With Dylan Weiss and Steven Mangrum — the left side of Western Albemarle’s infield — both picking up significant injuries within a week of each other, the Warriors have had to re-tool right in the middle of its stretch run.
Lucky for the Warriors, the fill-ins appear to be up to the task. Tuesday night proved that as Western snagged a must-win outing against Fluvanna County 5-4.
“The kids that have stepped in have really stepped up,” said Western coach Skip Hudgins. “We had to play well again. There’s a certain bit of a hangover that goes with losing kids like that and this is third time we’ve played with (this lineup).”
The players who were already there stepping their own game up was the most critical factor. Jack Maynard threw a complete game against the Flucos, picking his way out of a tough seventh with some savvy pitching. He finished with five strikeouts, but most importantly, allowed the Warriors to save Jacob Rich, who gets to take on Monticello in a de facto Jefferson District title game Thursday, where Western can force a split with a win.
“This is where you want to be, you want to be at the end of the year with a chance to play for something and that’s where we are,” Hudgins said.
Leadoff hitter John Mark Mastakas got them there Monday with a monster four-for-four night at the plate with five RBI, highlighted by a bases-clearing triple in the third inning. Josh Gibson went 2 for 4 while Logan Ebanks and Arthur Kreienbaum also had RBI.
Fluvanna managed to tie it up at 2-2 in the top of the third, but Western bounced back with Mastakas leading the assault in the bottom half of the frame.
“We’ve battled all year long and we play hard, but we’ve been snakebitten,” Fluvanna coach Mike Sheridan said before recounting a series of bad hops and tough breaks the Flucos have endured.
The Warriors will throw Rich against the Mustangs Thursday in hopes of securing a share of the JD crown, while Fluvanna points toward a Jefferson District tournament that appears to be wideopen and could simply favor any team that got red-hot.
“I’ve never seen it this even before,” Sheridan said.
