The Albemarle Post 74 Under-17 American Legion baseball beat Staunton Post 13 8-3 Friday night in the first game of the district tournament at Monticello High School.
With the win, the #1 seed Albemarle, which finished 12-0 in district play in the regular season, will face the winner of Saturday's 2:00 game between Post 55 and Post 320 in the winner's bracket game Saturday night at 8:00.
Staunton will face the loser of the 2:00 game at 5:00 Saturday night as part of the triple header.
Post 74 (21-10-1) put two runs on the board in the bottom of the first inning Friday night.
Albemarle High School rising junior Richie DeLoria doubled to leadoff the inning and then scored on a Post 13 error to make it 1-0.
Western Albemarle High School rising sophomore Josh Casteen laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt with one out later in the inning to score William Monroe rising junior Trey Lam from third base, putting Albemarle up 2-0 after one inning.
In the third inning, Staunton tied the game 2-2 on a two-RBI bloop single to right from Rockbridge County High School rising sophomore John (Canada) Colliton. Fort Defiance rising junior Brandon Thorton and Stuarts Draft rising sophomore Luke Rogers scored on the play.
In the bottom of the third inning, Post 74 took the lead back for good. Saint Anne's-Belfield rising junior Wesley Battle blooped a single to right that scored Albemarle High School rising junior Anthony Wood to make it 3-2.
Albemarle added five insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.
Monticello High School rising senior pitched well at his home park, allowing two runs with double digits strikeouts in six innings on the mound.
