Covenant’s Sean Rutherford threw 49 pitches on Wednesday to help his team beat Norfolk Collegiate in the VISAA Division 2 quartefinals. Two days later he was back on the mound in the championship game. He was also an instrumental piece the day before as he tied the game with an RBI double against Atlantic Shores and scored the go ahead run moments later. That was all well and fun, but what he did on Saturday on such short rest is a different story.
“I was tired and incredibly nervous,” Rutherford said. “I had heard all these stories about how Christchurch had beaten STAB, Greenbrier and Steward.”
In his last high school start, Rutherford pieced together a 2-hit shutout and struck out nine batters. He allowed a total of just four base runners but no runs. Add to it that once again he came through with an RBI double and it gets even better. And with a 2-run smash from Sam Patterson providing welcome insurance, the Eagles finished the job in their second straight appearance in the title game with a 3-0 win over Christchurch.
“We did it all with the guys we had last year, we only lost one player (in Logan Gower),” said Covenant coach Doug Smethurst. “It’s hard to get to the state championship game, much less win it. We know that after last year. This group has played three and four years together on the varsity level and I’m just very thankful and feel blessed to have this happen. It’s just been a wonderful day.”
There were just a total of seven hits in the game split between the two teams with the Eagles taking the edge, five versus two.
Rutherford’s two allowed hits came in the first and then seventh inning and while his strike out total left his defense a little bored at times, when the defense was called on they came through, particularly shortstop Ethan Taylor and second baseman Brady Doyle.
Doyle led off the third inning with a single, much in the same way he did the game before. On a day where déjà vu seemed to be all over the place, Rutherford brought Doyle home on his RBI double, just like the day before. In the very next at-bat, Sam Patterson crushed a high fastball to left field and put it to almost the same spot he homered in during the 2010 title game against Cape Henry Collegiate.
“I didn’t have the best first at bat,” Patterson said of his big hit. “I went back up and just wanted to get on anyway possible. I got one up and it was in my wheelhouse and I put a pretty good swing on it.”
In title game last year, Patterson’s home run also made it a 3-0 game, but the Dolphins rallied to the win. Everything looked all too familiar.
“It was weird because Sam hits a homerun and I kind of want to be happy about, but it’s the same thing as last year, that this is all déjà vu,” said Covenant senior outfielder Jesse Getchel. “But after Sam got it over Sean continued to pitch a great game and the defense was behind him.”
Obviously, this game was different. Covenant never broke, never even bent. Christchurch starter Michael Taylor was marvelous and able to retire 12 of the last 13 batters he faced after Patterson, and finished with 13 strike outs as he baffled batters with an active curveball. But his Seahorses simply could not get to Rutherford, and when they did, nothing got past the Eagle’s defense allowing Covenant to sit down 11 of the last 12 Christchurch batters.
“We’ve been saying this all year, that (Sean) is toughest when he gets his slow stuff over the plate,” Smethurst said. “He’s got a great fastball and when he’s able to get his changeup and curveball over it’s hard. A high school hitter struggles trying to hit three pitches. His control just kept (Christchurch) off-balance.”
Fittingly enough, the game ended in the top of the seventh when Rutherford threw a third strike with two outs that landed in catcher Chris Shifflett’s glove uncontested.
“It’s a lot of fun to duel,” Rutherford said of the battle between himself and Taylor on the mound. “It was a close game and just to have that one inning was so helpful, for it to be 3-0 and not 1-0 made a big difference. Taylor showed a lot of heart throwing curveball after curveball and we couldn’t hit it. My arm felt really good, I was only a little bit worried about my legs getting tired but it was nice to be able to finish it out. Nothing’s better than ending a championship with a strikeout.”
On the day at the plate for Covenant, Ethan Taylor was 1 for 1 with a walk, Rutherford, Patterson and Lee Coppock were all 1 for 3. Doyle finished 1 for 2.
The win marks the end of a remarkable two-year run as the eight seniors on this team were able to guide the team to a second place finish last year as juniors, but go out on top in their last ever high school baseball game.
For underclassmen like Doyle, it was important to make sure this storied group of players didn’t finish up on a sour note.
“It’s not so much pressure, but that you’re anxious to get this done,” Doyle said. “We wanted to get this one for the seniors, all eight of them. All of them contribute so much to the team and it’s just a great senior class.”
So with gold medals and a state championship plaque, the Eagles drove back to Charlottesville. Actually they had to hustle as there was only a few hours to give between the last pitch of this state title game and the opening ceremonies of Covenant’s graduation. Suffice to say, this Saturday is one that Smethurst’s players will remember all their lives and for all positive reasons. He knows he will.
“It’s just sweet,” Smethurst said. “It doesn’t matter what level you’re playing at, when you win a championship it’s just sweet.”
