Heritage rallies past Amherst in Seminole baseball

Heritage rallied from a 4-1 deficit to post a 5-4 victory over visiting Amherst on Monday in the first round of the Seminole District baseball tournament.

Heritage (11-8) will face Rustburg in Wednesday’s nightcap at Jefferson Forest Middle School in the semifinals.

Both teams pushed across a run in the first, but the Lancers scored three more in the top of the second that included an RBI-single by Chris McDaniel and a bases-loaded fielders’ choice that scored two runs.

The Lancers’ Jessee Whitt hit a slow roller to Pioneers shortstop Allen Seufert. Seufert decided to take the ball to second base himself before throwing on to first in a double-play attempt, but Whitt easily beat the throw to first allowing Trevor Woodson to score from third. McDaniel made the turn at third and continued home beating the throw from Heritage first baseman Joseph Knight to put Amherst up 4-1.

Meanwhile, Lancers’ starting pitcher Dakota Stinnett held the Pioneers to just one hit and one unearned run through the first three innings. The Pioneers finally broke through with a pair of runs in the fourth. Trevor Stevens led off with a chopper off the pitcher that shortstop McDaniel eventually fielded and threw wildly up the right field line allowing Stevens to take second. Stevens moved to third base on a ground out and scored on a wild pitch.

James Womack drew a walk and took second on a passed ball and scored on Knight’s single to left field to cut Amherst’s lead to one.

Heritage added two more runs in the fifth. Seufert blooped a single down the right field line, James Carter followed with a walk and Trevor Darragh laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, setting up Stevens’ two-run single through the Lancers’ drawn-in infield.

That was all Womack (5-4) needed as the Pioneers’ starting pitcher earned the win. Womack went the distance, allowing three earned runs, seven hits, two walks and striking out 10 batters.

Carter was 1-for-2 with two runs scored and a stolen base and Stevens was 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run.

“I was expecting a close game,” Heritage coach Paul Johnson said. “We executed when we needed to, James battled out there on the mound and (Darragh) did a great job bunting them over and (Stevens) got the big hit.”

McDaniel was 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, Whitt was 2-for-4 with a run and two RBIs to lead the Lancers (8-8).

“All my kids come out and battle all game long,” Amherst coach Mike Padgett said. “They play Amherst County baseball. It’s been a fun year. It was a roller coaster of a year, but a fun year.”