infield, which gave the Patriots the go ahead run and kept the bases full.

“I got the pitch I wanted and didn’t quite hit it where I needed to,” Utz said. “But it still worked out well for us. Sometimes that’s how things go down.”

On the very next at-bat, Rashad Talley put the game out of reach when he pounded a pitch to the fence in right center to clear the bases.

“I was just thinking about getting a fastball and driving it to the outfield and help my team,” Talley said of the clutch at-bat. “It’s important to get those extra runs late in the game to protect the lead.”

Albemarle starter Jason White worked through trouble early in the game. Forge put six runners in scoring position between the two innings, but only tagged the Patriots (10-4, 6-3 Commonwealth District) for one run.

“We had some opportunities to make some plays early in the game, get some runners in,” said Forge coach Shawn Szakelyhidi. “We didn’t and you can’t do that against a good team, and Albemarle’s definitely a good team.”

Colonial Forge (8-8, 4-6) had 11 hits on White, but only managed three runs as the Albemarle defense turned a pair of double plays and White issued only two walks while striking out six.

“Jason’s still a young pitcher, but he threw well,” said Utz who caught all seven innings for White. “He hit all his spots and threw a real good complete game.”

Albemarle tied the game up in the second inning after Austin Rohm drove in Josh Smith on a single.

Another RBI single, this time from Utz in the third inning, gave the Patriots the lead, but the Eagles answered back in the top of the fourth with a pair of runs on a single of Travis Ferrick and a triple from Garrett Marin.

“We knew that they’re a good ball team,” Bickers said.  “They always have been historically.  We know they’re capable of coming back, and they know we’re capable of coming back.”

Utz finished the game 2 for 4 with two RBI.  Talley was 1 for 3 with three RBI.

Marin led the way on offense for the Eagles, going 3 for 4.

Albemarle travels to North Stafford on Friday at 6 p.m.