BASEBALL: Gladiators bite Bulldogs

HARRISONBURG - Riverheads’ junior pitcher Cody Montgomery made sure that his senior teammates live to play another day. Montgomery pitched a three-hitter and went 5-5 at the plate as the Gladiators advanced to the championship game of the Shenandoah District baseball tournament.

The Red Pride’s (14-5) 9-1 victory over Luray set Riverheads up against regular-season champion Buffalo Gap for Thursday’s championship game beginning at 6 pm.

Montgomery struck out 13 Luray hitters and was dominant on the mound.

“ My curveball was my best pitch tonight,” Montgomery said.

The Riverheads junior got the Gladiators started in the right direction by slamming a lead-off home run in the first inning. The Bulldogs scratched out the tying run on an infield single by Johnny Van Wyck. The Luray center fielder then stole both second and third bases and scored on a wild pitch.

The Bulldogs had two more singles in the second inning, but failed to get another hit off Montgomery the rest of the game.

Riverheads scored four more times in the top of the fourth on a walk by Kyle Armstrong, Montgomery’s double, a base hit by Miles Wade, and a double by Brian Wright.

In the fifth, Riverheads broke the game open on a bases loaded triple by Lance Diehl.

For the game Riverheads pounded out 11 hits.

“We’ve become so close as a team,” said Riverheads coach Rodney Painter. “The guys are beginning to realize how important it is to stay as a team.”

With the win, Riverheads also punched itself a ticket to next weeks first round Region B game most likely to be played at perennial power Strasburg.

“Winning the district was one of our goals,” Painter said. “We’re excited to be going to Regionals, but we still have a big game to play against Gap.”