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 |
SENATORS
TAKE TWO IN INTER-LEAGUE PLAY |
Box
Score Game 1 Box
Score Game 2
VIENNA, Va. June 2—The heat of the day did not stifle the hot summer
collegiate wooden bat action on Saturday in Vienna.
The Vienna Senators swept the Putty Hill Greyhounds in an inter-league double-header at Waters Field by 8-3 and 6-5. The Greyhounds visited Vienna from the Maryland Collegiate Baseball League and played two seven-inning games against the defending Clark Griffith League champions. The Senators secured the lead early in Game 1 and cruised to an easy finish. In Game 2, the Senators came back from two down to tie the game at 5-5 in the fifth before shortstop Bryce Mendonca, a rising junior from Chabot College launched a walk-off home run over center field to win 6-5.
The victories are important since they put the Senators back on a winning track after dropping their season opener on June 1 by 10-4 to the McLean Raiders, one of the two newest teams in the Clark Griffith League. The victories also reflect the potential of the Senators’ offense and pitching strengths.
Oakton, Va. native Benji Kagan got the starting nod for the Senators in Game 1 and he picked up the win for Vienna after throwing for five innings. Mike Fournier came on in relief for the Senators and kept the Greyhounds scoreless in the final two innings.
The Greyhounds were the first to get on the board in Game 1 as shortstop Timothy Rappazzo hit a RBI single to bring in left fielder Andrew Black. The Senators tied the score with as Copiah-Lincoln CC sophomore Steven Gauthe scored. The Greyhounds added two runs in the second, and the Senators tied the game at three in the third inning. The Vienna bats came out hot in the bottom of the sixth.
Left fielder Kyle Page, the son of Washington Nationals hitting coach Mitchell Page, led off the sixth with a single. He advanced to second on a balk by Greyhound reliever Michael Foss. Catcher Steven Moritz flied out to center, which allowed Page to advance to third and the reached home on a sacrifice fly by Gauthe. Then Foss walked Mendonca, and surrendered a long 2-run home run to first baseman Sam Honeck, a rising junior from Grayson Community College. Entering the seventh, the Senators led 8-3, and Fournier managed to get the Greyhounds to ground out twice and strikeout once in the top of the seventh to secure the victory.
Roughly thirty minutes after the end of the first game, the Senators and Greyhounds clashed again on the diamond. This time, RHP Nate Newman started on the mound for Vienna. Newman, a rising junior from Grayson Community College is serving a second tour of duty with the Senators this summer.
Newman entered the fourth inning with a two-run cushion,
provided by a first-inning 2-RBI single by right fielder Kyle Kretchmer,
from UNLV. But the Greyhounds notched all of their five runs on the scoreboard
in the fourth inning. Center fielder Charles Whitman flied out to right
and left fielder Marco Simmons struck out to begin the inning. But then
a walk, a single and another walk loaded the bases for Putty Hill. The opposing
pitcher, David Zappacosta walked, which allowed the Greyhounds to bring
home their first run.
After walking in a run, the Senators replaced Newman with a righty from
Marshall, Adam Dobies. Dobies surrendered two more runs by walking Andrew
Black and Stephan Bernstorf with the bases loaded. Then Ruppazzo collected
a 2-RBI single to add another two runs before Charles Whitman struck out
to end the inning. The score at the end of four innings stood at 5-3 in
favor of the Greyhounds.
Vienna responded by tying the game in the bottom of the fifth against Greyhound right-handed pitcher Adam Genn. Catcher Steve Moritz knocked in a run with a double and later scored a run when Genn walked Honeck when the bases were loaded.
The Senators brought on their closer and the 2006 Clark Griffith League Outstanding Pitcher, Mason Griffin on to the mound to shut down Putty Hill. And shut down the opposition he did. In the last two innings of the game, Griffin issued six strikeouts to six batters. Because the Senators got the winning run in the bottom of the seventh, Griffin earned the win for Game 2.
Mendonca hit his walk-off shot with two outs on the board in the seventh inning.
On Saturday, the Senators showed they could protect a lead and come back from behind to win games—both are skills they will need the rest of the season on their quest for an unprecedented ninth league championship, and a third National Baseball Congress World Series appearance in August.
The Senators next play Sunday at 1 p.m. at Waters Field. They face local league rival, the Fairfax Nationals.
###
For more information, please go to www.viennasenators.com or contact the
public relations intern, Kristin Pratt at (703) 401-6416 or at pratt.kristin@gmail.com.