Great Bridge drops Warriors in championship

NORFOLK — Great Bridge and Nansemond River met for the fourth time this baseball season in the Eastern Region championship game at Old Dominion Thursday evening.

Great Bridge romped to a 14-5 victory over the Warriors (20-7) for the regional title. NR and GB have split the four contests and now the Warriors hope they see the Wildcats a fifth time this season.

Both Southeastern District squads move onto the VHSL (Virginia High School League) Group AAA State Tournament and into opposite halves of the eight-team bracket, meaning a fifth meeting would be the ultimate rubber game for the state crown.

The Warriors jumped out to a big lead. For the third time in the three regional tourney games, the Warriors got going in the top of the first.

Leadoff hitter Tyler Brown lined a double down the leftfield line and Josh Howard followed with an RBI single into centerfield for a 1-0 NR lead five pitches into the game.

Kyle Moore doubled to left to drive in Howard and Brandon Lowe. Travis Johnson singled and Moore scored for a 4-0 NR lead.

The Wildcats tallied 13 unanswered runs in the next five innings, with the major blow being a six-run rally in the second to move ahead 8-4.

The Wildcats drove NR starter freshman Trevor Riggs from the mound in the big rally. Dylan Roach came on from the pen and lasted the rest of the way for the Warriors.

“Great Bridge hit the ball really well tonight. We were a little short on pitching,” said Nansemond River head coach Mark Stuffel.

The Warriors needed their three pitchers who saw most of the key action during the season, Howard, Brown and Zach Rice, to get through the first two tournament games on Monday and Wednesday.

“The guys out there for us did a good job but they just swung the bats really well,” Stuffel said.

In the second meeting of the regular season, the Warriors beat Great Bridge 12-11. In the Southeastern District Tournament final, NR beat GB 15-10. The Warrior offense couldn’t keep up Thursday night.

Nansemond River continues on to the state quarterfinals and must travel to face the Northern Region champion on Tuesday.

“To be one of the last eight teams playing is pretty impressive but we’d like to be better than that,” Stuffel said.

It’s the first time making the state tournament in Nansemond River’s Group AAA years, from 1996 on.

“We’ve had a lot of firsts this year. It’s been good,” Stuffel said.