The Randolph-Henry Statesmen dominated on the baseball field over the past week, picking up wins against Amelia and Heritage High.

The Statesmen started off James River District play with their Tuesday, March 28 game, going on the road to face Amelia. After an Andru Lee single and an error by Amelia pitcher Payton Vaught in the third inning, Ben Gibbs hit a double into the gap, scoring Lee from second. Then with two outs in the inning, Jayden Gee singled and brought Gibbs home, making it 2-0 in favor of the Statesmen.

That’s how the score would remain until the fifth, when Gibbs singled and then scored on a sacrifice fly to right field by Jayden Gee. Amelia would get one in the bottom of the seventh inning, thanks to a passed ball, but Randolph-Henry held on for the 3-1 win. Luke Skelton got the victory, throwing 6 – innings while striking out 11.

“Whenever we come to Amelia we know we have to play well to win,” said Statesmen head coach Josh Barmoy. “Amelia is always a well coached team that will make you earn every run. I was really proud of our guys for playing a clean game on defense and finding a way to push a few runs across to win the game.”

WINNING STREAK CONTINUES

The winning streak continued the next day, as Randolph-Henry dominated Heritage High by a 10-2 score.

The Statesmen picked up five runs in the first inning through a combination of walks, fielders’ choices and one hit. The Pioneers in turn added a couple in the top of the fourth, making it 5-2 with one out and the bases loaded.

“We took our foot off of the gas after the first inning and allowed our opponent to stay in the game,” Barmoy said. “As a program, we have to keep the intensity up throughout an entire game. We were up five runs and did not add anymore and the next thing we know we are in a tough spot in the fourth.”

Brayson Arrington would strike out the next two batters, minimizing the Pioneers offensive comeback to only two runs. Ben Gibbs would come in to finish the game on the mound for the Statesmen.

Randolph-Henry added to their lead in the seventh, pushing across another five runs. After that 10-2 win, the Statesmen will host Central Lunenburg on Thursday, April 6 at Bankston Field. The first pitch is set for 6 p.m.