Warrior baseball hit a rough stretch recently and fans are hoping with better weather will come better pitching, catching and hitting.

The Warriors played tough in a home game against the Bath County Chargers at PCHS on April 14, but went down by a score of 14-9. Junior P/SS Steve Halterman went 3-3 with 7 RBIs; team batting leader OF Dalton Walker (.490) went 2-4 and scored twice; P/IF Cody Sharp went 3-4 and scored twice and 1B/P Garrett Clark went 2-3 and scored a run.

Halterman pitched five innings and gave up nine runs, only four of which were earned runs, on nine hits and three walks. Brandon Hammons pitched two innings of relief, giving up five runs on four hits and a walk. The Warrior defense faltered, committing six errors in the game.

The rough stretch got rougher for the Warriors after the tough loss to the Chargers.

The Warriors lost at home on April 15 to the Petersburg Vikings by a score of 23-2. The following Monday, the Warriors played two games in Petersburg. In the first, a make-up game against Pendleton County, the Warriors were pummeled 17-2. In the second game, the host Petersburg Vikings blanked the Warriors 10-0.

The string of losses dropped PCHS to an overall record of 2-9, with 15 games remaining.

The Warriors are playing hard recently but getting out-hit, out-pitched and out-fielded, leaving coaches Mike DiPasquale and Tony Minter scrambling for answers.

The answer might be simply that the young Warrior squad is scrambling to reorganize after losing five seniors. The entire PCHS roster this season includes just one senior -- big-hitting captain Logan Plumley -- on the squad.

Adding to the bad news for PCHS baseball, a vandal struck the PCHS home turf over the weekend, leaving deep tire tracks on the field and forcing Tuesday's home game to the field at Stillwell Park.

Playing at Stillwell Park might help get the Warriors back on track. The squad notched an exciting, come-from-behind victory there on April 7.

ﾠ