Dotson pitches, hits Abingdon Falcons to state berth

ABINGDON, Va. – After the first 21 players failed in their collective attempts to garner a hit out of the infield, it was fitting that one of the pitchers responsible for the stymieing showed everyone how it was done during third-inning action Tuesday.

Abingdon starting southpaw Beckett Dotson – who held visiting Tunstall without a hit during his 16-out masterpiece at Falcon Park – smacked a crucial two-out, three-run double that put the hosts ahead for good en route to a gritty 4-2 victory during Region 3D semifinal action.

“He’s gotten better as the year has gone along,” admitted Abingdon coach Mark Francisco, whose sly sophomore hurler recorded eight strikeouts during a crisp 70-pitch outing. “He’s been outstanding for us. He works really hard and enjoys competing. He likes being on the stage, plus he’s been really big for us at the plate, too. He’s had an outstanding season.”

With Tuesday’s win, the season continues for the Falcons (20-4) – who will face the winner of Wednesday’s Cave Spring/Christiansburg semifinal tussle for the regional crown Friday.

But in the early going, the bigger question wasn’t about runs. It was about the hit scarcity, as both Dotson and Tunstall starter Raymond Ladd were models of efficiency and pitch movement. While Dotson allowed just three Trojans to reach base over five frames, Ladd – a Radford University commit – used a mix of a trailing fastball and a tight slider to fan eight Falcons through five.

“[Ladd] pitched his heart out right there,” noted Tunstall coach Barry Shelton, whose squad won the Piedmont District regular season championship two weeks ago. “He was kind of coming back on short rest. We knew in order for us to have a chance to beat them here that he would need to take the ball. He did his arm care stuff and he took the ball – and he gave us a chance to win. That’s all you can ask out of him.”

However, the third frame proved to be pivotal for Abingdon, which loaded the bases on a fielder’s choice from Landon Turman, a walk from Elijah Parks, and an infield single from Jett Humphreys. And with two outs, Dotson (2-for-3) didn’t waste much time in the batter’s box – lacing the first offering from Ladd into the left-center field gap.

Tunstall center fielder Carter Richardson, however, covered an extreme amount of ground from right-center field and dove for the sinking liner, getting his glove slightly under it – only to have the ball bounce away.

“Richardson can cover some ground in center field,” Francisco said. “He almost made a beautiful play. I thought it was easily down for sure. It was a great effort.”

Daniel Fellhauer then walked in the fourth, moved to second on a groundout, and stole third before racing home on a passed ball for a 4-0 Falcon edge. That was more than enough for Dotson, who mixed in pitches that nibbled both corners, along with a sweeping curve and even a well-placed change up.

“I just went out there and tried to have fun,” noted Dotson, who never allowed one ball to leave the infield. “That’s about it. I think I was having fun for the most part.”

The Trojans (15-7) made a game of it in the sixth, as Peyton Henderson walked to start the frame before Eben Owen’s sacrifice bunt moved him 90 feet. Richardson then struck out, but the third strike went to the backstop – allowing Richardson to reach and Henderson to scamper towards third.

A wild pitch from Humphreys eventually plated Henderson, while Tyler Spencer one-hopped a subsequent double off the right-center field wall to cut the deficit down to 4-2 – ending the combined no-hitter push from Dotson and Humphreys.

Humphreys, though, settled down and retired the final four Trojan hitters in order – including Patrick Snow’s lineout to Falcon second baseman Jack Ferguson that clinched things.

“I expected that I was going to pitch sometime in the game,” said Humphreys. “It feels pretty good to be in that situation with a lead right there.”

Not bad for two sophomores combining on a one-hitter in a do-or-die regional semifinal contest.

“Those two guys have really stepped up for us, and they pitched really well today,” summed Francisco. “They sure didn’t pitch like sophomores today.”