KVA scores victory in home opener
By Brandon White bwhite@hendersondispatch.com; 252-436-2840 Mar 10, 2021 Updated 11 hrs ago
HENDERSON — After opening their season with a 12-7 loss to Grace Christian last Thursday, the Kerr-Vance Academy baseball team bounced back by dominating Lee Christian 12-2 during their home opener on Tuesday, which also served as their senior night.
Head coach Mike Rigsbee said that his team still needs to make improvements in several areas despite obtaining a double-digit victory, but he was proud of the way his players responded following their tough loss to Grace Christian.
“Overall I thought things went pretty well with this being our second time on the field,” Rigsbee said. “The seniors did well and I was glad to get this in for them, but we still have to execute better on a lot of stuff.”
Pitching was initially flawless for KVA at the top of the first inning, with senior Michael Holtzman being the first to take the mound for his team. He easily dispatched all of Lee Christian’s batters to provide KVA with some early momentum.
Senior Chance Murphy got KVA on the board by hitting a home run at the bottom of the first. A sacrifice fly from junior Shane Musselman allowed Holtzman to walk in for another run, which gave KVA a 3-0 advantage.
After another scoreless inning from Lee Christian, KVA maintained their efficiency at the plate by loading the bases, which they turned into three additional runs that gave them a sizable 6-0 lead heading into the third inning.
Senior Cole Merritt relieved Holtzman on the mound but was not as efficient, as Lee Christian finally managed to get on the board with two runs. KVA answered with two runs of their own to keep the gap between the two programs at six runs.
Senior Joel Lewis finished out the game as KVA’s pitcher and did not give up another run, while KVA tallied four more runs at the bottom of the fourth and fifth inning to formally close out their first victory in the 2021 season.
Rigsbee believed there were a lot of missed plays for KVA on Tuesday, but he knows that his current roster is more than capable of bringing another NCISAA 1A title back to the school as long as they focus on their strengths and build cohesion.
“I thought we had good at-bats today,” Rigsbee said. “They were good and strong, and they worked the count pretty good. Our defense was fine, but we have to work on our pitching because we walked a lot of people.”
KVA will remain at home today for a crucial early-season conference matchup with Faith Christian at 6 p.m.
By Brandon White bwhite@hendersondispatch.com; 252-436-2840 Mar 10, 2021 Updated 11 hrs ago
HENDERSON — After opening their season with a 12-7 loss to Grace Christian last Thursday, the Kerr-Vance Academy baseball team bounced back by dominating Lee Christian 12-2 during their home opener on Tuesday, which also served as their senior night.
Head coach Mike Rigsbee said that his team still needs to make improvements in several areas despite obtaining a double-digit victory, but he was proud of the way his players responded following their tough loss to Grace Christian.
“Overall I thought things went pretty well with this being our second time on the field,” Rigsbee said. “The seniors did well and I was glad to get this in for them, but we still have to execute better on a lot of stuff.”
Pitching was initially flawless for KVA at the top of the first inning, with senior Michael Holtzman being the first to take the mound for his team. He easily dispatched all of Lee Christian’s batters to provide KVA with some early momentum.
Senior Chance Murphy got KVA on the board by hitting a home run at the bottom of the first. A sacrifice fly from junior Shane Musselman allowed Holtzman to walk in for another run, which gave KVA a 3-0 advantage.
After another scoreless inning from Lee Christian, KVA maintained their efficiency at the plate by loading the bases, which they turned into three additional runs that gave them a sizable 6-0 lead heading into the third inning.
Senior Cole Merritt relieved Holtzman on the mound but was not as efficient, as Lee Christian finally managed to get on the board with two runs. KVA answered with two runs of their own to keep the gap between the two programs at six runs.
Senior Joel Lewis finished out the game as KVA’s pitcher and did not give up another run, while KVA tallied four more runs at the bottom of the fourth and fifth inning to formally close out their first victory in the 2021 season.
Rigsbee believed there were a lot of missed plays for KVA on Tuesday, but he knows that his current roster is more than capable of bringing another NCISAA 1A title back to the school as long as they focus on their strengths and build cohesion.
“I thought we had good at-bats today,” Rigsbee said. “They were good and strong, and they worked the count pretty good. Our defense was fine, but we have to work on our pitching because we walked a lot of people.”
KVA will remain at home today for a crucial early-season conference matchup with Faith Christian at 6 p.m.
