Shively K's 10 As Bethel Downs Chantilly 4-2
HAMPTON ROADS, VA - Less than a week after one of the worst pitching outings of his high school career, Justin Shively had one of his best - and two more like it will make history at Bethel High.
After his squad barely nipped Indian River 11-10 in the Eastern Region championship last Thursday, Shively struck out 10 as the Bruins knocked off Chantilly 4-2 in the state quarterfinals Tuesday at Old Dominion University.
"Indian River didn't go so well, so I had to come out and prove we were number one," Shively said. "I was kind of nervous at first, but after the first pitch, I was fine. It's kind of amazing; I didn't think I'd do that well."
Jamie Scott led off the first for Bethel with a single, and Zack Sanders knocked him over to third. Jamie's brother Kizuku, last season's Peninsula District Player of the Year, knocked a single to right, and Jamie brought home the game's first run. But Max Langford blasted a line drive homer down the left-field line to start the third, and the score was knotted.
"After the home run, I kind of got down on myself," Shively said, "but my teammates came in and picked me up." That showed, as no Charger got to second base for the next three innings.
Meanwhile, Jamie singled with one out in the fifth, and Sanders sent him to third with a double. Jamie scored on a wild pitch, and Sanders moved to third. Then another pitch got past Chantilly catcher Keith Morrisroe, sending Sanders home for a 3-1 lead.
Brandon Beckner reached on an error in the Chantilly sixth, moved to third on a double by Brian King, and scored with Chris Yates grounded out. But Jesse Wyatt opened Bethel's half with a triple down the right field line, and Jamie knocked his fourth single of the game into centerfield to drive home the game's final run.
"It was a curveball all the way," Jamie said of the pitch. "I knew he was coming with it. We've got two more games, and we're trying to come out on top."
The Bruins, in state competition for the first time in school history, hope to have as much success playing In Chantilly as they did playing against them, as they'll head to Chantilly's Westfield High on Friday to battle the winner of Tuesday's James River/Albermarle game (not completed at press time) in the state semis.
