For Fluvanna County baseball’s Jacob Critzer it’s pretty simple when Kevin Ward is on the mound.
“Once I see first pitch strike, I don’t have to worry about the rest of the game,” Critzer said. “I know he’s going to be on.”
With Ward locked in after surrendering just his second earned run of the entire season in the first inning and Ryan Groome locked in at the plate, simple was all Fluvanna County baseball needed Tuesday night to pick up a 12-1 road win over Western Albemarle.
“All we thought about was coming out here, play our game, hit the ball and not letting anything get into our head,” Critzer said.
Ward struck out 10 and allowed just three hits in six innings of work to pick up the win. He gave up the single run on a Zach Maillia RBI single that plated Wyatt Hull who’d reached on a leadoff single, but that was all the offense Western could muster against the Flucos.
“I like how we approached the game — I started slow on the mound but I came back and we hit the ball and finished the game strong,” Ward said.
Meanwhile, Groome had a huge game, going for 4-for-5 with a double and three RBI including a two-RBI single that scored John Rittenhouse and Kyle Algieri in the top of the fifth that helped blow the game open. In that frame, Fluvanna took advantage of three-straight hit batters, with Rittenhouse, Algieri and Justin Warner all wearing one in consecutive at bats.
Fluvanna finished with 13 hits as a team and played error-free baseball defensively. Critzer went 3-for-4 on the date with two RBI and a double. Andrew Ward also had an RBI double while Kevin Ward knocked in two runs. Warner, Rittenhouse and Trevon Gross each posted an RBI.
Wyatt Dansey threw the final inning for the Flucos, striking out two after surrendering a pair of walks to preserve the win.
The victory runs the Flucos’ record to 16-2 on the year. They’ll face Louisa County Thursday night before taking on Harrisonburg Friday to wrap up the regular season before the Region 3C playoffs start.
