Jefferson Forest girls coast past Mecklenburg, Nelson baseball upsets Appomattox, and more

Then the floodgates opened. 

What had been a 1-0 Cavaliers lead halfway through the first half ballooned into a 6-0 lead by halftime and No. 3 Jefferson Forest opened postseason play by gliding past the No. 6 Phoenix 9-0 in the Region 4D girls soccer quarterfinals in Forest. 

“Felt like we really moved the ball well today. It was pretty crisp,” JF coach Matt Newton said. “The whole team played well. Everyone kind of did their job, and they moved the ball and hit feet and it was good to see.”

JF junior Izzy Wedemeyer, who this week was named the Seminole District female soccer player of the year, scored three times and slid effortlessly into the middle of the Mecklenburg defense to either rip shots at the goal or distribute to her teammates. She also had an assist. 

“She’s been great for us,” Newton said of Wedemeyer, “and obviously does a lot for us in the attack and is part of the engine of the team.”

Junior Forest forward Ava Givens scored two goals, sophomore Kielyn Newsome added two assists, and the Cavaliers improved to 13-2 while Mecklenburg ended its season at 14-7. 

Allie Castillo, Anna Talmadge, Sarah Ferrell and Ruby Duis each added a goal apiece for JF, which hasn’t lost since opening the season with two straight setbacks, against Lord Botetourt and Western Albemarle. 

JF, predominantly made up of talented sophomores and juniors, now travels to No. 2 seed Western Albemarle (16-1) — which defeated seventh-seeded Salem 8-0 in another quarterfinal Thursday — looking for revenge for Tuesday’s semifinal match. An automatic state berth will be on the line at the game, scheduled to begin at 6 p.m. 

“Obviously a great team,” Newton said of Western Albemarle, which defeated the Cavaliers 3-0 on March 22. JF hasn’t lost since, going 13-0-2 in that span. “They’ve been having a great season, too. It’s really just about who wants it more.”

Also in the region quarterfinals, No. 5 E.C. Glass lost at No. 4 Orange County 6-1. 

Appomattox pitching held Nelson in check in the teams’ two regular-season meetings. The Raiders baseball team allowed just one run each in two victories. But on Thursday, the Governors took advantage of the opportunities those ACHS arms presented them.

In Region 2C quarterfinal matchup of Dogwood District foes in Appomattox, Nelson pulled off the upset of the reigning Class 2 state champion Raiders (14-5).

NCHS (14-8) broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth inning, when Caleb Thompson singled with one out to drive in Kevin Knight. Knight recorded a leadoff single, moved up when George Knight was hit by a pitch and then took third on Marshall Garrison’s sacrifice bunt.

The Govs scored one more in the frame on a fielder’s choice, and tacked on two insurance runs in the fifth.

Mike Fitzgerald tossed 6⅔ innings to pick up the win, giving up one run (unearned) on four hits, walking one and fanning four. George Knight ended the game with a strikeout.

Kevin Knight went 3 for 3 with an RBI to lead Nelson at the plate. Trey Shrock went 2 for 2 for the Raiders, and Evan Carwile was responsible for Appomattox’s lone run on his single that tied the game at 1 in the bottom of the third.

Nelson will either host Martinsville or travel to Patrick County for the semifinals (date and time to be announced).

In a pitchers’ duel in South Boston, E.C. Glass starter Cooper Campbell threw a six-inning gem, Mike Harpster struck out the side to earn the save in the bottom of the seventh, and the sixth-seeded Hilltoppers outlasted the No. 3 Comets (20-6) in the Region 4D quarterfinals. 

Campbell, the deceptive side-armed right-hander, yielded one run (earned) on six hits, allowed just one walk and struck out nine in his six innings of work. 

In addition to the save, Harpster went 2 for 3 with a run scored, and Scooter Ball went 2 for 3 with a stolen base and a run scored. Glass (14-7) scored both of its runs in the top of the fourth. 

Halifax’s Trey Comer took the hard-luck loss, allowing two runs (one earned) in 4⅔ innings. He struck out six and walked three. 

