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Senators Sweep Giants in Saturday Double Header |
June 28, 2008. Vienna, Va. -- With two outs in the first inning, David Harris stepped into the plate to an unfamiliar tune. Unbeknownst to Harris, teammates Blake Tagmyer and Mario Williams had conspired to change Harris' walk-up song. Harris was clearly taken aback when “Big Girls Don't Cry” blared over the PA system. Steaming over his teammates' treachery, Harris took it out on Gaithersburg Giants starter Kevin Story by crushing a two-run home run to right field. Harris' bomb set the tone for the Senators, as they rolled to 12-4, and 8-0 victories in Saturday's doubleheader. Game 2 was called in the sixth inning, when the lights at Waters Field inexplicably shut off.
Harris had a monster doubleheader. He had two hits, scored two runs, and had three RBIs. Harris went yard in both first innings of the doubleheader. In Game 2, Harris hit an opposite field home run after Gunnar Terhune and Matt Goulas reached. He finished the double header with four hits, two home runs, and six RBI.
“That was a nice little prank that my teammates pulled on me,” said Harris. “I was laughing when I got up there. I was just trying to make good contact, and hit it where it was pitched.”
In Game 1, the Senators reached Story for runs in the first two innings. The Senators broke the game open in the fourth inning, when they scored six runs. The Senators sent eleven batters to the plate. Alfred Rodriguez started the inning with a single, and the next five batters all reached base. The Giants were done in by two errors in the inning. Harris and Wes Joy had RBI singles, and Kuroczko brought home two more with a double.
Story was ineffective, throwing 76 pitches in over three innings of work. However, he was better than their next pitcher, Scott Elliott. Elliott was reached for four runs on four hits in only one inning of work.
“He was throwing a real slow fastball, with a knuckleball and a curveball,” said Harris. “But the knuckleball didn't have a lot of movement on it; it was just a get-me-over pitch.”
Richard Cary, the reigning pitcher of the week in the Clark-Griffith League, turned in yet another dominant pitching performance. After a leadoff walk to start the game, and a visit from pitching coach Mike Wallace, Cary didn't allow a hit until the fifth inning. He went six strong innings, only giving up two runs. He struck out eight, using a combination of a hard fastball and excellent off-speed pitches.
“I felt pretty good today,” said Cary. “I was just trying to get ready for the end of the year, increase the pitch count, and try to have some fun out there. The biggest thing today was to maintain focus and work for those times when you are pitching and you're down by a small amount. You try not to pay attention to the score and just worry about pitching.”
The Senators padded their lead in the sixth inning with a two-run home run from catcher Jon Duvall. Ryan Schwenke was brought on to pitch the seventh. Schwenke had some brief command struggles and allowed two runs. However, he settled down and struck out Matt Collins to end the game.
In Game 2, the Senators used the long ball to build an early lead. In addition to Harris' three-run home run, Matt Goulas added a three-run home run of his own in the second to build the lead to 7-0.
Senators starter Clint Maune turned in his best start of the season in Game 2. He was perfect through the first three innings before allowing a bloop single to Kevin Collins in the fourth. He didn't allow a run through three and two-thirds. However, a lengthy lightning delay forced Maune from the game.
In the Senators first at-bat after the delay, Blake Tagmyer led off the inning with a home run to right field. Chad Johnson came on when the game resumed and continued the shutout through the fifth inning. Kyle Hald then came on to pitch a scoreless sixth inning. Johnson was credited with the win and improved his record to 3-0 on the season.
The Senators were batting in the bottom of the sixth when the lights went out and play was suspended.
Andrew Struckmeyer
Vienna Senators