Indians earn district crowns on the diamond

Published 5:49 pm Wednesday, May 24, 2023

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

The Southampton High School varsity baseball team had been dominant all season, so the winner of the Tri-Rivers District regular season and tournament crowns was fitting.

After earning the regular season title, the Indians defeated visiting Sussex Central High School 12-3 in the district semifinals on May 15 and then showed grit in coming back against visiting Windsor High School to win 9-7 in the final on May 17, earning the district tourney title.

“I felt like we got down early in the (championship) game, and the boys battled back, and they showed passion and heart just to battle back and win the game,” Southampton Head Coach Darnell Lee said.

The coach noted that winning both district titles meant a lot, “especially for the kids and the seniors to go out that way and the parents, a lot of people showed up for that game. So it was just big for the community, for the school.”

Earning the championship win on the mound for the Indians was Landon Cushing.

Starring for Southampton on offense were Brady Flythe, who went 2-for-3, including a key home run, and Davis Robertson, who had three RBIs.

Lee said, “They were the ones that really stood out, but I don’t want to take anything away from all the other kids, from that defensive side, making the plays, all the way to the people in the dugout, just everybody accepting their role for that game to make sure that we were able to come out on top.”

The Indians (14-1) have earned the No. 1 seed in the Region 3A Tournament, granting them a first-round bye. They will return to action Friday, May 26, at 5 p.m. when they will host a quarterfinal game against either No. 8 Phoebus High School or No. 9 Tabb High School, which were set to play Wednesday, May 24, in the first round.

If Southampton wins Friday, it will host a regional semifinal Tuesday, May 30.