Giants follow Hahn’s lead. And another thing ...
For the second time in as many games, Waynesboro coach Jim Critzer had to lay into his team.
The first time came after their loss to Fort Defiance in the Southern Valley District finals, when the Little Giants lost their composure, threw batting helmets to the ground, slapped gloves to the grass, tossed bats back toward the rack and, in a complete meltdown, had to be told to “shut the heck up” by coaches as the players decided it was high time to jaw at the umpires.
That night, Critzer couldn’t even find time to talk to the press as deadline loomed, keeping his players huddled around him in left field as the salty, old coach paced back and forth, stopping only to throw his arms in the air and point at someone to hammer his “act-like-men” speech home.
On Wednesday against William Byrd, in a do-or-die situation during the quarterfinals of the Region III playoffs, he lit them up again. This time just before the bottom of the sixth. This time it had nothing to do with bad attitudes or flapping gums at the umpires.
“I asked them, ‘What are you doing?‘ “ Critzer said. “We had to make something happen.“
They sure did. With six outs left in their season, the Giants were down 2-0 to a William Byrd team that was impressing Critzer.
Jeremy Hahn, guilty of a thrown glove and hanging head or two in his loss to Fort Defiance, stood up, grabbed a bat and threw his batting helmet on.
“You know what he said?“ Critzer asked. “Hahnny stood up, said ‘Guys, I’m leading off and getting on base. You follow my lead.‘ “
So Hahn walks on four pitches, Derek Hall follows with a base on balls of his own and Stevie Moreland single drives in the Little Giants first run of the game.
I think that classifies as refound swagger, don’t you?
As assistant coach Gary Weatherholz likes to say, that started the choo-choo train and it wasn’t even close to pulling into the station.
And another thing: Joseph Lucas steps to the plate and bloops a two-strike pitch between center, left and second. Moreland scores and we’re all tied up. And Waynesboro starts to think, hey, maybe we can.
Hey, look: The Little Giants, representing the “weak” Southern Valley District (you-know-who’s words, not mine) are one win away from a return trip to states.
Fort Defiance was three outs away from upsetting the Evil Empire (Turner Ashby) to advance as well. Then the bottom falls out and a two-run single by Cole Hart wins the game for the Knights. No that’s not weak (again, you-know-who’s words, not mine), that’s almost picking up a win over one of the best (if not THE best) baseball program in the state.
Wilson Memorial feels the Indians’ pain as Derek McDaniel’s soon-to-be great Hornets took a two-run lead into the bottom of the seventh against Strasburg. You know the Rams, the defending Group A champs. Then Strasburg’s Alex Pfeiffer comes up, laces a two-run single at First Bank Ballpark and so ends the surprising Hornets season.
Folks, that Wilson squad doesn’t have anything to be disappointed about since McDaniel’s Respect the Hornet speech.
Nor does the Waynesboro boys soccer team. Man, I was hoping I was wrong about them when it came to regionals, but when the athletic directors lock these kids into playing the same freakin’ teams every year because, like you know who, they can’t stop living in the past and realize the old Valley District is dead, gone, kaput, never to return, they’re going to get caught off guard once out-of-the-area teams like, let’s say Lord Botetourt, come into town and give you something you’ve never seen before.
This Waynesboro soccer program is too good to be hamstrung, once again, by the numskulls in charge. But hey, what do we know. We’re just sports writers.
Don’t worry Fort Defiance softball fans. The girls will back next year, and much, much better.
Brittany Davidson, thanks for the memories. Good luck down in Hickory, N.C.
One last thing: Before the Fort Defiance game, Critzer’s wife, Linda, went into the dugout and gave the Mouth of the South a hug and kiss before the game. We know what happened there. Then, before they played William Byrd, Linda did the same thing and the team struggled.
“Next time,“ Critzer said. “I’ll come out from the dugout to get my kiss.“
If it wasn’t for his speech and Hahn standing up, there might not have been a next time.
