Terriers hope to get on a roll with five baseball games in nine days

The Terriers were rained out of two games, a Saturday matinee at Hidden Valley and Tuesday’s home game with Rockbridge. The Hidden Valley game will be made up on Saturday afternoon, May 13, while the Rockbridge game will be played Monday, May 1.

Byrd was scheduled to host William Fleming on Wednesday, and Derrick Chocklett was expected to make his first start of the season in that one. Derrick is returning from an injury and pitched a couple innings in last Friday’s game with Hidden Valley at Byrd.

The Terriers will be home Friday for a jayvee-varsity doubleheader with Franklin County. The jayvees will start at 5 pm with the varsity to follow, and Bryce Boothe is scheduled to start that one.

Monday is the makeup game with Rockbridge, and Gehrig Spradlin will get the ball. Coach Neil Zimmerman hopes Chocklett can come back Tuesday for a jayvee-varsity doubleheader at Staunton River, and after a day off Wednesday the Terriers have a makeup game at Lord Botetourt on Thursday, May 4. Most likely Boothe will start that one.

“We’re ready to get back on the field and play,” said Zimmerman. “I hate these rainouts.”

Byrd was able to get in Friday’s game with Hidden Valley before the weekend rain began, but it wasn’t a good result as the Terriers lost 8-2. Hidden Valley hit two home runs in the top of the first and never trailed. Hidden Valley’s Evan Sperger hit one of those homers and then shut down the Terriers on the mound to pick up the win.

The Terriers had just five hits, two by Hunter Meador, two by Boothe and one by Grant Watson. However, they were still in the game down 5-1 with three at bats remaining, but the Terriers couldn’t get the clutch hits all night. When Hidden Valley scored two unearned runs in the top of the sixth the writing was on the wall.

Brendan Draughn got his first start of the season and went three innings. He gave up just one hit after the two first inning homers. Chocklett pitched two innings and Adam North and Josh Hilliard pitched one each.

The loss dropped Byrd to 4-6 on the season.