The Virginia High School League state tournament for spring sports is underway. We have stories for soccer here , lacrosse here and tennis here.
Updated Saturday, June 14:
One team entered Saturday’s VHSL Class 1 baseball final representing an athletic program that had won 50 state championships.
The other team was from a school that had won none and had waited 50 years for a second chance.
Final score: Auburn 51, Fort Chiswell still waiting.
The Eagles scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back in a 10-0 five-inning victory over Fort Chiswell in the state final at Billy Sample Field at Kiwanis Park in Salem.
The win concluded a 25-1 season for Auburn and gave the Montgomery County team its fourth baseball state championship on the heels of titles in 2017, ’19 and ’21. Auburn also was the state runner-up in 2023.
Moreover, the championship continued the Auburn athletic department’s overall dominance in the enrollment division that contains the VHSL’s smallest schools.
The school in Riner now owns 51 VHSL championships across a variety of sports with 47 coming in the last 12 years.
Auburn equaled a school record in 2024-25 with six VHSL titles, adding baseball to golf, girls cross country, volleyball, girls indoor track & field and girls outdoor track.
The Eagles could have added more to the total Saturday. Auburn lost state finals in softball and girls soccer.
Fort Chiswell (18-6) was bidding to win its first championship in a team sport in the history of the Wythe County School. The Pioneers’ only previous state final was an appearance in the boys basketball championship game in 1975.
The first eight batters for Auburn all had one hit as the Eagles defeated Fort Chiswell for the fourth time this season.
In other baseball Saturday involving teams from Southwest and Central Virginia:
*Appomattox County won its second Class 2 title in the last four years with a 3-1 win over King William at Salem Memorial Ballpark. The Raiders ousted defending champion Poquoson in Friday’s semifinal.
*Abingdon earned a berth in the Class 3 state final for the third time in five seasons, but the Falcons came up short for a third time as Spotswood staged a seven-run rally for a 9-5 victory at Fluvanna County High School in Palmyra.
Abingdon was state runner-up in 2022, 2021 and 1984.
In other state finals Gainesville defeated Battlefield (Manassas) 8-6 in Class 6, Ocean Lakes edged Frank Cox 2-1 in an all-Virginia Beach Class 5 final and Heritage (Leesburg) stopped Woodgrove in an all-Loudoun County matchup in Class 4.
SOFTBALL
Eastside completed the Class 1 tournament without allowing a run in three games as the Spartans topped Auburn for a 3-0 victory at Moyer Sports Complex in Salem.
The win finished a 27-2 season for Eastside, which lost to Rye Cove in the 2024 championship game.
Tuscarora (Leesburg) entered the Class 4 tournament with six losses, but the Huskies came home with the trophy after a 3-1 victory over Jefferson Forest in the final at
Jefferson Forest finished as Class 4 runner-up for a second year in a row following a 7-0 loss to Woodgrove in 2024.
Elsewhere in softball finals:
Glen Allen cashed in on home-field advantage for a 7-4 win over Western Branch in Class 6, Midlothian blanked Mills Godwin 2-0 in an all-Richmond final in Class 5, Broadway downed Valley District rival Turner Ashby 4-3 in Class 3 and Central (Woodstock) downed King William 4-1 in Class 2.
Got a photo of any of the state champions? Send it to news@cardinalnews.org.
Updated Friday, June 13:
Auburn is a familiar figure in the Virginia High School League Class 1 baseball final. Fort Chiswell is not.
And they are plenty familiar with each other.
The two Mountain Empire District teams will face each other for the title at 9 a.m. at Billy Sample Field and Kiwanis Park in Salem.
Auburn won state titles in 2017, ’19 and ’21 and was the Class 1 runner-up in 2023.
Meanwhile, Fort Chiswell (Max Meadows) is attempting to win the first state championship in a team sport in the history of the Wythe County school.
The Pioneers’ last appearance in a state final in any sport was a spot in the Group A boys basketball championship game in 1975.
Auburn advanced with a 3-2 triumph over defending champion Rappahannock in eight innings. Fort Chiswell bounced Northumberland 4-1.
Auburn has won all three games this season against Fort Chiswell.
In Class 3, Abingdon rolled over William Monroe (Stanardsville) for a 9-4 semifinal win at Fluvanna County High in Palmyra. The Falcons will play Turner Ashby on Saturday.
Abingdon was the Class 3 runner-up in 2021 and ’22, and the program finished second in Group AA in 1984.
Appomattox County reached the Class 2 final in Salem with a 3-2 victory over defending champ Poquoson, which also was the state runner-up in 2021 and 2023. The Raiders will play King William, a 4-3 semifinal winner over John Battle, in the final at Salem Memorial Ballpark.
In other finals Saturday, the lineup is Battlefield vs. Gainesville in Class 6, Frank Cox against Ocean Lakes in Class 5 and Heritage-Leesburg vs. Woodgrove in Class 4.
SOFTBALL: Auburn’s ever-growing trophy case includes VHSL softball championship hardware from 2019, ’21, ’22 and ’23.
The Eagles can bring another back to the Montgomery County community of Riner when the line up with Eastside High of Wise County in Saturday’s Class 1 final at Moyer Sports Complex in Salem.
Like the school’s baseball team, Auburn scored a one-run semifinal victory over Rappahannock, prevailing 4-3 on Friday.
Eastside made the big headlines, however, as Braelyn Hall pitched a perfect game in 4-0 semifinal win over Buffalo Gap (Swoope). Eastside is in the final for the second year in a row. The Spartans lost 5-0 to Rye Cove in 2024.
