The VPCC track and field team had several top-10 finishes in the final meet of its first season of competition. Cinthya Bates and Josiah Selby led the way at the Virginia State University Invitational on April 27 with two finishes in the top 10.
Bates placed fifth in the 1500 meters (8:32.94) and eighth in the 800 meters (4:03.17.) It was her first time competing in those events, having previously run in the 5000 meters.
Selby came in ninth in the discus (36.36 meters) and 10th in the shot put (10.64).
Zach Baumgartl placed sixth in the 1500 meters (5:08.92) and made his season debut in the 800 (2:26.93).
In setting a personal record in the 1500, Darrin Hayden placed seventh. His time of 6:03.39 was more than four seconds faster than his previous best. He also competed in the 800, registering a time of 3:04.26.
Two other VPCC athletes competed in the event, with Kennedy Taylor posting a time of 13.29 in the 100 meters, and Joshua Rivera running the 100 meters (14.66) and 200 meters (31.26).
Baseball
The Gators finished the regular season with four losses last week but put up a fight in each one.
Against The Apprentice School on April 25, the Gators lost 7-6 with a run by the Builders in the bottom of the ninth inning. The Gators had taken a 4-0 lead before giving up three runs in the third and one in the fourth. The Gators scored one in the seventh and one in the eighth to offset two by the Builders in the seventh. Isaiah Bracey, Neo Klemish, Jayden Alvarez, and Caleb Gonzales each had two hits for VPCC. Gonzales also drove in three runs. Grant Adkins started on the mound for the Gators and gave up seven hits and three earned runs in six innings.
VPCC travel to North Carolina for its final series of the season, losing three games to Surry Community College, the seventh-ranked team in the nation. In Friday’s doubleheader, the Gators lost 11-8 and 5-0. Again, the Gators built a lead (5-0) in the first game, but couldn’t hang on. Klemish had three hits and two RBI, Austin Smith had three hits, two runs and an RBI, and Brandon Drewry had two hits and two runs. Alvarez, Israel Dozier, Marco Fernandez, and Adkins added two hits as the Gators collected 17. In the second game, the hosts did all their scoring in the third inning. Fernandez and Drewry each had a pair of singles. Kaden Hunley pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief and gave up three hits and no runs.
The weekend, and the regular season, came to a close with a 7-3 setback to the Knights on April 27. The Gators led 3-1 after four innings but gave up three in the fifth and three more in the sixth. Leading the offense were Alvarez, Dozier, and Fernandez with two hits each. Will Estep pitched the final two innings and gave up one hit and no runs.
Next up for VPCC is the NJCAA Region 10 Division III tournament in Martinsville. The Gators open play Thursday, May 2, against Rockingham Community College. The Gators took two out of three from the Eagles in mid-April. Also competing in the event are Paul D. Camp, the ninth-ranked team in the country, Surry, and Caldwell Community College (N.C.).
For more information on VPCC and its athletics programs, visit virginapeninsulacc.prestosports.com.