outfielder.
PHOTO BY JON FLEMING
The Salem High baseball team lost a heartbreaker to Jefferson Forest to see their season come to an end one win short of a trip to the state tournament. Salem fell 5-4 to the top-seeded Cavaliers in eight innings in Forest last Wednesday.
Jefferson Forest had a 20-2 record with the Spartans coming to town while Salem was confident after beating Blacksburg, 10-1, in the Region 4D south sub-region semifinal. The Spartans drew first blood with two runs in the top of the first inning. Trace Monroe walked and Brayden White singled, then Ben Keffer knocked them both in with a single to right.
Salem senior lefty Carter Black pitched six strong innings against the top seed. He kept them scoreless through four, then with two outs in the fifth Jefferson Forest put three hits together to push two runs across and tie the game at 2-2.
Salem broke the tie in the top of the seventh when White led off with a walk, Keffer bunted him to second, Mason Hale was intentionally walked and Thomas Millard singled down the third base line, scoring White. Freshman Aiden Poff then singled to center and scored Hale. A 6-4-3 double play ended the inning but not before the Spartans took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the seventh.
Salem skipper Jimmy Winterer called on Zach Bocock to try to close the game. He struck out the first hitter looking, but then walked two in a row. A wild pitch forced an intentional walk to load the bases with one out. Bocock struck out the next hitter and needed just one more out for the win, but a single to left scored two and tied the game at 4-4. With two still aboard Bocock struck out the next hittter to force extra innings.
The Spartans failed to score in the top of the eighth and Bocock came out to start the home half of the inning. He got the first batter to fly out but then walked two and Winterer called senior Keegan Craighead from the bullpen to take the mound. A wild pitch moved the runners to second and third and Winterer called for an intentional walk to set up a force at every base. That backfired when Craighead walked the next hitter on a 3-2 count, forcing in a run for a walk-off Cavalier win.
“A tough way to lose,” said Winterer. “We didn’t commit an error and out hit Jefferson Forest, eight to six. It was a hard fought game by two resilient teams, it’s a shame we couldn’t both represent Region D in the 4A state tournament.”
Salem finished the season with a 16-7 record and champions of a strong River Ridge District. They’ll graduate a talented senior class that includes Monroe, Black, Millard and Craighead.
All-Region 4D selections were announced last week and Monroe made it as a pitcher and outfielder while setting new school records for both strikeouts on the mound and doubles at the plate. Hale, a junior, also made first team as an outfielder, hitting .431 for the season.
“We had a really strong finish to what felt like was an up and down year early on,” said Winterer. “I’m proud of the players for overcoming a lot this year and winning a district title and reaching the region semifinal. Our seniors played such a big role in this team’s accomplishments and they will be hard to replace on the mound and at the plate, but we have another great class coming up behind them who I know are up to the challenge.”
