Gators earn Region 10 victory
Byers sparks big first inning.
The Virginia Peninsula Community College baseball team defeated Camp Community College in the second game of a doubleheader March 14 to snap a six-game Region 10 losing streak.
After dropping the opener 8-3, the Gators (5-16, 1-7) bounced back with a 12-8 victory in Game 2 for their first region win of the season.
VPCC jumped on Camp from the start in the second game, scoring five runs in the top of the first. Cameron Byers (Christchurch) had a two-run single, and Andy Lemaster (Saint Augustine, Fla.) and Conner Lamb (Bethel) added RBI singles. The Gators added four runs in the sixth for an 11-2 lead. Garrett Hudson (Tampa, Fla.) led off with a homer run, and Tony Soriano (Battlefield) drove in two with a single before Lemaster added a sacrifice fly.
Ryan Bevins (Celina, Texas) finished with three hits (all singles) and three runs, Soriano had two hits and drove in four runs, Byers drove in two runs, and Hudson also had a double to go with his home run.
Jacob Wells (Isle of Wight Academy) earned the win, going six innings and giving up five runs, four hits and striking out three. Lamb got the final two outs as the Gators escaped a bases-loaded jam in the final inning to preserve the win.
In the opener, Sean Burns (Woodside) and Bevins each had two hits.
The Gators closed the series with a 13-4 loss Sunday, March 15. Lamb had three hits, and Byers added a solo home run.
In midweek action, the Gators split a doubleheader at Virginia State University, losing the first game 12-2, but taking the second 9-3. In the first game, Hayden Koontz (Hermitage) had two hits, including a double, and Devin Gray (Heritage) drove in both runs with a double. Jose Rojas (Orlando, Fla.) was 3 for 3, with three singles.
They answered with a 9-3 win in Game 2. Lemaster had a two-run single to highlight a four-run third. After the hosts cut it to 5-3 in the sixth, the Gators put away the game with four runs in the seventh inning. Burns had a two-run double, and Byers had an RBI single. Three pitchers, Lemaster, Koontz and Wells, held the Trojans to six hits and two earned runs.
The Gators return to action against Regent University on Wednesday, March 18, at War Memorial Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.
For more information on the College, visit www.vpcc.edu.