"Team Without a District" is District Champs!
The Loudoun Valley baseball team (20-4), who many refer to, humorously, as "The Team Without A District," found themselves in a position as having the last laugh Friday night at Yorktown High School, as they squared off against the host Patriots in the championship game of the AAA National District tournament. This is all a muddled story as to why Loudoun Valley is, but isn't, in this District, since making the move to AAA 2 years ago, from the AA Dulles District. Although credited for being members of the National, their distance to most schools here precludes them from garnering complete agreements from some schools to play a complete season here. Thus, the Vikings played a minimal amount of games against National teams, and were a perfect 7-0, while filling in the rest of their season playing a complete Dulles District schedule, along with other independent teams, going into this championship game, their last in this conference, as Loudoun Valley will move to the Cedar Run District next year. Confused yet? You are not alone!
The game, itself, wasn't without its own confusion, too. With Yorktown trailing in the bottom of the 7th inning, Sr. catcher Mike Serpa singled in a run to close the gap to 5-3. With runners on 1st and 3rd, Zach Madison pulled the Patriots to within 1 run with a fielder's choice ground ball to 1st. This is where it got interesting! With Jr. Felix Hernandez, now pinch running for Serpa, and standing on 2nd, outfielder Jack Bergsman lined a base hit to left. Hernandez rounded hard at 3rd, looking to score the tying run, only to have the Patriot 3rd base coach hold him up, and in his attempt to get back to the bag, slips and falls, and was tagged out by 3B Dan Fleming, for the apparent Viking victory......only to have their celebration dashed when the 3rd base umpire ruled Fleming interfered with Hernandez's path towards home plate, and awarded the runner the score, and the tie game. To many who watched this play.....to include several Patriot fans.....this had to be truly a gift, as nobody saw any contact at all between Hernandez and any Viking player, much less Fleming. Nonetheless, the called stood, in spite of coach Wayne Todd's appropriate plea to the umpire crew.
With the score now tied, and in the Loudoun Valley 8th inning, Kyle Rosell drew a lead-off walk. Pinch hitter Wes Walker hit a 1 out blast to deep center field that hit the fence, and Rosell scored all the way from 1st, sliding head first, just before the tag was applied. The 1\2 inning ended with the Vikings on top 6-5. Yorktown would mount another comeback, however. After Jacob Mayes, in relief of starter Charlie Sperduto, recorded 2 quick strikeouts, a single and an error put Patriot runners on 1st and 3rd. But Mayes gave way to closer Scott Nelson, who promptly induced a routine ground ball to 2nd, for the force out, the 6-5 victory, and the National District championship.
The Viking's road to the championship included wins over Falls Church (4-0) and Edison (15-4), and will now play in the AAA Northern Region Championship tournament.
