Preps Plus

It would take a Ruthian blast to hit the ball out of Porterfield Park in Orange. Even Dylan Szalankiewicz’s double that helped spark Louisa County to a 10-3 victory over Orange County Tuesday traveled at least 375 feet to dead center, and it was a ground-rule double.
“This fence is huge,” Szalankiewicz said after the Lions’ victory. “That’s a home run at any other field.”
Forget playing long ball against the Hornets at home. Porterfield has major-league type dimensions. The baseball field is set up in the far corner of the park complex with the Orange County football field serving as the outfield. That leaves what seems like acres of space between home plate and the far reaches of centerfield.
“That’s a homerun a lot of places,” said Orange coach Jesse Lohr. “But at Porterfield it’s almost an out.”
Even if it wasn’t a home run, Szalankiewicz’s blast was enough to help Louisa stay unbeaten in Jefferson District play. Chris-tian Oliver, Jeff Buckler, Chris Bell and Reginald Shelton all knocked in runs for the Lions in the win. Louisa also did a solid job on the basepaths, taking advantage of several critical errors by Orange County.
More to come on the Hornets’ improvements this season in Thursday’s Preps Plus notebook.