No one expected the game to end in the fashion it did.  Everyone in attendance at Hanover High school, including the two opposing coaches, thought the Capital District Championship between the Hanover Hawks and the Lee-Davis Confederates was going into the 10th inning.  However, a seemingly routine double play for Lee-Davis turned into a game-winning run and a 3-2 Capital District Championship for the Hanover Hawks. 

  “I didn’t see that ending coming,” said Lee-Davis head coach Kenny Lewis. “Good teams find a way to win.  The rest of us have to scrap a little harder.  We played one of the best teams in the state of Virginia down to the wire.  It would have been nice to sneak up and get a win here.”

  In the bottom of the ninth, the Confederates had carded one out with Hawks’ Jacob Mayers on first and Jeb Weymouth on third base.  Hanover first baseman Austin Erb hit a shot to L-D second baseman Michael Kluver.  Kluver got the force on Mayers and appeared to throw out Erb at first for a double play. 
However, the throw to first was dropped, Erb was safe and Weymouth cruised in to score the game winning run.

  “I thought it was a double play and I thought we were going to play another inning,” said Hanover head coach Charlie Dragum. “When he missed that ball and we scored I was so relieved because I did not want to play another one.  It was a battle.  Both teams played physically well.

  “Austin is one of our best hitters but he sure ain’t one our fastest,” Dragum jokingly said about Erb’s second RBI of the game.

  Erb echoed his coach’s critique on his speed.

  “When I saw him drop it I went running to right field,” said Erb. “It was like the farthest I have run in my life.  I was exhausted.  It is a great feeling to get that win.  It is not exactly how I wanted to do it but I’ll certainly take it.”

  According to Dragum, pitching and defense were the keys to both teams’ success.  He felt his team had good at-bats opportunities however Lee-Davis thwarted their efforts several times during the game.

  “We were hitting balls right at them and they were just making plays,” Dragum said. “Lee-Davis pitchers had a lot to do with that.  They threw real well and our pitchers did a fantastic job; Tyler Kane, Justin Thorn, and Jake Mayers.”

  Though he started Hanover’s semi-final game against Henrico, Capital District Player of the Year Mayers came in as a reliever against Lee-Davis. “Having Jake with the ball at the end was great too,” Dragum said.

  With both Lee-Davis and Hanover advancing to regional play, each coach feels they can take something from the game to elevate their play in the next level of tournament action.

  “We were picked to be one of the better teams,” Dragum said. “We are at ground zero now as far as wins and losses.  The regional tournament is where it is at as far as this team is concerned.  The goal now is to win this regional championship.”

Lee-Davis…............010 100 000 — 2 5 2
Hanover…..............001 001 001 — 3 8 1
Boze, Hacker (7) and Connerley; Kane, Thorn (4), Mayers (6) and Weymouth. W: Mayers. L: Hacker
Records: Lee-Davis 15-5; Hanover 19-1