Richmond Area Games Week 3

Does anyone else dislike the Times Dispatch representation of the high school box score as much as I?

Prince George 8 Hopewell 5

Jackson Rivera offered another solid effort 6ip 11 k's pounded the zone with strikes all evening

Hanover 3 Atlee 0

Grey Lyttle complete game no hitter for Hanover.

I don't like it at all.  Very hard to find what you are looking for quickly.  Too much scrolling.

When it comes to newspaper coverage, if they spell your kid's name correctly, consider yourself ahead of the curve. 

Accuracy is often a casualty.  As one example, for a game they did a big, section front story on, a player was trumpeted as profiting from having taken time off from the game, with the statement specifically made that he had not played any baseball since the end of last high school season.  In reality, the player had spent his entire summer and fall with us, with over 100 total plate appearances and several pitching outings as well. The entire "hook" of the story was built on a statement for which no source was given, and which was far from true.  Obviously they didn't bother asking the player himself.  I sent in a polite note, and the online story got corrected, but no correction note ran in the print edition. 

Yesterday, another of our guys threw a no-hitter.  This didn't even get mentioned in the agate type notes under the linescore.  You had to read the linescore and say to yourself, "Hey, they only threw one pitcher and the other team had no hits!"  I don't mean to gripe about lack of attention for players, but geez, you'd think a complete game no hitter might merit some mention somewhere.

There is no hope on this.  Expend your energies on other things, because this is never going to get any better.

Post script added 4-3-15:  The RTD system relies on reports from teams, which means coaches or their official scorekeepers (often a teenage team manager or some such).  There aren't going to be reporters at more than maybe a couple of games per week in the entire area.  I guess in fairness the typo and mistake problems could really be laid at the feet of a team rep who doesn't even know how to spell the players' names, much less keep an accurate scoring record.

BTW I check that new, online news site about NoVa baseball regularly, and I'm pulling for them to make it a success.  If they do make money at it, let's hope that leads to them sponsoring similar sites in our area and maybe down in Tidewater as well as their next projects.

BTW, if there's a story this year, it might be the turnaround at Deep Run.  Did anyone see this coming? 

On that same thought, I understand Van Metre hit a 3-run HR in the first to stake Deep Run to an early lead tonight.  That team is clicking right now.

James River 3, Monacan 0

Got to this game after the 1st inning.  JR had only this one game this week, so they split it up between Griffin Roberts and Josh Winder.  Roberts was filthy yet again.  He gave up an infield dribbler hit and a pop/blooper hit and that was it.  Still 90+ with the nasty, nasty 80 mph slider.  Winder took over in the 4th and got the win with 4 innings of, if I recall correctly, no-hit ball.  Winder is also 90+ and features a very hard overhand curve that was on today and made hitters look overmatched.  Lots of K's for the pair, and honestly I don't remember any walks or hit batters.  Both were spotting the ball on the black and in fact, as the HPU started giving 4" off the plate, they were smart enough and capable enough to take full advantage. I don't recall any balls being hit hard, not even for outs or, for that matter, fouls.

Monacan runs a lineup out there featuring a number of freshmen and sophomores.  While their hitters were not up to the challenge of Roberts and Winder, in fairness I don't think there are many teams who would've put up runs the way those guys were throwing today.  Honestly I thought that Monacan carried itself much more confidently than has been evident in recent years and they looked very skilled defensively.  The freshman 3B is already a gold glover at a very difficult position.  He made a handful  of very tough plays with ease. But for that level of play this would've been a very different game.

Instead it was actually 0-0 through 4 as sophomore LHP Joey Crute was very tough.  Not a hard thrower at all, at least not yet, but his mix and location were really very good.  Completely unintimidated facing the area's top ranked team (at least at the moment).

JR got the breakthrough run in the 5th on a leadoff walk, sac bunt, and a two-out-two strike bouncer up the middle.

JR got 2 insurance runs in the 7th fueled by another leadoff walk by the same hitter (Brendan Cleary), followed by two bunts that Monacan misplayed to open up the inning.  JR never really solved Crute but managed to do just enough to put 3 runs up.

JR has had a few offensive outbursts so far but today showed they are not invincible offensively.  But they do boast what is, at the very least, tied for the best 1-2 punch on the mound in the area.  With other strong options that they didn't even use today, I don't see this team losing many this year.  Any one game can go south, of course, but there's no way these guys lose more than a couple as long as everyone stays healthy.

Thomas Dale 12 Hopewell 1.  Tommy Barron had a no hitter.  Corey Johnston hit a walk off grand slam to end the game.

Cosby over Clover Hill 11-5.  Bats are really picking up.  Austin Rash went 2-3 with a 2b and 3b, Jake Huggins with a HR, Matt Pita went 2-4 with a 2b and 1b and Tyler Smith with a 2b.  Zach Mort pitched 6 with 8 K's.

Freeman over Godwin in 5

What is up at Godwin?  They seem to be off to an unusual, rough start.  Did their best guys all transfer to Deep Run?