The Shadow
ROCKBRIDGE COUNTY, Va. (VR) – Alleghany Varsity baseball earned a 10-5 win over Rockbridge County, pulling away late behind steady contact hitting, defensive pressure, and a seventh-inning home run from senior Kai Rowland—his first at the high school level.
Alleghany set the tone early in the first inning. Jalen Raether doubled to center and scored on a series of balls in play as the Cougars took a 1-0 lead. Rockbridge answered in the bottom half with a run on a line drive single, tying the game at 1-1 after one.
The second inning is where Alleghany separated. The Cougars took advantage of Rockbridge defensive mistakes and traffic on the bases. Brycen Griffith scored on an error, Kai Rowland and others reached to keep innings alive, and Alleghany stacked runs through singles, walks, and extra outs. By the end of the frame, Alleghany had built a 6-1 lead, with Rowland and Griffith both factoring into the scoring sequence.
Rockbridge responded with small bursts, but Alleghany continued to answer. In the fourth inning, Graham Brewster doubled and scored, Brady May added a line-drive single, and the Cougars pushed the lead to 7-2. The offense didn’t rely on one big inning early—rather, it came in waves, stringing together base runners and forcing Rockbridge to defend extended innings.
On the mound, Alleghany used multiple arms to manage the game. Jalen Raether handled early innings, mixing strikeouts with timely outs in play, while Tucker Phillips and others closed down late situations. Rockbridge did manage to cut into the lead in the middle innings, but Alleghany consistently limited multi-run damage and stranded runners with key outs.
The game’s defining moment came in the seventh inning. With Brycen Griffith reaching and Kai Rowland stepping in, Rowland drove a pitch to right field for a home run—his first at the varsity level. The swing broke the game open, extending Alleghany’s lead to 10-4. The inning also included additional baserunners and pressure that forced Rockbridge pitching into extended counts.
Rockbridge added a final solo home run in the bottom of the seventh, but the Cougars closed it out from there, sealing the 10-5 win.
