Hidden Valley used a five-run rally with two outs in the top half of the third inning Saturday afternoon in Vinton, as the Titans held on to defeat William Byrd 7-4 in a non-district baseball matchup at Gary Walthall Field.
Byrd had taken a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on three consecutive two-out singles. After a walk loaded the bases, Hidden Valley starter Bradford Durham avoided further damage when he got a strikeout to end the inning.
Hidden Valley started its decisive rally in its next at-bat. Jack Moore and Bluefield College signee Nic Ratliff each connected on RBI singles with two outs, and Chad Frazier followed with a slicing 2-run triple down the right field line. Frazier scored the eventual game-winner moments later when Joseph Bolinger beat out a slow roller, giving Hidden Valley the 5-1 lead.
The Titans added a run in the sixth to go up 6-1, before Byrd made its best run at a comeback in the bottom half. Helped in part by four walks, a bad-hop single and a throwing error, the Terriers closed to within 6-4.
Hidden Valley went to reliever Taylor Martin in the Titan bullpen, and Martin got the third out via a strikeout with the bases loaded.
Hidden Valley added an insurance run in the seventh after Titan manager Jason Taylor called for a suicide squeeze bunt, increasing the Hidden Valley lead to three.
Martin put down the Terriers in the bottom of the seventh to pick up the save and secure the win for Durham, who struck out 8 in five innings.
Sam Harron led the Terriers with two hits and a pair of RBIs.
The game was a matchup between the top two teams in the Wild Bill ‘Big-11’ high school baseball poll, with #1 Hidden Valley improving to 11-3 and #2 William Byrd falling to 10-4.
by Bill Turner