(Thank you, Tina Quesenberry, for the fantastic photography!!!)

Wise… Playing on a partly cloudy and warm afternoon at UVA-Wise the Fort Chiswell Pioneers found themselves down 3-0 after four innings. Their bats finally woke up in the fifth as they scored four times and went on for a 6-3 win over Auburn.

The win sends the Pioneers (19-3) into today’s Regional Championship game against the Eastside Spartans who took out Honaker 8-1 in the second game at UVA-Wise.

Chance Davis was three of four, knocked in three and scored one run. Bryson Booher knocked in a run to help his own cause as he improved to 9-1. He pitched a complete game, a six-hitter, and gave up no earned runs. He struck out five, walked two, threw a couple of wild pitches and hit a batter.

Auburn (15-7) was led by starting pitcher Dylan Akers as he went two for two, was hit by a pitch and scored a run. He tossed six innings but his defense let him down. He only gave up three earned runs as the Eagles committed four errors. Kyle Altizer and Aaric Huff each had an RBI. Keith Reed and Adam Quesenberry scored runs.

The Eagles scored in the bottom of the first as leadoff man Quesenberry drew a walk. He then moved up to second on a pickoff throw that was thrown past the Fort Chiswell first baseman. He moved up to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly from Altizer. Auburn then scored two more times in the bottom of the fourth on two more Pioneer miscues. Akers singled and went to third on a Reed single. Cole Epperly hit a shot to second that was flagged down by Pioneer second baseman Dallas Beasley. Beasley threw from his knees to get Epperly out, but the Auburn runner at first had held up. He then got hit in the back of the shoulder on his way to second. Akers, who had to hold up on the play as well, then scored on the thrown error. Reed moved all the way to third. Huff then hit a fly ball to deep right center to score Reed.

Fort Chiswell finally got things going in the fifth. With one out, Tanner Cook hit a single down the left field line. Hunter Collins, pinch-hitting for Beasley, drew a base-on-balls. After a strike out, Jared Tuck singled in Sean Morgan from second who was pinch running for Cook. Chance Davis then knocked in two to tie the game at three. Booher then singled in Davis for the go-ahead run.

They would add insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Ben Porter did the trick in the sixth as he hit a triple into the right field corner and scored on a wild pitch. Pinch-hitter Konner Rotenizer proceeded to be hit by a pitch in the seventh. Lucas Edmonds re-entered the game to run. He moved up to second on a perfectly placed bunt by leadoff man, Tuck. Davis then stroked a RBI single that scored Tuck, and Davis moved two second on a throwing error.

In the bottom of the seventh, Auburn then got their leadoff man on base with a single from Quesenberry. Altizer flew out to right and Hunter Perkins had a popout to Davis for the second out. Booher put the finishing touch on the game as he picked off Quesenberry to end the game, and the celebration for the Fort Chiswell Pioneers began. The win means they will play in the state semi-final next week at Radford University. They will face Eastside today at 6 pm for the regional championship game.

Head coach Derrick Jackson of the Pioneers said, ”We battled, Bryson (Booher) battled on the mound. Booher didn’t have his best stuff today but he sure hung in there. We seemed like we started the game tight or anxious, nervous, what every you want to call it. There in the fifth inning

Tanner Cook’s single down the opposite field and Hunter Collins coming off the bench to draw a walk fired us up by those two seniors. Our bench was the difference today.“ Coach then added. ”I’m so proud of the guys. I used about all of them today and they came through. I have told them all season, win the little battles and it will win the war. Today it sure did. We did whatever it took today to win. This was a huge comeback win for us the say the least.”

Pioneer assistant coach Doug Tuck was almost in tears as he said, ”It’s what I’ve been wanting, to go to the state to play baseball. It’s been a long 18 years but it feels great.”

That pretty much sums up the Fort Chiswell people that made the two and a half hour drive to Wise on a variable cloudy afternoon.

Fort Chiswell will take on the Eastside Spartans of Wise today, with the first pitch slated for 6pm.

 

R H E LOB

Auburn 3 6 4 6

FC 6 9 3 4

 

Auburn -LP- Akers

FC – WP- Booher ( 9-1)