STUARTS DRAFT- The Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks survived a late rally from the Bridgewater and held on to win 6-5 in the first game of the opening round of the Rockingham County Baseball League playoffs.

STUARTS DRAFT — The Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks pounded seven first inning runs and Ryan Cooper had a strong outing on the mound as the Diamondbacks defeated the visiting Montezuma Braves 10-5 on Saturday night in Draft in a rain-shortened, seven-inning game.

After leading the Shenandoah Marlins Aquatic Club to a complete turnaround, coach Ryan Sprang will be leaving the team after next weekend’s Virginia Swimming Age Group Championships in Newport News.

The Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks are two games away from forcing a one-game playoff for the regular season RCBL title after defeating New Market 7-0 on Tuesday night.

The Cal Ripken Sr. League was not given a bit of a chance to win the Mid-Atlantic Classic by anyone but themselves and thanks to a defensive sixth inning, they held on for a 2-1 win Wednesday night at Regency Furniture Stadium.

As Pyrenees loom, the question is: Can Armstrong still climb?

Over a field of several hundred cars and a parking lot nearly filled with motorcycles and vendors selling everything from ice-cream cones to airbrushed T-shirts, and at the bottom of a hill set away from the rest of society there was a big-top tent similar to a circus only without the stripes or the elephants.

In the last three years, mixed martial arts has gripped the country and the Valley.   

STUARTS DRAFT – For the six-and-a-half innings played, Stuarts Draft controlled all aspects of the game, taking a 15-0 slaughter-rule win over Elkton on Thursday, due in part to Josh Ellwood’s two home runs.

STUARTS DRAFT – on a night of community fun, the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks hosted the Rockingham County Baseball League All-Star game Saturday in a battle of East versus West.

In Stuarts Draft, Waynesboro graduate Drew Dobbins struck out three and threw six-hit ball over seven innings, and fellow former Little Giant Jay Thompson gave him all the runs he would need with a two-out, two-run double as the Diamondbacks beat Broadway, 4-1, on Sunday to pick up their 10th win of the Rockingham County Baseball League season.

Day two of the Commonwealth Games ended with as much excitement and energy as the first. The sun shone just as bright, the water was just as cool and the swimmers swam just as hard.

The first day of the three-day Commonwealth Games went off without a hitch Friday as hundreds of swimmers from around the state came out to War Memorial Pool at Ridgeview Park in Waynesboro.

STUARTS DRAFT – The Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks held on to their place at the top of the Rockingham County Baseball League by beating the Shenandoah Indians by a score of 4-2.

Josh Robertson and Chris Mayo may have to rent storage spaces to hold all their medals at the rate the two local Olympiads are going.

In Broadway, the Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks held on to their lead in the Rockingham County Baseball League standings on Tuesday, defeating Broadway 2-0.

RCBL STANDINGS

Even though they are separated by less than 15 miles of pavement, the Rockingham County Baseball League’s Stuarts Draft Diamondbacks and the Valley League’s Waynesboro Generals have never made the trip down U.S. 340 to play each other. Earlier this week, the two clubs announced that was about to change.

DETROIT — The Detroit Pistons made plenty of enemies while winning titles and throwing blows two decades ago. Chuck Daly, though, was universally admired for his class and coaching acumen.

In Winchester, the Augusta Flames 14-and-under softball team won the Pony Winchester Apple Blossom Tournament on Saturday afternoon, rallying to defeat the Bayside Blues.

STAUNTON — A total of 50 finishers braved the rain and cool temperatures on Saturday morning for the March Madness 5K in Gypsy Hill Park.  The event was the first in the Blue Ridge Road Runner’s series of spring and summer races for local runners as well as seriously trained competitors in the Augusta area.

Waynesboro’s Juan Carlos Robles won by unanimous decision over Francois Ambang, of Richmond, on Saturday.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Soccer dads and hockey moms beware: Lose your cool at your kids’ games and you might have to pay.

STAUNTON – Drenched in sweat, Juan Carlos Robles raised his hand yet again in front of a home town crowd.

STAUNTON — Get ready for a showdown as Waynesboro boxer Juan Carlos Robles returns to the ring in front of a hometown crowd to face Ed Gutierrez in the Staunton Pro-Am Boxing Classic on Saturday at the Staunton Armory. Robles enters with a 10-2 record including, five knockouts. His rival, Gutierrez, touts a 15-6 record with six of his wins coming by knockout. Gutierrez lost his last bout against third-ranked boxer Matt Godfrey.

With the smile on 13-year-old Tyler Eggleston’s face, nobody has to say Thursday’s announcement by the Region 816 of the American Youth Soccer Organization was for the kids.

The Shenandoah Marlins Aquatic Club competed in the Icebreaker Swim Meet in Manassas that was hosted by the Valley Swim Team in Phoenix in late December. 

Elizabeth Eustler gave up playing with dolls years ago. She’s replaced her pre-school pastimes with fast moving activity and technique. Eustler has a passion for the martial arts.

Mama Jean Wade Ramey is a gutsy, outspoken football fan dedicated to only one team: the Washington Redskins.

Nothing fancy. No cigars or silk suits were seen at Wayne Lanes during the second day of the ninth annual Decker Appraisal Pro-Am Tournament on Saturday in Waynesboro as stars from the Professional Bowlers Association mixed and mingled with average joes.