The win sets up an anticipated region semifinal bout. Glass travels to No. 2 Amherst on Tuesday for a 6 p.m. game. The Lancers won both regular seasons, by one and three runs, respectively. 

In Amherst, Christian Harris went 2 for 3 with a three-run home run, Christopher Knight had three RBIs, and Nick Dawson was strong at the plate and on the mound for Amherst as it sailed past Salem in the Region 4D quarterfinals.

The first two Lancers batters of the game reached, Harris made Salem pay by knocking a long ball over the fence in center field, and second-seeded Amherst (18-3) never looked back en route to the shutout over the seventh-seeded Spartans (14-8).

Louisa County 8, Jefferson Forest 0

In Mineral, a trio of Jefferson Forest pitchers combined to give up just three hits (all singles), but the rest of the defense struggled, committing four errors that proved too much to overcome in a loss to Louisa County in the Region 4D quarterfinals.

The fourth-seeded Lions (15-4) scored the only run they needed on an error in the second inning, then tacked on two runs in the fourth and put the game away with a five-run sixth inning.

JF managed just three hits against Shane Dunkum, who threw just 74 pitches in his complete-game shutout, walked one and struck out four.

Breckin Nace took the tough-luck loss after giving up three runs (one earned) on two hits, walking one and fanning five in 4⅔ innings. He, Nate Pyle and Luke Gouldthorpe each had one hit for JF (13-8).

William Campbell 3, Surry County 0

In Dendron, fifth-seeded William Campbell put the only runs it needed on the board as part of a two-run second inning and recorded a shutout against fourth-seeded Surry (14-9) — the Generals’ fourth of the year — in the Region 1B quarterfinals.

Campbell (10-10) will travel to top-seeded Buffalo Gap (15-5) for the semifinals Tuesday (time to be announced).

Jefferson Forest 4, Amherst 1

For the second straight season, Jefferson Forest ended Amherst’s hopes for an extended postseason run. The Cavaliers used 10 hits, including five for extra bases, to end the campaign for their Seminole District rival Friday in the Region 4D tournament.

Addison Compton and Sarah Cannon each had two hits for JF (12-9), which took down Amherst for the second time in a week. The Cavs are responsible for two of the Lancers’ three total defeats on the year.

Both of Compton’s hits went down as doubles, and she also tallied two of JF’s four RBIs. She took two bags on a bunt as part of a two-run sixth inning that gave JF some insurance and capped the scoring.

The Cavs never trailed. Amherst’s lone run came on Tyah Charlton’s leadoff bomb in the fourth inning, which cut JF’s lead to 2-1. But the hosts couldn’t drive in any of the five batters who reached through the rest of the game.

Scarlett Funk and Sienna Fielder each had two hits for Amherst (18-3). JF pitcher Amelia Long tossed a complete game, scattering six hits, walking two and striking out 13.

Staunton River 16, Bassett 3

In Moneta, third-seeded Staunton River cruised to a run-ruled win over sixth-seeded Bassett (11-10) in the Region 3D quarterfinals. Allie Davidson led the Golden Eagles (18-4) at the plate by going 4 for 4 with two doubles and 3 RBIs, and three other SRHS players had multiple hits on the day.

Staunton River will either travel to second-seeded Cave Spring or host seventh-seeded Christiansburg in the semifinals Tuesday (time to be announced).

Brookville 13, Wilson Memorial 3

Jada Fyffe tallied four hits, Addison Wray hit a three-run homer, and eighth-seeded Brookville slid past ninth-seeded Wilson Memorial in the first round of the Region 3C tournament at BHS.

Wilson Memorial (7-14) led briefly, 1-0, in the second inning, but Brookville (8-11) responded with four runs in the bottom half of the frame to take the lead for good.

Riley Smith capped the scoring in the inning with her RBI single. She added two hits and three RBIs to her tally by the end of the game and pitched all five innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits, walking one and fanning four.

Brookville will travel to top-seeded Turner Ashby (21-0) for the quarterfinals at 6 p.m. Friday.

In Appomattox, the Raiders kept alive their hopes for a third straight state championship by defeating Radford (5-15) in the Region 2C quarterfinals.

