The Virginia Peninsula Community College baseball team celebrated sophomore day Saturday, April 6, with an 11-0 victory over New River Community College in the first game of a doubleheader at War Memorial Stadium in Hampton.
Austin Smith had two hits and drove in three runs for the Gators. Isaiah Bracey and Logan Deese each had two hits and two RBI. Caleb Gonzales scored three times.
On the mound, Grant Adkins shut down the visitors from western Virginia. He scattered seven hits and struck out two in five innings. The game was shortened to five innings because of the mercy rule.
The Gators were unable to carry that momentum into the nightcap, falling 7-5 to the Muskies. VPCC gave up two runs in the first and four in the fifth before rallying with five runs in the final three innings but came up short. Brandon Drewry was the only Gator with two hits. Brendan Walker, Wilson Estep, and Garett Hedgepeth each pitched an inning and limited New River to one run.
The following day, the Gators dropped a doubleheader at Frederick Community College (Md.) 10-0 and 12-8. In the first game, the Gators were held to two hits, a double by Jayden Alvarez and a single by Israel Dozier. In the second game, the Gators used a six-run third to tie the game, with the big hit being a three-run homer by Marco Fernandez. But the hosts answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning and four more in the fourth to take control.
Bracey had three hits. Alvarez and Tyler Stobbs had two hits apiece, and Stobbs drove in three runs.
This week, the Gators play at Virginia State University on Wednesday, April 10, and have a three-game series at Rockingham Community College (N.C.) with two games Saturday, April 20, and a single game April 21.
Track and field
The team’s second meet of the season was held April 5-6 at Norfolk State, and members showed improvement from their first meet.
Joshua Rivera improved his times in the 100- and 200-meter events from the opening event. At Norfolk State University, Rivera’s times were 14.44 in the 100, and 31.02 in the 200.
Kennedy Taylor also topped his previous time in the 200 meters, posting 28.48 on the weekend. Taylor competed in the 100, with a time of 13.19.
Zach Baumgartl also competed for the Gators at NSU, placing 15th in the 1500 with a time of 5.06.64, just a few seconds off his opening-meet time. In the discus, Josiah Selby placed 15th with a throw of 34.68 meters (113-09 feet). In the shot put, he came in 16th with a throw of 10.19 meters (33-05.25 feet).
The Gators’ next meet is at Christopher Newport University on April 19-20, and they finish their first season of competition at Virginia State University on April 27.
For more information on VPCC and its athletics programs, visit www.vpcc.edu.