Knights run-rule Abingdon to claim Region 3D baseball title

Witt grabbed the cooler and walked as silently as he could back onto the field. He timed the moment almost perfectly as Knights coach Ricky Lonker was about to speak to the team. Witt raised the cooler above his head and dumped the ice water down Lonker’s back.

There were no words to describe the feeling Friday evening. Cave Spring was a region champion.

Witt kept the Knights ahead through his 2 1/3 innings of relief, Chase Speller launched a three-run home run in the fourth inning, and Cave Spring cruised to a 14-4 win in six innings over Abingdon in the Region 3D baseball championship game.

“I’ve been waiting to do that one for a while,” Witt said. “I was happy to do that one.”

The Knights (18-5-1) had already punched their ticket to the state tournament for the first time since 2012 with Wednesday’s regional semifinal win over Christiansburg. Friday’s victory guarantees Cave Spring a home game in the Class 3 quarterfinals Tuesday against Region 3C runner-up Fluvanna County.

“Fluvanna’s a good team,” Lonker said. “… We’re excited to be there. Now it’s one at a time, and it’s a great moment.”

Lonker said Friday’s win was even sweeter after the Knights left Abingdon last year “with a bad taste in our mouth.” The Falcons eliminated Cave Spring in the regional semifinals and prevented the Knights from securing a state tournament berth.

“They knocked us out last year and it felt good to give it back right to them,” Speller said.

Cave Spring never trailed Friday thanks to a seven-run first inning that was highlighted by RBI doubles from Sam Skaff (2 for 3), Owen Sweeney (2 for 4) and Trey Ludy (3 for 5).

“It was like, oh, we got this,” Speller said as his teammates put the home run chain around his neck. He reached base in all five of his plate appearances.

The Falcons (20-5) scored once in the second and three more times in the third to trim the deficit to 7-4, but the Knights struck in the fourth against Abingdon’s third pitcher of the game.

Speller, who’s throwing error in the third extended the frame and led to two runs being scored, atoned for the miscue with his first homer in high school.

He turned on a 1-0 offering from Landon Turman and launched the ball well over the left-field wall for a three-run homer that gave the Knights a 10-4 lead.

“It felt like it turned the tides almost,” he said. “Everyone was kind of iffy and then the whole team really got up right there.”

The Knights secured the run-rule victory with a four-run sixth inning.

Sweeney scored on an error, Ludy had an RBI double, Kent Ray drew a bases-loaded walk and Speller was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.

Abingdon’s five pitchers combined to walk or hit 14 Cave Spring batters. Four of those batters came around to score.

“We made them hurt when we had to,” Lonker said. “I feel like we were the best-hitting team they’ve seen all year.”

Witt came in for relief of starter Kyle Cook with one out in the third, and he held Abingdon to one unearned run on two hits over 2 1/3 innings.

He walked five batters but was able to leave five runners on base in his outing.

“I was definitely a little nervous going in,” Witt said. “It’s been a week or two since I’ve pitched in a game, but overall, it felt pretty good. I felt good coming out of the bullpen and I had an amazing defense behind me that helped me out there.”

The Knights chased Abingdon starter Beckett Dotson after seven batters. Dotson allowed six runs on three hits, walked three and recorded only one out.

Abingdon had won the last two Region 3D titles and raised the championship trophy in three of the previous four title games. The lone blemish in the stretch came in 2019 when Lord Botetourt crushed the Falcons in Daleville.

“Abingdon is a great program,” Lonker said. “They’ve been the kings of the hill and we had to work to get past them.”