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By Jon Kaufman
Contributor

Radford University- Both the Fort Chiswell Pioneers and the Windsor Duke's arrived at the site of the 1A semi-finals in mostly the same way. Great starting pitching is the hallmark of winning baseball, and both teams were loaded on the mound, and were ready for battle.

RHP Bryson Booher (Concord) faced LHP Hunter Williams on the bump today and neither disappointed. Williams sent a clear message to the Pioneers early, striking out two in the first inning, and escaping shortstop Chance Davis's triple without a run scoring.

Jacob Coyneal's lead off walk and Cory Childeress's gap seeking double were a unpleasant welcome for Booher in the bottom of the inning. Trevor Kiser's sarifice fly scored the speedy Coyneal and the Duke's took an early 1-0 lead. Jackson picked up two more K's in the second and was the recipient of a Davis Powell single and a RBI triple Coyneal, extending his lead to two runs in the second.

The rest of the game was a battle between Jackson and Booher. Each hurler stifled the other line-ups for the most of the game. Powell doubled and scored Gregory Ashburn in the fourth, stretching the lead to 3-0

Williams allowed just two hits and struck out five, and Booher struck out five and surrendered six hits. Both pitchers finished their jobs, as the bullpen was vacant.

In the fifth, Fort Chiswell's Ben Van Dyne blasted a double to start the inning, moved to third on a fly ball from Ben Porter, and managed to steal home on a bounced curve to get the Pioneers on the board.

In the end, a talented Pioneers team fell to an equally talented Duke's squad 3-1, with Windsor landing a spot in the state finals.