Granby, Nansemond River see seasons come to an end in Class 5 baseball semifinals
Nansemond River and Granby had hoped to reach the Class 5 state baseball finals. but both came up short Friday at Riverside High.
Nansemond River lost to Glen Allen 3-2 in eight innings, and Granby lost to Douglas Freeman 4-3.
Both the Warriors and Comets had their chances.
Nansemond River (18-7) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on Ayden Stuffel’s solo homer to right.
The Warriors added to their lead in the fourth inning on Chase Magrisi’s RBI single to right.
But Glen Allen, from outside Richmond, tied the game in the fifth inning on Mitchell Bayles’ two-run homer to left-center. The homer sent the game into extra innings.
Jaguars designated hitter Jaden Kinsler ended the game in the eighth inning with a walk-off homer to right.
“Off the bat, I knew it was gone,” he said. “It was a 2-1 count, so I tried to put everything I had into it.”
Nansemond River was trying to send coach Mark Stuffel out with a title. He announced before the season that this would be his last season.
But he had nothing but praise for his team.
“For these guys to bring me back to states was phenomenal,” said Stuffel, who led the Warriors to a state title in 2016. “I’m glad they got to experience this. It was awesome.”
He said it was a tough loss, but was impressed with the way his team battled.
“I was extremely proud of the way our guys played today,” he said. “They played really well. It was just a good ballgame. They had a two-run bomb to tie it up, and the other kid ended it. It was just good baseball.”
Granby, which was making its first appearance in the state tournament since 2007, was trying to get to the program’s first state championship game.
The Comets trailed early when Douglas Freeman, from Richmond, scored two runs off no hits in the first inning. It included a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded.
The Mavericks added to their lead in the sixth with two more runs, but the Comets (20-5) didn’t give up. They scored one run in the sixth on Jaxon Gonzalez’ RBI single.
In the seventh, they added two more and had a chance to win it when Jordan Hill’s sacrifice fly ended up at the warning track.
“I thought it was gone,” said Comets coach Blake Dooley. “Another foot and it’s a walk-off and we’re going to the state finals.”
Dooley, who is in his first year with Comets, was pleased with his team’s effort to not give up even after it trailed 4-0 late.
“A lot of teams would have given up,” he said. “But they never gave up and it came down to the last out. They never quit.”
