MIDDLEBURG - As the Middleburg Broncos were still in search of the sought-after first victory of the 2023 season, the Westside Wolverines came to town for a Friday night showdown riding high in the saddle after trouncing the Terry Parker Braves 11-0 in five innings the night prior.

The Broncos and Wolverines got into a defensive faceoff with Westside’s Kendi Demps and Middleburg’s Logan “The Worm” Wehrmeyer both going the distance up on the hill. The Broncos drew first blood in the bottom of the third but were evened up the next inning, 1-1.

Again, in the sixth inning the Broncos tacked on another, just to be matched in the top of the seventh with two apiece. With the game on the line in the bottom of the seventh, with one out and no one on the bases, Bradley Gilbert took the first pitch fastball and went yard to walk-off homer, finally breaking the ice on the Bronco “W” column, 3-2.

“That’s unbelievable. That’s the dream you have as a player. I’m just so happy that it happened for Bradley for his first homerun,” said Middleburg Bronco Head Coach Daniel Pearce. “He’s been working so hard this past year, working on his swing, his hitting and everything. It was just one of those times where he came up in the right spot and put a good swing on the ball. I’m so very proud of Bradley today.” Asked about going out of the park and the celebration afterwards, Wehrmeyer said “I couldnâ’t breathe under there,” referring to the dog-pile his teammates made celebrating the out of the park shot. “It’s something you dream about since Little League.”