Dukes Blanked By ACHS At Home
Published 3:37 pm Thursday, April 18, 2013
CUMBERLAND – The Cumberland High School baseball team was held scoreless and kept off-balance by Amelia County High School in a 7-0 loss to the Raiders on Tuesday afternoon at the Cumberland High School baseball field.
The Dukes managed just one hit off of ACHS, but managed to hang around until late in the game, before giving up four runs in the top of the seventh.
“Focus is our biggest problem, right now,” said CHS head coach Duane Partusch. “We have to get more serious, and put together a complete game. We start out well, and did so today for about four or five innings, but those last two or three innings are what get us. We can't seem to get over that hump.”
Cumberland (1-8, 1-5 JRD) junior Dylan Samuels took the loss, but didn't look bad over the first six innings. The junior righty held a pretty potent Amelia lineup to three runs through six, before he tired in the seventh.
“We were in the game for a while, even though we weren't hitting the ball that well. As the game went on, Amelia seemed to get stronger, while we weren't able to keep up the pace. When we got a little past midway through the game, our guys started to force things at the plate, and instead of hitting the ball harder, taking what their pitcher was giving us, or working the count, we got impatient and started to pop the ball up.
“You want your guys to be aggressive at the plate, and there's a fine line you have to meet, but you cannot be overly aggressive to the point that you make it easy on your opponent."
Amelia scored two runs in the first inning, and added a third on a home run by Josh Tasker in the top of the fifth.
Cumberland's best chance at getting on the board came in the home half of the third, that ended in a 9-5 double play throwout at third base.
Amelia added four insurance runs, including a two-run shot by Dillon Weaver in the top of the seventh. The Dukes got a leadoff single by Tyler Shores in the top of the seventh, but the Amelia defense, which committed just one error on the afternoon, ended the game on a 6-4-3 double play.
Leading the way for the Dukes at the plate was senior Dakota Timberlake, who was 1-2 on the afternoon. Samuels pitched one out into the seventh, giving up six runs on seven hits, while walking two and stricking out five.
“That's not a bad line,” said Partusch of Samuels' performance. “Considering that he had only given up three, going into the seventh. We had an error to begin that inning, and at that point in the game, you just can't give your opponent outs.”
Cumberland was scheduled to host Nottoway on Thursday, before hosting Randolph-Henry on Tuesday at 5 p.m.