VHSCA: Shaban kick-starts East’s power shower

Cosby's Bradley Shaban, shown in the field during last year's Central Region title game, belted a two-run homer on the fifth pitch of yesterday's VHSCA all-star game.

NEWPORT NEWS -- The Virginia all-star baseball game was supposed to showcase the state's best players.

Instead, the Richmond-area stars turned it into a personal home run derby, flexing their muscles and leading the East to an easy 9-2 victory.

The first five runs were all brought in by players with area connections, including a two-run home run from Cosby's Bradley Shaban on the fifth pitch of the game.

In the second inning, it was Hanover's Lane Denton who unleashed a monster blast into the street behind Captains Park at Christopher Newport. Powhatan's Hunter Gordon joined the club with a two-run home run in the fourth.

"Right now it's a hotbed," Gordon said of the region. "There's a lot of great baseball being played."

Shaban was rewarded for his home run, as well as a fifth-inning triple off the right-field wall, with the game's MVP award. On the West side, Johnny Bladel of Stone Bridge picked up top honors. Shaban isn't finished making noise -- he'll play for James Madison next year and is part of the South Richmond American Legion team this summer.

"It's an unbelievable honor. I was just so excited to be out here playing with these guys," he said. "To be MVP is just icing on the cake."

Shaban is the second Cosby graduate to win an all-star MVP award this week; Patrick McDaniel was the boys soccer winner in Wednesday's match.

Powhatan coach Gregg Conner assisted with the East, and oversaw a pair of his players. Gordon hit a single in addition to his home run, and Jake Matthews threw three flawless innings in the fourth, fifth and sixth.

He was boosted by some defensive help, relying on double plays in the fourth and sixth. He struck out two and allowed three hits.

James River's Austin McGowan walked twice, and coach Pete Schumacher was on hand as an assistant. Deep Run's Scott Labbs walked. His teammate R.C. Orlan was invited but was unable to attend.

Lee-Davis catcher Andrew Hacker hit a single in the fourth to add to the area's tally. But it was Denton, who will play for Hampden-Sydney, who provided the biggest smash, one that easily cleared the left-field fence.

"I wasn't really expecting that with two strikes," he said. "But it felt good, and I hit it."

For the West, it was a chance to have some fun with new teammates as well as play across normal high school boundaries. The Powhatan players are AA, in contrast with most of the Richmond schools, which are AAA, but they proved they belonged on the big stage.

The rules were slightly modified for the game, as it went a full nine innings and teams were allowed to have a 10-batter lineup. The East stuck to the script, while the West's order was progressively more random with each inning.

One other factor played in the East squad's favor.

"Everybody got along, and we all had one goal in mind," Gordon said. "We wanted to win."