Western Albemarle’s baseball team has been waiting for its offense to come around and match the level its pitching has been reaching this year.
It’s here.
“We’ve started to see a change in the way we swing the bats, hopefully it’ll continue,” said Western coach Skip Hudgins.
The Warriors ripped off nine runs Tuesday to beat Monticello 9-1, with six different players knocking in runs in a balanced offensive performance.
It gave junior pitcher Derek Domecq all the run support he could ask for in another top-notch performance as he struck out 13 and held Monticello to just three hits. Domecq has found a different gear in his last two starts, pushing the Warriors past Orange County and now the Mustangs in key Jefferson District battles.
“I thought Derek threw real well,” Hudgins said.
The offense came from up and down the lineup, with Domceq getting it started with a leadoff double in the first inning. Sam James and Jack Masloff each went 2-for-4 on the night. Domecq, Ryan Sukovich, Luke Tenuta, Masloff and Chase Campbell each knocked in runs while Tyler Jones brought in a pair on his first varsity hit for the Warriors, plating a pair of runs in the sixth inning on a single.
“We’re able to recognize pitches a little bit better, we’ve had a lot more success handling things that spin and we’re taking good cuts at things that are straight,” Hudgins said.
Monticello couldn’t seem to get ahead of the Warriors all night, despite Jake Byrnes battling on the mound throughout to hold the Warriors to a 2-0 advantage through three innings. Things started to snowball in the fourth where Western picked up three runs and took much of the tension out of the game with that frame.
“You’ve got to play good every night in this league,” said Monticello coach Corey Hunt. “They played consistent baseball, Derek threw strikes…we didn’t battle with two strikes. That’s the whole story of this district, it’s anybody’s night, whoever shows up to play and fight a little bit is going to have a good night.”
Reid Huffman had the Mustangs’ lone RBI while Tommy Carter, Ben Riley and Byrnes had the three hits with Carter blasting a double.
