Gameday Notebook: Ashburn Buzzing With Wins
ASHBURN, VA - After letting the dust settle some on the opening of the 2008 baseball and softball season, it has become apparent that the Ashburn region could hold the secrets to the area's best play on the diamond. Stone Bridge has stormed out of the gate to a 10-1 record behind the pitching of Tyler Basso, Ty Weaver, and the hot bats of Patrick Thompson, Brian Wheaton, and Mike Stancik. The Bulldogs are leading the Liberty District but will enter the so called gauntlet next week with consecutive home games against Langley (Monday), Madison (Wednesday), and McLean (Friday). If Stone Bridge can win 2 of 3 or perhaps grab a clean sweep, the pressure will be on for the rest of the Liberty District challengers.
Across town, the Spartans are out to a fantastic start in baseball as well at 9-2. Broad Run defeated rival Park View on Friday night behind a stellar pitching performance from J.P Devlin. The Spartans got some clutch hitting from senior left fielder Adam Luhmann (2 for 2, RBI) to pull away late in the game. Senior left handed ace Cole Shain closed the game out and got the save to help Broad Run stay within one game of Potomac Falls. The Spartans face the Panthers on Tuesday at home in a highly anticipated match-up in the Dulles District.
The Lady Spartan softball team continued their dominance on Friday night, beating Park View 3-0 behind the hot swinging bat of first baseman Karla Powell. Powell slammed a two run homerun in the first inning to put Broad Run up 2-0, and the Spartans never looked back. Pitcher Caitlyn Delahaba threw another shut-out, her third straight in less than a week. The Spartans have now won 64 of their last 65 games, 39 in a row, and Delahaba has won 37 in a row on the mound.
At the root of each team's success is solid coaching. Stone Bridge's Sam Plank has always fielded a winner, but his 2008 squad may have the best chance to challenge in the state tournament. With solid starting pitching and some big bats in the lineup, the Bulldogs have shown this season that they can win any type of game. The biggest test of Plank's coaching career may be this week when he and his team head into the Madison game as the favorite for the first time in years.
Broad Run baseball coach Pat Cassidy is proving again this season that he knows how to teach the fundamentals of the game. His Spartans are sound defensively and continue to impress on the mound with starters Cole Shain, Trey Brocke, and J.P Devlin. Cassidy's biggest challenge is finding production in the lineup. Broad Run's hitters have struggled in recent games and the upcoming contest against Potomac Falls will be the ultimate test as to whether or not the Spartans can score enough runs to hang with the Panthers. Potomac Falls will see Shain on the mound, but the Panthers have a solid hitting lineup all the way through.
As for Ed Steele and the Lady Spartans softball program, life couldn't be much better for them. The quiet mannered Steele has the state's best team in Group AA, but after winning so often over the past two years, the Spartans have shown no sign of becoming complacent. Credit Steele and his staff for that. They continue to keep the mental edge, and Steele has a handle on how to run out front.
If the Bulldogs and Spartans continue on their current pace, it is possible that we might be seeing all three of them challenging deep in the state championship race.
Big Week of Broadcasting:
The Gameday Radio Network will air the biggest games all week long starting Monday with Stone Bridge vs Langley (Monday), Broad Run vs Potomac Falls (Tuesday), Stone Bridge vs Madison (Wednesday), and Oakton vs Chantilly (Lacrosse Thursday). It's showdown week on the air with the Gameday Radio Network. Listen live or on-demand right here online at GamedayMagazine.com......
Titans Lurking:
The Dominion Titans have quietly been positioning themselves for a post-season run. With the talk surrounding the Spartans and Panthers, the Titans were in second place as of Friday and continue to showcase dominant pitching and clutch hitting. If Dominion can steal a win from Potomac Falls or Broad Run late in the season, the Titans might just be in position to win the district when it is all said and done.
