Grafton’s improbable baseball postseason run ends with loss to Monacan in Class 4 quarterfinals
The most improbable state tournament run of many during the 25-year history of Grafton High baseball came up just short of the state semifinals. The Clippers fell 5-3 after Monacan’s five-hit, two-run rally in the top of the seventh inning of their Class 4 quarterfinal Tuesday at Grafton.
The Chiefs (13-12) will play James Wood of Winchester on Friday in Fredericksburg in the semifinals. An edge in firepower when the game transitioned from a pitchers’ duel after four innings was the difference for the visitors from Chesterfield County.
Chiefs starter Cole Macomson, a senior who has committed to the University of Lynchburg, and Grafton junior Carter Hayes controlled the strike zone the first four innings. Macomson did not allow a hit during that span, and Hayes surrendered only a bloop single.
“Macomson threw great today,” Grafton coach Robbie Hiser said of the Chiefs’ ace, who threw a complete-game five-hitter. “He was up early in the count and he had a change-up and curveball that kind of kept us off-balance.
“He threw a lot of strikes.”
Monacan led 1-0 in the second inning after Hayes hit Arthur Garnett, who scored from first base on an outfield error by Grafton. The action heated up in the top of the fifth as Monacan’s Jalen Greenidge led off with a double and scored on single by Jake Williams, who stole second and scored on Jaden Greenidge’s single to make it 3-0.
But Grafton, which rebounded from a dismal ending to the regular season to win the Region A title from the No. 8 seed with four consecutive victories, again bounced back. Gavin Talbert, eighth in the batting order, began the rally with two outs in the bottom of the fifth by walking before No. 9 hitter Charlie Daszkowski reached on an infield single for the Clippers’ first hit of the game.
Colton Sandiford’s slow roller prompted an errant throw from the Chiefs’ third baseman, scoring Talbert and Daszkowski. Frank Engel followed with an infield single before Hayes singled up the middle to score Sandiford to tie the game at 3 after five innings.
“We’ve been in those situations all year, where we’ve been down early or late in games and had to scratch back,” Hiser said. “That’s been our team all year, we’re going to scratch, but I think our inexperience came back to haunt us in the seventh inning.”
Monacan got to Grafton reliever Noah Secrist, who was terrific throughout the postseason, for four hits and two runs to take a 5-3 lead. The Clippers put two runners on in the bottom of the seventh, but Macomson nixed the threat by getting a strikeout and flyout to end the game.
Nonetheless, with six starters, including the top four pitchers, returning, and a large group from the successful junior varsity moving up, Grafton has a realistic shot of another state tournament run next year.
“The standard for Grafton baseball is to win, so I’m excited for these guys,” Hiser said. “We’re going to go get ‘em next year.”
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