Appomattox recorded its eighth shutout of the season and 20th straight win and now will host either Gretna or Chatham in the semifinals (time and date to be announced). Those teams play their quarterfinal game Friday.

Riverheads 8, William Campbell 6

In Staunton, sixth-seeded William Campbell got out to a 5-2 lead but No. 3 Riverheads scored four times in the fourth inning to take a lead it never relinquished, then got some insurance in the bottom of the sixth with a a leadoff homer by Maggie Robertson to eliminate the Generals in the Region 1B quarterfinals on Thursday. 

For William Campbell (5-15), Zoey Hannah and Laila Hamlett each had a double and two RBIs.

Riverheads (13-4) pounded out 11 hits to the Generals’ seven and won despite making four errors. Reliever Whitney Abshire allowed three hits on one run over the final 4⅓ innings. Peighton Francis threw the entire game for WCHS and took the loss.  

Appomattox girls second at 2C Championships

At Christiansburg High, the Appomattox girls received two wins from junior Harmony Troxler and another from senior Nadiyah Abdussalaam to finish second at the Region 2C Championships, 4½ points behind champion Floyd County. 

Troxler won the long jump with a leap of 17 feet, 4 inches and took the triple jump with a 36-01. Abdussalaam won the pole vault at 8-06. The Raiders took five of the top six spots in that event, with Morgan Flamm second. 

Floyd County finished with 151 points, Appomattox with 146½. 

On the boys side, Nelson’s Hunter Garrett won the pole vault title with a vault of 11 feet. Glenvar dominated the team standings with 139½ points. 

Byrd, Abingdon win 3D championships

At Cave Spring High in Roanoke, Staunton River’s boys 4×800 team comprised of Sam Weddle, CJ Lockliear, Alfred Finney and Jack Weddle won with a time of 8:31.71. 

William Byrd won the boys side of the event with 130 points to Abingdon’s 107. The Abingdon girls, who will be in the running for the team title at the upcoming Class 3 state championships, won the region team title with 135 points over Christiansburg (112). 

Jefferson Forest 8, Halifax 0

Jefferson Forest was relentless in its attack against visiting Halifax, and the Cavaliers began their quest to reach their third straight state championship game with a dominant performance over the Comets (9-9-1). 

The victory sets up a rematch of last year’s Class 4 state championship game, which featured the Cavaliers and Western Albemarle. The Crozet-based Warriors defeated JF on penalty kicks 4-3 last June after regulation and overtime resulted in a 2-2 tie. 

JF (15-1) will host WA (15-2-1) in Tuesday’s semifinals. The Warriors defeated Amherst 3-0 in another region quarterfinal Thursday to end the Lancers’ season at 8-7-2. 

In Salem, the Spartans scored on two penalty kicks and a free kick from just outside the E.C. Glass box, and the Hiltoppers’ season ended in the Region 4D quarterfinals. 

Salem (12-5) led 2-0 at halftime, thanks to a clear by Salem defenders after Colin Smith beat the Spartans keeper to the ball near the close of the first period. 

Glass controlled the time of possession for a large chunk of the first half, coach Randy Turille said. 

“Coming out in the second [half], I really thought we were still going to win because of the amount possession we had and the intensity I saw in my guys,” Turille said. 

Glass’ Jack Dawson made six saves and split time in goal with Charlie Hageman, who finished with two saves. 

The Hilltoppers end the season with an 11-6 record. Salem advances to the region semifinals and will play Blacksburg on Tuesday.

Glass falls in region championship

Second-seeded Western Albemarle defeated top-seeded E.C. Glass on Thursday in the Region 4D championship at Glass. The Hilltoppers already had secured a spot in the upcoming Class 4 state tournament, despite the loss.

In the Region 2C doubles tournament at Virginia Tech, Appomattox’s Kaydence Gilbert and Shannon Coleman won their quarterfinal match against Floyd’s Emma Schroeder and Emma Currie, 6-3, 6-3, then fell to Radford’s Madison Graham and Lydia Pratt in the semifinals, 6-0, 6-1.

Gilbert is set to take on Glenvar’s Isabella Gustafson in the Region 2C singles semifinals at 8 a.m. Friday at Tech.