FOREST — Woodgrove's Bryan Miller had seen the mound for only five innings this year, but to nail down the final five outs of Tuesday's VHSL Class 4 state quarterfinal, the sophomore was called upon by coach Rusty Smith.
But he didn't yet know he'd have arguably the biggest swing of the game, also, which came shortly after he came in and fanned consecutive Jefferson Forest hitters to escape the bottom of the sixth and maintain a four-run Wolverines lead. Between fiery fastballs, he flashed a big smile, reveling in the moment.
Miller then stepped to the plate with two on and one out in the top of the seventh and belted a high pitch to right field, and the lefty pointed his right arm to the sky. He knew immediately.
Woodgrove’s Bryan Miller celebrates after hitting a home run during the VHSL Class 4 state quarterfinal at Forest Middle School on Tuesday. The Wolverines won 11-3 with the help of Miller’s three-run homer.
Miller's three-run homer dealt the knockout blow in the quarterfinal against Forest, giving the Wolverines a seven-run lead before they added one more in the seventh. He returned to the mound and shut down the Cavaliers to deliver an 11-3 win and a Class 4 semifinal berth for Woodgrove.
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"That definitely fueled my pitching," he said about his game-sealing homer. "Those get the dugout fired up. They're just so different."
The Wolverines (21-4) consistently put the ball in play against the Cavaliers' pitching, striking out just three times. Forest committed three errors which led to seven unearned runs allowed on the night.
Jefferson Forest’s Beckett Gilleland reaches for a throw against Woodgrove during the VHSL Class 4 state quarterfinal at Forest Middle School on Tuesday. The Cavaliers fell 11-3 to the Wolverines.
"Those kids have made plays for us all year," coach Ryan Gilleland said. "A couple plays go here or there and we might have kept it a little closer for a little longer there. ... You give good teams like that extra outs and that can kind of snowball on you a little bit like it did on us."
Woodgrove capitalized on a first-inning error by the often-solid Jacob Eckart at second base, and Walker Kennedy ripped a double to open the scoring. Kennedy later scored on an RBI by Chad Nielsen in the first.
But the Cavaliers found a way to similarly put the ball in play and force the Wolverines to field early. Starting pitcher Mitchell Moore drove in a run for JF in the first. In the second, Justin Godsey offered a sacrifice bunt to Woodgrove pitcher Dane Marsh, who didn't field it cleanly and overthrew his first baseman. The Wolverines threw the ball around the field enough to allow Godsey to score for the little-league home run, and suddenly the Cavaliers found themselves on top, 3-2.
JF’s Mitchell Moore hits against Woodgrove during the VHSL Class 4 state quarterfinal at Forest Middle School on Tuesday.
From there, it was all Woodgrove.
In the fourth, it loaded the bases with two outs and chased Moore, who allowed six runs (zero earned) on five hits and two walks with one strikeout. Godsey inherited a 3-0 count from Mitchell and worked it back full before missing the strike zone just low to walk in a run.Â
Then Vincenzo Cusat punished the Cavaliers with a hard hit single that bounded off Becket Gilleland at first base into the outfield and opened up a 5-3 lead. Pat Lyons added to it for the Wolverines with two outs.
Woodgrove’s Vincenzo Cusat gets hit in the leg while up to bat against JF during the VHSL Class 4 state quarterfinal at Forest Middle School on Tuesday.
"They were tough outs. ... We didn't play very clean on defense but a lot of that was because they were putting the ball in play hard with two strikes," Ryan Gilleland said.
JF put traffic on against Marsh, but he worked out of jams in the fourth and fifth. He struck out nine and allowed three runs on five hits and five walks in 5â…“ innings.
Often known for their own dominant pitching this year, the Cavaliers met a duo from Woodgrove that was their match. Forest collected five hits by five players, including Isaac Elder (1 for 2) and Landon Mitchell (1 for 3).
"Two really good arms. Two of the better arms that we saw all year, and we knew that going in," Ryan Gilleland said. "They really dialed it in when they needed to get out of those innings."
Woodgrove’s Dane Marsh pitches against Jefferson Forest during the VHSL Class 4 state quarterfinal at Forest Middle School on Tuesday.
The Wolverines added a run in the sixth before Miller's homer sparked the four-spot in the seventh. He was met by chanting teammates after the homer off JF's Cayden Janney.
"That was everything," Miller said about his welcome at the plate.
His Wolverines earned a Class 4 semifinal matchup against Hanover at Monticello High on Friday.
Jefferson Forest’s Jack Mistretta fields a ground ball against Woodgrove during the VHSL Class 4 state quarterfinal at Forest Middle School on Tuesday.
Gilleland was left to thank an "unselfish" senior class that helped deliver a Region 4D title to the program after last week's trouncing of Sherando. This season the Cavaliers cruised through the regular season with just two blemishes, and earned their spot into the state playoffs with a thrilling extra-innings comeback win over Salem in the region semifinals.
"I think they'll look back on that as a really great year for our program," he said. "Twenty-two wins, a regional championship, a lot of close wins through the course of the year. I told them not to dwell on tonight and keep those positive memories."
