Seventh inning helps Dragons down the Black Knights

Springtime is now in full swing, but all the recent rain has put a strain on the areas high school spring sports. The William Monroe Dragons have had several games either rained out or stopped in the early innings.
How much this affects the players once they are ready to play is unknown. All week they practice but don't get game time situations until they are in one, which can hinder their performances.
It seemed at first as if that was the case on Tuesday, March 31, as the varsity baseball team took on the Charlottesville Black Knights. This game began the Jefferson District play for the Dragons.
Charlottesville came right out of the gate getting back-to-back hits in the first inning.
But a double play turned the Dragons' second baseman Matt Collier, and shortstop Colby Fitzgerald ended the threat.
Monroe got on the scoreboard first as Danny Morris brought home Fitzgerald on a sacrifice fly. This gave the Dragons a 1-0 lead after two and a half innings.
The Black Knights struck back in the bottom of the third, getting two runs of off three hits. At the end of three the score was 2-1, Charlottesville's favor.
Charlottesville added another run in the bottom of the fourth as a two-out triple turned into a run. A wild pitch made the score 3-1, Black Knights.
Throughout the first four innings the Dragon bats were silent, with only one hit going into the fifth. The only run at that point was unearned, resulting from a Charlottesville error.
But Monroe would find some life in their half of the fifth inning: a one-out double by Bruce Shifflett, followed by a Morris single, had the Dragons in business.
With two outs in the inning, another costly Charlottesville error gave the Dragons team its second run of the game. After five innings the score was 3-2, Black Knights.
Neither team could get anything going in the sixth inning. But Monroe would have other plans for the seventh inning: the Dragons put up six runs on five hits to take an 8-4 lead.
Shifflett got things started again for the Dragons with a single. Morris followed with a walk to put runners on first and second.
Another walk, issued to Eric Utz, loaded the bases with just one out. Jason Nave then got the big hit, as he doubled to the gap in left center that came along with two RBI's.
"Finally our bats came alive in the seventh inning against their relief pitcher," said Dragons coach Mark Arrington in an interview after the game.
Ryan Bouton put the game out of reach as he followed the Nave double with a two RBI single of his own. Henry Morris then put the cap on the six run inning as he doubled to left, grabbing the final two RBI's.
The Black Knights then rallied in the bottom of the seventh, but that was short lived --they could only answer with one run. The final score: 8-4 Dragons.
Leading Monroe in this one were a number of players: Shifflett and Matt Collier both had two hits, and Nave, Henry Morris, Bouton all had a hit with two RBI's.
With the win, the Dragons improved to 5-2 overall and 1-0 in the district.