Varsity baseball commenced their season at Cox High School with a rematch of the 2019 Regional Championship, which the Dolphins won. 

With a young roster, the boys fought against a very competitive Cox baseball team that ranks second in the state and carries multiple division-one commits to schools including UVA, JMU, CNU, and Randolph-Macon. 

“Our guys really stepped up and competed; playing a game like that against the second team in the state; it was a big step in the right direction. That’s playoff baseball,” said senior Carson Demartini.

With Max Kuhle at the mound, the Falcons jumped to a quick start with a Nate Hawley home-run in the second inning before soon batting in a runner to make it 2-0. It didn’t take long for Carson Demartini to even the score with a deep centerfield home-run. 

The Falcons reclaimed a two-run lead in the bottom of the fifth before Max Kuhle stole home on a wild pitch in the seventh inning. Down by one in crunch time, Marcell Whitfield scored off an RBI from Justin Banahan to tie the game.

“We always play with heart, and we always play to win; make no mistake about it,” said coach Pete Zell.

Cox’s Nate Hawley would return to the plate in the bottom of the seventh to hit a walk-off RBI to end the thrilling season opener 5-4. Although many outsiders have doubted the team’s chances and depth at the mound, the confidence within the team never wavered.

“We are confident; even in a loss; we are a very good team. To win against those playoff-type teams we have to eliminate our mistakes,” said Zell. “Not surprising to us, but I’m sure surprising to many other teams, we’ve got depth at the mound. Our pitching is good with the potential to become excellent.”

Led by seniors Carson Demartini and Aidan Pinto, the Dolphins will face Kellam at home on April 29, at 4:00 p.m.

“We are a good baseball team. We’ve got a good squad, we play together and we play to win. We have a team that can win the big games,” said Carson.