Raiders fall to Hawks in 21-5 defeat

Slugger Bryan DiRosario’s hot-streak continued as the Hayfield Hawks’ powerful offense led them to a 21-5 victory Tuesday night against the visiting J.E.B. Stuart Raiders.

The game had a scary moment during the second inning when Stuart’s sophomore starting pitcher, Jacob Kniatt was hit in the head by a line drive. Kniatt was visibly dazed, walking around the infield aimlessly after the play. Fortunately, Kniatt was able to leave the field on his feet.

“It was a very scary moment,” said Raiders coach Randy Lightle. “This is the second time this has happened to one of my players in the past five games. This is why I believe we should bring wood bats back.”

Kniatt left the game with paramedics, receiving a round of applause from Hayfield and Stuart fans. He is expected to miss some time and Lightle was still waiting to hear how his pitcher was doing after the game.

The play happened so fast, many people weren't sure what happened. Hawks senior Michael Askew overheard the umpires talking about the terrifying moment. 

"[The umpire] said the ball ricoched off of [Kniatt's] glove into his head," said Askew. "But it's still pretty bad. They think it hit him in the temple." 

“After Jacob [Kniatt] got hit, we really lost our momentum,” said Lightle. “The players were concerned and worried about their teammate.”

The Hawks capitalized and scored 12 runs in a huge second inning rally. Junior Cameron Lundmark started the rally with a 2-run double while senior Brady Larkin kept it going with a 2-run double of his own. Senior Josh Eldridge hit a 2-run home run capping off the lengthy inning.

“We’ve got a lot of power,” said Hawks coach Jimmy Linza, a coach ironically known in the area for playing small ball. “I’ve had to modify my game for the big bats on this team.”

Hawks star DiRosario has now hit four home runs in his first two games, including a 3-run shot on Tuesday. 

“I’ve just been really feeling it,” said DiRosario. “I’ve been in the zone.”

The Raiders loaded the bases in the third inning, but were unable to capitalize. Eldridge and Larkin knocked a pair of RBI-singles in a six-run fourth inning putting the game out of reach.

Senior Colin Martin scored two of the five Raider runs while batting leadoff. 

“Hayfield might be one of the best teams in the [National] district this season,” complimented Lightle. “We’ve got our tough games out of the way and we will win ballgames. We have great chemistry.”