Ashooh Blanks McLean; Wildcats Advance 1-0
The Centreville Wildcats greet and congratulate Ryan Ashooh after he blanked McLean in the inning, and the game, sending the Wildcats to the 2nd round of the Northern Region tournament.
Photo By Dave Bernhardt \ Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Centreville's Ryan Ashooh scattered 5 hits, striking out 8 McLean batters, enroute to a 1-0 complete game, 1st round Northern Region tournament victory...
Photo By Dave Bernhardt \ Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
McLean hurler Sean Fitzgerald matched Centreville's Ashooh in hits allowed and strikeouts, but gave up the eventual game winning run in the 1st inning Friday night.
Photo By Dave Bernhardt \ Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
McLEAN, VA - In a game that everyone around the Northern Region had their eye on...mainly because of the pitching match-up...Centreville's junior LH Ryan Ashooh faced off against McLean's junior RH Sean Fitzgerald, in the 1st round of the Northern Region tournament, and the match-up between the two All District Pitchers was all that it was hyped to be, as the #4 Concorde seed, Centreville, traveled to McLean, the #1 Liberty seed.
Ashooh, Concorde District Pitcher of the Year, and Fitzgerald, the POY of the Liberty, squared off at McLean Friday night, and the two proceeded to try and outdo each other from the start, trying to show the other who was the better hurler. But in the end, it would be Ashooh that came out on top, with the 1-0 complete game victory, and sending his Wildcats to the 2nd round of the Northern Region tournament.
The scoring started early when Centreville junior SS Ryan Campbell laced a 1st inning, 2-out double to the left-center field fence. Two batters later, junior RF Connor Bach drilled a Fitzgerald fastball right back up the middle to score Campbell. Fitzgerald induced a deep fly-out to end the inning, and that would be all Ryan Ashooh needed. Retiring the 1st eight batters he faced, before an Ethan Gaba hit in the 3rd, Ashooh would scatter 5 hits across seven innings, striking out eight, including four of the last five Highlander batters he faced in the game, and only got in trouble one time, before quelling the McLean threat.
That threat came in the 6th inning, and is when Centreville's defense flexed their muscle, as well. Junior OF, and leadoff hitter, Riley Beiro led off with a double that was smoked to the right-center field fence. With Beiro being the tying run, with no outs, junior SS Chris Russo laid down what appeared to be a perfect bunt to the drawn in right side infield. But 1B J.P. Nicholas wheeled and threw to 3rd to get Beiro trying to advance for the 1st out of the inning. With Russo now at 1B, Fitzgerald turned on an inside fastball, and drove a single past a diving Kevin LeChance down the 3rd base line, sending the speedy Russo to 3rd, and Fitzgerald advanced to 2nd when the throw from the outfield sailed to the plate. Centreville skipper Morgan Spencer opted to intentionally walk the dangerous hitting Erik Payne to load the bases to set up force plays at every bag and at the plate. But Ashooh wouldn't need the help as he proceeded to strike out the next two highlander batters to end the threat, and the inning.
Then, after a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the 7th inning, with Ashooh striking out two of the three batters he faced, the Centreville Wildcats escaped McLean with the 1-0 victory, sending them to the 2nd round of the Northern Region tournament, and ending the storybook run for the Liberty District champion McLean Highlanders.
Both pitchers went the distance for their teams, and matched each other's production, with the exception of the one run allowed by Sean Fitzgerald. Both allowed only five hits, striking out eight, and allowed just one base on balls, with Ashooh's being intentional.
Centreville will now travel to Madison High School on Monday to face the Lake Braddock Bruins, the #3 seed out of the Patriot District, who defeated Mount Vernon 7-2 on Friday night. That game is slated for a 4:00 start.
BEST BUY PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Ryan Ashooh - Junior LHP, Centreville Wildcats
Ashooh, as stated above, was magnificent on the bump for the Wildcats. Only getting into trouble in one inning, he pitched out of the threat in the 6th, showing that any time he takes the ball for Centreville, chances are the Wildcats will be victorious. Should the Wildcats be able to get by Lake Braddock, Ashooh would be available again in Wednesday's semi-final match-up, and the Wildcats could see a state tournament berth.
Sean Fitzgerald - Junior RHP, McLean Highlanders
Fitzgerald pitched a game that against any other Northern Region hurler would have seen the Highlanders advance to the 2nd round of this tournament. 1 run, on 5 hits, and striking out 8 batters, is worthy of a victory in any game. But it just wasn't meant to be on this night