In Class 2, Central-Woodstock scored a narrow 4-3 victory over Central-Wise in what had to be a tough game for an announcer. Appomattox County tried to make it a baseball-softball sweep for the school Friday but defending champion King William came away with a 5-2 triumph over the Raiders.
Jefferson Forest posted its second consecutive postseason shutout with a 7-0 whitewash of Gloucester at Monticello High in Charlottesville. The Cavaliers will take on Tuscarora (Leesburg) in Saturday’s final.
Saturday’s other finals are Glen Allen vs. Western Branch (Chesapeake) in Class 6, Midlothian vs. Mills Godwin in an all-Richmond battle in Class 5 and Turner Ashby (Bridgewater) vs. York in Class 3.
BASEBALL
CLASS 6
Battlefield 5, Glen Allen 2
James Madison 7, Hayfield 0
West Springfield 6, McLean 5
Gainesville 7, Deep Run 0
June 13
At Glen Allen H.S.
Battlefield 4, James Madison 2
Gainesville 8, West Springfield 7
June 14
At Glen Allen H.S.
Gainesville 8, Battlefield 6
CLASS 5
Independence 11, Mills Godwin 1
Frank Cox 5, Maury 4
Riverbend 5, James River (Midlothian) 4
Ocean Lakes 10, Kecoughtan 0
June 13
At Deep Run H.S., Glen Allen
Frank Cox 2, Independence 1
Ocean Lakes 17, Riverbend 10.
June 14
At Deep Run H.S., Glen Allen
Ocean Lakes 2, Frank Cox 1
CLASS 4
Woodgrove 11, Jefferson Forest 3
Hanover 5, Gloucester 4
Heritage (Leesburg) 4, Sherando 2
Atlee 7, Hampton 0
June 13
At Monticello H.S., Charlottesville
Heritage (Leesburg) 3, Atlee 0
Woodgrove 8, Hanover 5
June 14
At Monticello H.S., Charlottesville
Heritage (Leesburg) 12, Woodgrove 2
CLASS 3
Abingdon 10, Fluvanna County 0
William Monroe 4, New Kent 2
Spotswood 10, Northside 0
Kettle Run 6, Grafton 3
June 13
At Fluvanna County H.S., Fluvanna
Abingdon 9, William Monroe 4
Spotswood 10, Kettle Run 3
June 14
At Fluvanna County H.S., Fluvanna
Spotswood 9, Abingdon 5
CLASS 2
John Battle 10, Dan River 0
King William 3, Buckingham County 2
Appomattox County 2, Lebanon 0
Poquoson 1, Strasburg 0
June 13
At Salem Memorial Ballpark, Salem
King William 4, John Battle 3
Appomattox County 3, Poquoson 2
June 14
At Salem Memorial Ballpark, Salem
Appomattox County 3, King William 1
CLASS 1
Fort Chiswell 9, Eastside 5
Northumberland 3, Altavista 1
Auburn 2, Chilhowie 1
Rappahannock 12, William Campbell 2
June 13
At Kiwanis Field, Salem
Fort Chiswell 4, Northumberland 1
Auburn 3, Rappahannock 2, 8 innings
June 14
At Kiwanis Field, Salem
Auburn 10, Fort Chiswell 0, 5 innings
*****
SOFTBALL
CLASS 6
Western Branch 7, C.D. Hylton 0
James Madison 5, Lake Braddock 1
McLean 7, South County 3
Glen Allen 7, Mountain View 5
June 13
At Glen Allen H.S.
Western Branch 2, James Madison 0
Glen Allen 6, McLean 0
June 14
At Glen Allen H.S.
Glen Allen 7, Western Branch 4
CLASS 5
Mills Godwin 6, Lightridge 3
Great Bridge 4, Kecoughtan 3
Midlothian 8, Riverbend 2
Floyd Kellam 4, Granby 2
June 13
At Deep Run H.S., Glen Allen
Mills Godwin 1, Great Bridge 0
Midlothian 4, Floyd Kellam 3
June 14
At Deep Run H.S., Glen Allen
Midlothian 2, Mills Godwin 0.
CLASS 4
Jefferson Forest 8, Broad Run 0
Gloucester 2, King George 0
Tuscarora 10, Millbrook 0
Warhill 1, Caroline 0
June 13
At Monticello H.S., Charlottesville
Tuscarora 1, Warhill 0
Jefferson Forest 7, Gloucester 0
June 14
At Monticello H.S., Charlottesville
Tuscarora 3, Jefferson Forest 1
CLASS 3
Turner Ashby 4, Abingdon 3
York 5, Fauquier 2
Broadway 8, Staunton River 1
New Kent 11, Kettle Run 3
June 13
At Fluvanna County H.S., Fluvanna
Turner Ashby 12, York 3
Broadway 6, New Kent 5
June 14
At Fluvanna County H.S., Palmyra
Broadway 4, Turner Ashby 3
CLASS 2
Central (Wise) 11, Chatham 1
Central (Woodstock) 9, Central (Lunenburg) 2
Appomattox County 7, Lee 3
King William 5, Page County 0
June 13
At Moyer Complex, Salem
Central (Woodstock) 4, Central (Wise) 3
King William 5, Appomattox County 2
June 14
At Moyer Complex, Salem
Central (Woodstock) 4, King William 1
CLASS 1
Eastside 1, George Wythe 0
Buffalo Gap 7, Lancaster 2
Auburn 8, J.I. Burton 0
Rappahannock 1, William Campbell 0
June 13
At Moyer Complex, Salem
Eastside 4, Buffalo Gap 0
Auburn 4, Rappahannock 3
June 14
At Moyer Complex, Salem
Eastside 3, Auburn 0
