Mr. Clutch: Snyder Powers Westfield to 8-7 Win
CHANTILLY, VA - With plenty at stake and community pride on the line on Wednesday, the Westfield Bulldogs and Chantilly Chargers squared off in a highly anticipated baseball regular season finale, and the game couldn't have been better from a fan's perspective. With five major college baseball players on the diamond between the two teams, the hype surrounding the contest between the Bulldogs and Chargers was well deserved.
Westfield scored quickly in the first inning when third baseman Mike Snyder hammered a Chris Yates fastball over the right field fence to make the score 3-0 Bulldogs. Westfield held onto the lead until the 3rd inning, but the Chargers stormed back, scoring 5 runs to take a 5-3 lead. A Matt Snyder solo homerun for the Bulldogs in the 4th inning cut the Charger lead to 5-4, but the scoring was far from over.
After Westfield took a 6-5 lead in the top of the 5th inning, Chantilly's Keith Morrisroe tied the game with a two out RBI single. Morrisroe advanced to third on an error in the outfield and then scored the go ahead run on another error by the Bulldogs to give the Chargers a 7-6 lead heading into the 6th inning.
Chantilly put the game in the hands of Pat Somers, and for the most part Somers shut down the Westfield bats, at least until the top of the 7th.
The Bulldogs rallied with two outs to put runners on first and second for slugger Matt Snyder. With Somers heading to East Carolina and Snyder heading to Ole Miss next fall, the match-up between two top flight prospects with the game on the line was worth the price of admission for the hundreds in attendance.
Somers worked the count to two balls and two strikes, and after some solid pitches that Snyder fouled off, the payoff pitch was a fastball, but it didn't end well for the left hander on the mound. Snyder belted the two strike fastball to the left centerfield fence, scoring both runners, giving the Bulldogs an 8-7 lead.
Aaron Scoville took the mound for Westfield in relief of starter Tommy Fenyak, and Scoville got two quick outs. Chantilly's Brian King then belted a two out double and Chantilly had the tying run at second base. After Justin Carwile walked, Scoville threw a ball in the dirt that allowed King and Carwile to move up to second and third, and Chantilly put the game in the hands of pinch hitter Brandon Beckner.
Beckner nearly won the game on a ground ball over third base, but the umpire called it foul, and on the next pitch, Beckner grounded out for the final out of the game. Westfield improved to 13-7 with the win, but more importantly, the Bulldogs secured a share of second place in the Concorde District. Chantilly fell to 13-7 with the loss.
Both teams will enter the Concorde District tournament next week as contenders and both could figure into the Northern Region playoff picture week after next.
Chick-fil-A Players of the Game:
Matt Snyder - Senior 1st Baseman / Westfield
Westfield's Matt Snyder was Mr. Clutch with the game on the line on Wednesday, hammering a two strike pitch for a double that gave the Bulldogs the lead for good. He also crushed a solo homerun over the right field fence in the 3rd inning.
Keith Morrisroe - Senior Catcher / Chantilly
Chantilly's Keith Morrisroe was also clutch for the Chargers when the game was on the line, driving in the tying run with two outs and two strikes in the 5th inning. He later scored the go-ahead run to give the Chargers a 7-6 lead heading into the final inning.
*Check back for more game stats and the official box score on Thursday and make sure you check out the video and photos on our official photo gallery page and GamedayTV.
Game Notes:
It was senior night for Chantilly on Wednesday as they honored 11 players with a pregame ceremony. Check out the pictures from the pregame on our Gameday Photo Gallery by clicking here.
