Last night (Wednesday, June 17th) was full of amazing baseball options here in Hampton Roads, VA. At Harbor Park, Norfolk the 4th Annual TowneBank All Tidewater Classic took place featuring some of the top high school baseball talent in Hampton Roads and the Peninsula of Southeast Virginia. On the peninsula, the Peninsula Pilots hosted the Greenville Yard Gnomes at historic War Memorial Stadium, Hampton in Coastal Plain League action. And closer to home, the Tidewater Summer League’s Greenbrier Knights faced the VB Blasters at Cape Henry Collegiate School. As a fan of high school sports, the Coastal Plain League’s Pilots, and amateur baseball in general, it was a really tough decision as to which event to go to. In the end, I went with the Tidewater Summer League game but honestly could have picked any of the three and would have been very happy.
Having recently attended the Norbie Wilson Game/Battle of Mill Dam Road at nearby First Colonial High School, I was familiar with the location of last night’s Tidewater Summer League game. Cape Henry Collegiate School basically abuts FCHS on Mill Dam Road here in Virginia Beach. So, Rachel and I took the somewhat scenic route down Shore Drive and N Great Neck Rd to Mill Dam and eventually the parking lot of Cape Henry Collegiate School. The two teams on the schedule were the visiting Greenbrier Knights and the home team VB Blasters. As we walked up to the field and bleachers area at around 6pm, the game had already started so we quickly found a shaded spot behind the bleachers to check out the live action.
It was a very hot afternoon, temps at or near 90 degrees, plenty of sunshine, so this shaded area behind home plate really hit the spot. Plus, it gave us a decent view of the field and game action, with the small exception of the outfield area close to the right field line. There were bleachers set up behind home plate for fans. And many fans brought their own lawn chairs and found seating next to the dugouts and bleachers. By the end of the first inning, a nice crowd had gathered to watch the game and cheer on their favorite Knight or Blaster.
There was a Greenbrier Knight parent standing behind home plate who Rachel and I chatted it up with. He was mostly busy watching the game and his son hit, so I tried to be respectful of why he was there. Interesting enough, he went to school up in MA and was familiar with a lot of baseball stories in the New England area. And dropped in that his son plays for a school in Vermont. So, I was beyond psyched to talk this guy’s ear off. Being from New England, I love running into former New Englanders down here in Virginia Beach.
Since there was no active scoreboard nor any type of media or game announcer at the Cape Henry game, I watched for the home plate umpire to announce the outs, balls and strikes, etc. I learned from the Greenbrier Knights parent that the game was being scored on the GameChanger app, so perhaps next time I will ask for an invite to become a fan of their team. Scary moment in the game, a VB Blasters player was hit in the helmet, square, with a fastball and was removed from the game for precautions. I saw him walk out under his own power, parents in tow, after an inning or so of sitting on the bench after the incident. Head shots are always scary to witness, no matter what level of baseball I am watching.
After a few innings of standing in the shade, then standing behind the bleachers on the third base side, Rachel and I headed out of Cape Henry Collegiate, giving us just enough sunlight to get home and take the dogs for walk. Cape Henry Collegiate, from what I could see, looks to be an absolutely incredible campus. The baseball field was in really nice shape for a summer baseball game. US Military airplanes were flying over during the game, NAS Oceana is not too far from Cape Henry and First Colonial High Schools. It was great seeing some quality baseball, chatting it up with a former New Englander who played college baseball up north, and checking out the Tidewater Summer League’s Greenbrier Knights and VB Blasters. Overall, it was an awesome night of baseball here in Hampton Roads and I was so psyched to experience the Tidewater Summer League at Cape Henry Collegiate School, VA Beach.
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