PREP BASEBALL: Chatham ends Riverheads’ run

CHATHAM — Their ultimate goal isn’t yet accomplished, but the Chatham Cavaliers already feel a sense of relief. Playing in its third consecutive Region B semifinal, Chatham finally got over the hump with a 14-2 victory over Riverheads on Thursday night to lock up a berth into next week’s Group A tournament.

“To get past this game is a big relief,” Chatham senior Drew Kirks said. “It knocks off a big burden on our shoulders. I think we can’t take it easy, but it’s a big relief.”

This is Chatham’s first trip to the state tournament since playing in the title game in 2005. The Cavaliers current senior class didn’t qualify for the postseason in 2006 as freshman and they lost in the semifinals to Strasburg in 2007 and fell to Luray last season.

“My boys deserve it,” Chatham coach Chad Anderson said. “They’ve been really close before and we’ve had leads the last two years in this semifinal game and didn’t get it done in the end. We finally got it done.”

Chatham (21-2) took a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to Kirks’ two-run homer, but Riverheads (15-7) hung tight for several innings. The Gladiators only trailed 4-2 through four and a half innings.

“Everyone who was here last year knew that this could come back to bite us,” Kirks said of the Cavaliers’ narrow lead.

Chatham finally got the cushion it was seeking in the bottom of the fifth inning. The Cavaliers led off with three consecutive singles to load the bases for Kirks, who took an inside pitch off his helmet. That run opened the gates for the Cavaliers’ potent offense. Matt Bray followed with a two-run double as Chatham extended its lead to 9-2 by the end of its at-bat.

“We knew going in that they were a very good offensive team, and it showed during the course of the game,” Riverheads coach Rodney Painter said.

The Cavaliers tacked on five more runs in the sixth to put the game out of reach for the Gladiators, who were limited to just five hits by Chatham right-hander Matt Bray.

Kirks finished 2-for-3 with a home run, a triple and six RBIs as Chatham pounded out 14 hits.

Now the Cavaliers play the waiting game to find out whom they’ll play in the Region B championship. Gretna was scheduled to play at Madison County on Thursday night, but rain postponed that semifinal game until Friday at 7 p.m. The winner of the Gretna-Madison County game will host Chatham in the title game, which will likely be played on Saturday. However, if the Gretna-Madison County matchup cannot be played on Friday, the two teams will play on Saturday at 4 p.m., and Chatham will play the winner at Madison County at 7 p.m.

“We’re really anxious,” Kirks said. “We’ll be watching that game close.”

Although the extra day of rest would allow Anderson to pitch Kirks, his No. 2 pitcher, in the region title game, Anderson said he was leaning toward saving his top two pitchers for next week’s state tournament because the Cavaliers have secured a spot by advancing to the region championship game. Both regional semifinalists automatically earn a berth into the state tournament, but the region champion earns a higher seed. The Group A quarterfinals are scheduled to begin on Tuesday.

That will sort itself out, but for now the Cavaliers are simply enjoying their breakthrough win.

“All we wanted was a shot, and we’re getting our shot right now,” Kirks said.