HORNET VARSITY BASEBALL MOVES INTO 3-WAY TIE FOR 1ST IN CONCORDE
Date Posted: Apr 30, 2010
Game Date: Apr 30, 2010
Score:
HORNETS: 10
OAKTON HIGH: 8
Herndon High School's varsity baseball team joined Westfield and Centreville atop the Concorde District on Friday (April 30) with two weeks to play. Centreville beat Westfield 8-2 and Herndon overcame a four-run deficit to beat the host Oakton Cougars 10-8. The three teams each have a 4-2 record.
Herndon (10-3), which has a slightly higher winning percentage than Westfield (11-4), now faces its most challenging week of the 2010 season with back to back games Tuesday (May 4) and Friday (May 7) at fifth-ranked Centreville and at home against fourth- ranked Westfield. The road to winning the Concorde championship goes through those two schools. Herndon beat the Wildcats 8-7 on April 16 and lost to the Bulldogs 4-1 on April 20.
By rallying to win for the third straight Friday, the Hornets dug Oakton into a deep hole with four district games remaining. Since beating the Hornets 4-3 on April 13, Oakton has dropped seven straight games, falling to 1-5 in the district in last place. Herndon now has beat every team in the district at least once except Westfield. With each win, the Hornets improve their chances of a high seed in the district tournament beginning May 18.
With Friday's game tied 8-8 in the top of the seventh, junior Dylan Garten led off with a single against Cougar junior Walker Webster. Oakton coach Justin Janis turned to junior co-captain Chad Carroll to close out the Hornets. Carroll, who was celebrating his 18th birthday today, gave up a sacrifice, walk and single by sophomore Matt Smith that scored Garten. Smith later came home when one of Carroll's pitches bounced off home plate.
Oakton scored in the first four innings but seniors Daniel Shill and Nick Impellizzeri combined to shut down the Cougars with one base hit in the last three innings. Impellizzeri replaced Shill in the bottom of the seventh inning, getting Cougar junior Walker Webster to fly out to senior Jamie Kinney in right field and striking out juniors Andy Gross and John Titus. After a four-run third inning, the Cougars pulled ahead 6-2 but in recent games no lead has been safe against the Hornets
The game may be remembered for an unusual play in the third when seniors Zach Reif, Alex Clark and Kinney loaded the bases with two out. Cougars' starter Matt Chandler hit Garten in the helmet, which would have made the game 3-2 Hornets. But the umpire said Garten intentionally moved his head to the ball. Garten flied out to center.
Kinney belted a Chandler pitch in the fourth inning within a few feet of going over the fence in right centerfield but the Cougar centerfielder could not make the play. Clark came home from first for the fifth run of an inning in which Smith doubled, Impellizzeri, Shill and Clark singled and Reif walked.
Herndon has won four of its last five games. Regardless of what happens the rest of the way, the Hornets have assured themselves of a winning season in coach Greg Miller's first year. (by S.Fehr)
Score by innings
Herndon 2-0-0-5-1-0-2 10
Oakton 1-1-4-2-0-0-0 8
