WAYNESBORO – It’s always good to win your last game – no matter where it is played.
But there’s nothing like winning your last game of the season on your home field. Indeed, it’s not just another game: it’s the game that you think about all throughout the offseason.
“That’s what I’ve been telling them,” said Waynesboro coach Travis Hardman. “And another thing, we finished five hundred. We finished 10-10.”
Waynesboro’s 7-6 non-league victory over Spring Grove on a very warm Friday afternoon at Robinson Field was another heartstopper. Hardman referred to the team as the Cardiac Kids.
It was especially helpful to the team’s morale, which is saying ‘farewell’ to just three seniors (Dylan Morgan, Aiden Campbell and Devin Wynkoop), coming off a displeasing 6-1 loss at James Buchanan on Thursday, a team the Indians defeated 8-1 at home earlier in the season.
But it was a microcosm of the season. Waynesboro experienced a rollercoaster of wins and losses all season, culminating in another dramatic win.
The Indians nearly put the game of reach early as they scored five runs in the bottom of the second inning to overcome a 1-0 deficit. They batted around and Hotchkiss helped his cause when he delivered a bases-loaded, bases-clearing double that scored Nate Nystrom, Mason Gochenour and Aiden Campbell.
Hotchkiss scored on a base hit by Tyler Caron. Earlier in the inning, Kellan Smith led off with a double, stole third and later scored on a bases-loaded walk issued to Campbell.
The Rockets inched closer after scoring a run in the top of the sixth. Then, freshman John Kahl came on in relief of Dodson and pitched the Indians out of trouble by retiring all six batters he faced. He induced two ground outs and struck out the final batter in the sixth, then got the Rockets to keep the ball on the ground for three straight outs to end the game.
“John came to the morning sessions in preseason getting the arms in shape, and he threw bullpens throughout the year. But his only performance was a little snapshot at Greencastle,” Hardman said. “This is only his second time on the mound. It was a very clutch performance; I was very proud of him.
“Like I said, he’s only a freshman. He has a bright future ahead of him. He hit well for us; he played the outfield. But that was awesome what he did, that was clutch. I threw him in the fire against Greencastle, the bases were loaded He did well. That last inning, he had a big pick on first base on a leadoff hitter. We’ve had so many one-run games this year. I was glad to have this one for the seniors.
“I really think this season made us stronger as a team. We’ve been battle tested. We lost a couple close ones, but it evened out. Today was the icing on the cake. We weren’t perfect today. We made some errors; we gave them some runs. We could have had more there; their leftfielder made a spectacular play that saved two runs. We battled and stayed in it.”
