Baseball Recap: Timberlake Christian Comes Up Short

For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Timberlake Christian and Roanoke Valley Christian meet (four straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Friday. Timberlake Christian came up short against Roanoke Valley Christian, falling 14-3. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Tornadoes of the 4-3 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in April of 2024.

Billy Shumaker

Batters Struck Out

03/21/25 vs Roanoke Valley Christian	9
03/18/25 vs Ridgeview Christian	7
03/07/25 vs Faith Christian Academy	9

Billy Shumaker was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. On the mound, he struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up four earned (and six unearned) runs off seven hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts any time he's pitched this season. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing three bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Shumaker wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Aaron Higey, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.

Timberlake Christian dropped their record down to 0-3 with the defeat, which was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season. As for Roanoke Valley Christian, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 2-3.

Looking ahead, Timberlake Christian is taking a road trip to take on Temple Christian at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Temple Christian has struggled to contain batters this season (they've allowed eight runs per game on average), something Timberlake Christian will no doubt try to take advantage of. As for Roanoke Valley Christian, they will get to enjoy the win for a while: their next game is against Blue Ridge at 5:00 p.m. on the 31st. Roanoke Valley Christian's pitchers better be ready for this one: Blue Ridge has averaged an impressive 6.6 runs per game this season.