Fort Chiswell baseball team advances to state semi-finals
The Fort Chiswell Pioneer Baseball Team advanced to the VHSL Class 1 Semi-Final game by defeating the Eastside Spartans 9-5 on Tuesday at UVA Wise. You could say that the Pioneers beat the Spartans in every aspect of the game as they out slugged the Spartans 10-9, induced eight walks and two balk calls, and pressured the home team into a couple of errors in the field on some hard hit balls.
FC started things off in the top of the first inning with a double by Parker Moore that would plate a run and give the Pioneers a 1-0 advantage. However, Eastside would answer right away in the bottom half of the stanza taking a 2-1 lead after Keidan Hamilton doubled to left field and Aiden Sexton singled to center field off Pioneer starting pitcher Owen Jackson.
The Fort would regain the lead in the top of the second as Cooper Davis hit into a fielder’s choice that scored a run and another would score on a Spartan error which set the stage for Mac Phillips who would blast a two run rbi triple to give the Pioneers a 5-2 lead.
Jackson would settle in on the mound for FC in the second as he retired the Spartans in order and continued to pitch through the fourth inning until Coach Derrick Jackson lifted him due to the pitch count. The freshman hurler surrendered six hits and four runs (three earned), striking out four and walking two. Senior flame thrower, Parker Moore, came in to close the last three innings out surrendering only one run. This method has been a big part of the Pioneer success as both pitchers have shared the starter and relief rolls all year.
The two big arms would prove to be lights out in the 4th inning and in the 6th as Eastside threatened with bases loaded in the fourth and two on in the 6th with the heart of the Spartan lineup up as both FC hurlers would retire batters via strikeout. There were also other big moments that led to the Pioneer victory such as Spencer Moser’s big base clearing hit and team leading three walks as did his teammates Zayne Sayers and Issac Hasslip who seemed to find their way on the base paths often. Brayden Billings, Parker Moore, and Owen Jackson each collected two hits a piece for the Fort as the Pioneers just simply punched the Spartans in the mouth early and they never seemed to recover.
With the 9-5 quarterfinal victory, the Pioneers improved to 19 wins and 5 losses on the season and are scheduled to play in Salam at 10 AM on Friday against the Northumberland Indians. This is the first time since 2016 when Chance Davis, the brother of current FC third baseman Cooper Davis and State Player of the Year Bryson Booher led the Pioneers to the State Final Four Game. These younger Pioneers are a different team with a lot of weapons. It should make for a fun weekend.