Sports

Local youths took part in a baseball clinic held by the Rockbridge Area Recreation Organization on Tuesday of last week at Fox Field. There were four boys in the minor league group (ages 9-10) and 12 boys in the Cal Ripken group (ages 11-12). Helping teach baseball skills were RARO baseball program director Brian Smith (pictured, wearing cap) and Darrell Plogger, RARO interim executive director and senior program coordinator. Plogger said it looks like local youths will be on teams in the South Augusta Baseball League, starting next week, since RARO’s fall sports programs were canceled. RARO will hold a soccer clinic for boys and girls next Tuesday, Sept. 8 at the Brewbaker Field annex. There will be a session for 8-10-year-olds from 6-7 p.m., followed by a session for 11-13-year-olds from 7-8 p.m. Because of social distancing, capacity is limited, so those wishing to participate should register ahead of time by calling the RARO office at 463-9525 or by emailing Smith at bsmith@rarorec.org. For RARO updates, visit www.rarorec.org. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photos)

Twenty teams took part in the 27th annual Chris Wheeler Softball Tournament last weekend in Buena Vista and Fairfield, raising money for the Virginia Bandits youth softball team of Glasgow and the Rockbridge Bombers youth baseball team of Buena Vista. The teams, shown competing Saturday at Glen Maury Park in Buena Vista, were mostly from the Shenandoah Valley, with one from North Carolina. They raised money for the youth teams to travel to the Ripken Experience this fall in Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Winning the high, more competitive bracket of the tournament was Drumheller’s Towing from Augusta County. The winning team of the low, recreational bracket was Can’t Stop the Flop from Buena Vista. The tournament was named after Chris Wheeler, a two-time allstate quarterback for Parry McCluer High School who was killed at age 23 in a car wreck in 1994. The directors of the tournament were Jeff Conner and Randy Mohler. (Stephanie Mikels Blevins photos)