Cox, Menchville reach Region baseball final

NORFOLK

Mistakes? What mistakes?

A handful of miscues – a costly wild pitch and infield error, two inning-ending double plays and a failed attempt to steal home – nearly cost Cox a berth in the Group AAA state tournament.

But those were long forgotten while Kyle Profilet was mobbed by his teammates after a timely seventh-inning swing. Profilet laced a no-out, bases-loaded RBI single to lift the Falcons to a 3-2 victory over Western Branch in an Eastern Region tournament semifinal Wednesday night at Old Dominion.

In the other semifinal, Menchville withstood costly errors of its own and got a complete game from Austin Chrismon to outlast Indian River 5-3.

Cox and Menchville earned spots in next week’s state tournament and meet at 6 tonight at ODU in the Eastern Region title game.

The Falcons, the Beach District regular-season champions, reached their first state tournament in more than a decade by persevering: An error and wild pitch led to Matthew Batten’s two-run double and a 2-1 Western Branch lead in the fourth; Cox scoring threats were quashed by double plays in the fourth and sixth; and Falcons runners were caught trying to steal third base and home in separate innings.

“We hang in there until the last out,” Profilet said. “We might make some mistakes, we might make some errors, but we’re out there to win.”

Cox’s Ryan Mattes (9-2) tossed a complete game, scattering three hits while striking out four and walking one. Mattes retired eight of the final nine batters, including the final six.

But the Falcons entered the bottom of the seventh in a 2-2 tie.

Mattes led off the seventh against reliever Batten with a single, and an error and walk brought up Profilet with the bases loaded. He poked a 2-1 pitch to rightfield to end it.

“All I was thinking to myself was don’t hit into a double play,” Profilet said. “I would’ve been confident with anybody on this team up there. It just happened to be me.”

Cox’s Zac Bach provided the Falcons’ early runs with an RBI single and run-scoring sacrifice fly.

Meanwhile, Menchville (22-1) kept the Peninsula District’s hopes alive for a fourth consecutive region crown.

Chrismon, a junior righthander who has committed to East Carolina, settled in after allowing three runs and three hits in the third inning. The Monarchs committed two errors in the frame.

Chrismon, though, retired 11 of 14 batters after that. He struck out 10, walked three and allowed five hits.

“I thrive on that kind of thing with both stands going crazy,” Chrismon said. “That’s me doing me.”

The Braves (19-4), bidding for a second straight trip to the state tournament, were undone in the second and third innings. In the second, Indian River pitcher Matt Dickason uncorked a wild pitch on a third strike with two outs, leading to Jake Weinreich’s two-run double. In the third, the Braves committed an infield error, and Dickason walked Jharel Cotton with the bases loaded. Logan Senelis-Jose added an RBI groundout.

“Sometimes that’s the way it goes and you just have to bounce back from it,” Dickason said. “We couldn’t fight back.”

Eastern Region semifinals

Cox 3, Western Branch 2

Western Branch..............................000 200 0— 2 3 1

Cox....................................................100 010 1—3 9 2

W—Mattes (9-2). L—Batten.

Menchville, 5, Indian River 3

Indian River.......................................003 000 0—3 5 1

Menchville........................................022 001 X—5 6 2

W—Chrismon (7-0). L—Dickason (3-1)

Group A Region A semifinals

Northumberland 14, Northampton 6

Northumberland...........................640 220 0—14 10 1

Northampton.................................130 110 0—6 6 4

W—Cockrell. L—Reid (4-3). HR—NU, Swan NH, Ian Brady (7).

Ian Brady was 2 for 4 with four RBIs for Northampton, which finishes its season at 13-8.