The Nansemond River High School baseball team started off its 2015 season with a difficult task on Tuesday and found itself on the losing end of a tight battle against an old Southeastern District rival.

Grassfield High School got a walk-off single in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the Warriors home with a 3-2 loss.

Nansemond River coach Mark Stuffel said it was “two good teams going at it, and we didn’t win.”

It was hard to find any fault with the Warriors’ pitching staff. Between junior Matt Holt and junior Michael Blanchard, Nansemond River threw 11 strikeouts.

The Grizzlies did well on the mound, too.

“I think they had nine strikeouts,” Stuffel said.

But he noted that both teams’ offenses struggled.

The baseball preseason was interrupted by the late-winter snow that wreaked havoc with the scheduling of postseason basketball.

Stuffel said it would have been nice for his team to have more practice time outside, but he did not think either team had an advantage on Tuesday, since both squads were facing the same weather and both have the same opportunity to train indoors.

Though Stuffel would have liked to see better play from the Warriors’ offense, there were some productive players. Senior Robert Fitzwater had two hits, and Matt Holt also had two hits, plus two runs batted in.

“We made some mistakes, and hopefully we’ve grown from those mistakes and keep getting better,” Stuffel said.

One of those mistakes came in the final inning when a Nansemond River third baseman thought he had successfully asked for time and went to converse with the pitcher on the mound, with runners on first and second. To his surprise, the runners advanced, and the umpire indicated he was not aware of a request for time.

“Either way, he’s got to make sure he’s got time in that situation,” Stuffel said.

The coach said the Warriors’ other mistakes are really small, and they are mainly at the plate.

The game marked NR’s only meeting with the Grizzlies this season.

“It’s something we miss about the old district is being able to see teams like that two times a year,” Stuffel said.

Nansemond River (0-1, 0-0) is set to host Great Bridge High School on Friday, weather permitting.