The Glenvar baseball team saw its season come to a sudden, heartbreaking end Monday at Kiwanis Field. The Highlanders lost to Dan River, 8-7, in the Region 2A West opening round game.
Trailing 6-1 after four and a half innings, the Highlanders struck for three runs in the bottom of the fifth and three in the bottom of the sixth, while Dan River added a sixth inning run for a 7-7 tie after six innings. Glenvar left the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth after a wild inning that included a couple errors and a catcher’s interference.
Dan River catcher Clark Sowers homered in the top of the seventh to give the Wildcats the lead again, but Glenvar was not finished. Matthew Pulliam doubled with one out in the bottom of the seventh and moved to third on an infield error, sending R. J. Rorrer to the plate with one out. Rorrer attempted a squeeze bunt on a 1-2 count. He got it down, but Pulliam was thrown out at the plate. Then, Rorrer was tagged out trying to take second for a 1-2-6 doubleplay that ended the game.
Trip Adams finished with three hits in the wild affair, including a two-run double. Alec Thompson had two hits and drove in three runs.
Austin Meadows took the loss for Glenvar despite allowing only two earned runs in four innings. Hunter Phlegar pitched the first three innings, giving up a second inning grand slam, but he did not figure in the decision when Glenvar caught up.
With the loss the Highlanders finished the season 16-6. They were 5-5 after 10 games but won 11 of their last 12, including two games in the Conference 38 tournament at Kiwanis Field last week to take home the trophy.
Glenvar opened with a 10-0 slaughter rule win over Martinsville. The Highlanders had 13 hits in the five inning game, including three by Jacob Mullins, who scored three runs. Rorrer, Adams, Logan Lucas and Adam Veverka all had two hits and three Highlanders combined for the shutout, Meadows, Rorrer and Cody Alexander.
On Friday afternoon the Highlanders won the conference title with a 3-1 win over Floyd. Phlegar and Meadows combined to scatter 11 hits in the win and Meadows also had two hits.
“It wild year and it ended with a bang,” said first year coach Ben Amos. “I hate to see it end that way but, it was a lot of fun.”