DANVILLE, Va. - It took a bit. Well, more like three hours and 36 minutes. But in the end, Danville secured the victory against Bluefield for the second time in two nights, downing the Ridge Runners, 13-6.
The offense began early. Back-to-back errors for the Bots defensively let the Ridge Runners get on the board first. In the bottom half of the first, they responded with four runs of their own. Right fielder Garrett Shull worked an eight-pitch walk to score second baseman Zach Altamura. In the following at-bat, catcher Antonio Cordeiro brought home two more on the first pitch, driving a single to left. They added one more on a Bluefield defensive error.
In the second, the Bots added four more while batting around. Left fielder Bruce Wyche doubled in third baseman Jaxon Goldberg and shortstop Seth Smith. A wild pitch by Bluefield reliever Christian Delgado scored center fielder Elgin Bennett. Shull then singled in Wyche, making the score 8-2.
“We just came out swinging,” Cordeiro said. “It was like we knew we were going to pull away with that one. Pitchers battled, and we got another win, which always feels good.”
He added later with a smirk, “I went up twice in two innings, I was hoping to go up nine times in nine innings.”
Cordeiro and two other teammates, Shull and Wyche, each registered three RBI. They now all have batting averages above .300.
On the pitching side, Danville starter Brooks Chamberlin went 3.1 IP with four hits, four runs and four strikeouts. The pitcher to collect the win was reliever Jack Topolski, his third of the season. The Eastern Michigan product pitched for 3.2 innings and racked up six strikeouts. Closer Tyler Davis struck out two of three in the top of the ninth.
“Both of them [Chamberlin and Topolski] did really well,” Danville manager Mickey Tettleton said. “Especially Jack. He’s had a couple of rough outings and was able to get the ball in the strike zone tonight with all his pitches. I think Brooks is a hidden gem really. He has done really well the past few outings. Really happy for those kids.”
Bluefield is one of the three teams battling for playoff spots; however, Danville spoiled those plans by handing them a two-game sweep. Both games, the Bots looked solid offensively. Next, they welcome Pulaski into town, another team playing for a postseason position.
Thursday, the two teams will play a doubleheader, the first contest beginning at 5 p.m. ET.
“This feels great; we obviously want to carry this into the next couple games here,” Cordeiro said. “We just have to play like we’ve been playing. I’ve got a good feeling about this.”
“Offensively, we’ve been doing some nice things; it’s a nice blend when you look at the lineup,” Tettleton said. “You’ve got some guys that can hit the ball out of the ballpark, a couple new additions, Bengy [Bennett] and Bruce [Wyche] have been tremendous. Everyone is starting to contribute. It’s fun to see. We just hopefully can finish this thing up strong.”
For more information on 2025 Single Game Tickets, Season Tickets, Corporate Partnerships, and Group Outings, email matt@danvilleotterbots.com or call the Otterbots Front Office at 434-554-4487. The Danville Otterbots will play their home games at American Legion Field at Dan Daniel Memorial Park.
