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By James J. Lidington

Isle of Wight Academy

Isle of Wight Academy’s varsity baseball and softball teams wrapped up their seasons last week while competing in their respective state tournaments.

The Lady Chargers took traditional rival Nansemond-Suffolk Academy to the final game before falling to the Saints for a third time this season; the boys lost to Greenbrier Christian Academy for a third time in the last two years, this time in the state semifinal round.

IWA’s softball team surrendered only three hits in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association Division II Softball Tournament championship game, including two doubles, to finish its season 11-7. Isle of Wight also notched three hits but failed to dent the plate.

IWA run-ruled Norfolk Collegiate School 12-0 in the tournament’s quarterfinal round.

Andrea Savage, Reese Upton and Lily Williams, of the Lady Chargers, were named to the VISAA Division II All-State First Team; Lorraine Upton made the second team.

The Chargers baseball squad finished 20-2 for the year, losing to the Gators 10-3 in the VISAA Division II Baseball Tournament semifinals. IWA trailed by one run, 4-3, after Dustin Moon’s RBI-double in the top of the fifth inning.

But Greenbrier notched six runs when it came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth to set the final margin of victory. From there, it was only a matter of another three outs for the Gators to earn victory and end IWA’s stellar season.

The Gators went on to lose the championship game to Highland School, of Warrenton, 10-7 on Friday, May 20.

On May 17, Trevor Mason’s steal of home in the sixth inning broke a 5-5 tie and propelled the No. 6 Chargers ahead of No. 3 NSA in a VISAA Division II quarterfinal matchup.

Christian Biernot claimed the win in relief for IWA.

Mason’s two-out grounder, which resulted in him reaching base and driving in two runs in the process, tied the game for IWA.