Shiflett’s walk-off caps off thrilling senior night

ROBBY FLETCHER Sports Editor

The script couldn’t have been more dramatic for Powhatan baseball’s senior night contest against the Cosby Titans, a team that has been a thorn in the side of the Indians for years and as recently as a 11-1 defeat on April 17.

The Indians, riding their third three-game winning streak of the season heading into the matchup, knew they were up against a Titans team that had their number in the last meeting, but with a clean slate, confidence in themselves and some error-free baseball, they came out victorious in an epic 1-0 victory capped off by a walk-off line drive from senior Andrew Shiflett that gave the Indians a 14-6 regular season record and a bye week heading into the regional tournament.

“It was amazing to get a win against a team we haven’t beaten in my whole career in high school, it’s pretty amazing,” Shiflett said after his game-winning RBI.

Shiflett was one of four seniors honored before the game, joined by soon-to-be graduates Luke Burkhart, William Karanian and Alexander Peloke.

“I’m really pleased that those guys got an opportunity to be good and have something to show for all the work that they’ve put in and to be able to get the pat on the back and be a hero for a day is big for guys that have great attitudes like they have,” head coach Duane Partusch said.

Partusch says all four have stepped into leadership roles naturally this season after he decided not to pick captains early in the year. Wanting to see who’d emerge as the guys everyone else followed, all four worked hard to establish leadership in practice and in games.

“I let it go to see who’d step up to be leaders on this team, and the seniors took the lead on everything. They do all those things they’re supposed to,” he said.

In a game where both teams recorded just three hits, Powhatan’s defense across the board was synched up all evening, allowing just one error in the game, snatching up the deep shots sent down the outfield and getting outs in an efficient manner on anything played near the infield.

“Everybody’s playing together, not separately,” Shiflett said. “Everybody’s connecting together and squaring up hits.”

Defense has been a strong factor in Powhatan’s four-game winning streak to close out the regular season. In that stretch, two of those games have been shutouts, while the team has allowed just three runs in that span. It wasn’t too long ago that the coaching staff was close to making a positional overhaul on that side of the field. Around the time of the Titans loss that put the team at 6-4, Partusch started putting guys in different