Western Albemarle’s baseball team knows how to get a Jefferson District campaign started.
Western needed 10 innings to pull it off, but the Warriors snagged a 4-3 victory in their district opener over Powhatan Tuesday night.
The Warriors won in dramatic fashion on a Garrett Payne RBI that scored Derek Domecq with two outs in the bottom of the tenth. It was a tremendous performance by Payne, a freshman, who came on in relief for Domecq on the mound for the final three innings after Domceq threw what usually would have been a complete game.
Payne shut out Powhatan for three innings, surrendering just one hit while striking out three to pick up the win. Domecq was solid for all seven innings, striking out eight and allowing just two earned runs. Both Domecq and Payne got through their stretches on the mound without giving up a single walk.
Sam James, Matt Mandell and Chris McGahren had the Warriors’ other RBI, with Western tying the game in the bottom of the seventh on Mandell’s chopper to score Mitchell Morris.
Chase Campbell laid down a crucial sacrifice bunt as a pinch hitter in the 10th. To move Domecq from first to second, setting up Paye’s heroics.
James and Mandell each had steals for the Warriors.
