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[Sonny Dearth]

Warwick ends a long Peninsula District baseball tournament drought, beating Menchville.

By MELINDA WALDROP
mwaldrop@dailypress.com | 247-4634

HAMPTON —

Try as he might, Todd Barker couldn’t come up with the last time Warwick won a Peninsula District tournament game.
After Saturday, he won’t have to tax his memory as much.
Zach Barnes hit a two-run triple in the top of the sixth inning and Adam Pratt pitched a five-hit complete game as the Raiders beat defending tournament champion Menchville 3-2 in the first round at War Memorial Stadium to set up a Monday meeting with No. 1 seed Denbigh.
After Pratt, a 6-foot-6 senior right-hander, struck out Kenny Williams for the final out, Barker struggled to remember the last time Warwick celebrated a postseason win. He could only recall six years ago, his first year coaching the junior varsity. The Raiders made the district tournament that year, he said, but promptly exited it with a first-round loss.
"It hasn’t been exactly the winningest program," Barker said. "We’re trying to turn that around."
The fourth-seeded Monarchs (14-6), one season removed from a state Group AAA semifinal appearance, took a 1-0 lead on designated hitter Bryant Liberta’s two-out double in the bottom of the first inning Saturday, and that one-run advantage held until the top of the sixth. Warwick third baseman Clint Crusberg led off with a single as part of his 2-for-4 day, then Pratt reached on an error.
Runners were still at first and second with two outs when Barnes drove a 1-1 pitch into the gap in right-center. The bases cleared, and Barnes slid safely into third. He scored a batter later on Deon Wood’s double to the center-field wall to put the fifth-seeded Raiders (12-7) up 3-1.
"Warwick did a very good job of putting their hits together, and we didn’t do that," Menchville coach Phil Forbes said. "The score shows it, and the stats show it."
Pratt then retired Menchville in order in the bottom of the sixth before allowing Matt Armstead’s one-out, solo home run to left-center in the Monarchs’ last at-bat. But he struck out the next two batters to send Warwick into the semifinals.
"What was going through my head was just keep Menchville contained to one run," Pratt (5-3) said. "If we kept them contained to one run, it would keep these guys pumped up in the dugout, thinking that we could get something started, and we did."


WARWICK 3, MENCHVILLE 2
Warwick 000 003 0 — 3 6 1
Menchville 100 000 1 — 2 5 2
WP — Pratt. LP — Sizemore. Standouts — Warwick, Cl. Crusberg 2-4 (double), Barnes 1-2 (3 RBI, triple); Menchville, Shoemaker 1-2 (double), Liberta 1-3 (RBI, double). Records — Warwick 12-7, Menchville 14-6.

[WHATS-UP???]

Nothing to be ashamed of guys. You had a great year with a young team. Look forward to next year and expect PD to be very interesting. Be the true sports you are and cheer on the PD to take it to the end.