Hampton, VA – The first two days of the Hampton Roads Cup did not go the way the Apprentice Baseball team had envisioned. After two tough losses, the Builders were back in action Thursday for the 3rd and final day of the Cup round robin. They would play a doubleheader, first facing Paul D. Camp in a re-match from Day 1 and then they would finish the day against Thomas Nelson. Apprentice was hoping to put some offensive numbers on the board and come away with the sweep.
Anekeen Rodriguez got the ball for the Builders in Game 1 and was able to hold the Hurricanes scoreless through the first two innings. However, Camp would put 3 runs up in the 3rd inning to take the early lead. Apprentice was able to get one back and at the end of three, they trailed by a score of 3-1. The next two innings saw the Hurricanes add another 5 runs to their lead, but the Builders chipped away again behind the play of Jake Day. However, at the end of 8th innings, Camp found themselves up 10-4. In the Builders half of the 9th inning, Maxell Burcham smacked a single to reach first base, and then Braden Lambert came to the plate and drove him home after delivering a home run for Apprentice. Unfortunately, they were unable to get any closer and the game would end with the Builders falling by a final score of 10-6.
The 2nd game of the doubleheader saw the Apprentice offense come alive against Thomas Nelson. First Baseman, Maxwell Burcham led the Builders at the plate going a perfect 5-5 with 2 Homeruns and 5 RBI's. Burcham's performance set the tone for the game and DH, Riggs Ellis got in on the action, finishing the game with 2 hits, 2 runs and 2 RBI's. Nate Kagey got the win for Apprentice, pitching 5 innings, striking out 5, while only giving up 1 run. In relief, Logan Mize went 3 scoreless innings, striking out a game high 6 batters and Thomas Packert finished the game pitching 1 inning, while striking out 2 Gators. The 10-1 win was the first for the Builders this season and the first for new Head Coach Ben Jones.
Apprentice will return to action in two weeks when they welcome in Castleton State on February 16th to Historic War Memorial Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00pm and fans are encouraged to come out and support the Builders.