Chantilly Gets Revenge, Downs Stone Bridge 3-2
Chantilly's shortstop Danny Bates had a stellar evening offensively as the senior went 3-for-3 on the evening. Bates beats the throw for his first single of the night, to which he added another single and a double to conclude his offensive onslaught...
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Chantilly's Brian King makes the famous trip around the base path after tagging a fastball over the right field fence in the 1st inning. King's blast gave Chantilly a 2-0 lead and the Chargers never relinquished the lead.
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Senior Johnny Bladel rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the 6th inning of Friday's game. The Bulldogs lost 3-2 to Chantilly.
Photo By: Marc Gold / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
ASHBURN, VA - Earlier this season, the Stone Bridge Bulldogs sent Chantilly home for their first loss of spring 4-2. In that game, Chantilly stranded 15 base runners, and Stone Bridge exploded for a big inning to finally pull away. On Friday night, the Chargers got some revenge when it mattered most and advanced to the second round of the Northern Region tournament with a 3-2 victory.
In the previous meeting, Chantilly's lineup hit the ball hard but couldn't dent the scoreboard. That changed quickly when senior Brian King pelted a fastball over the right field fence with teammate Danny Bates on first. King's blast gave Chantilly an early 2-0 lead, and senior John Colella didn't need much more than that.
Collela, who struck out 17 hitters the last time he pitched a week ago, was just as sharp on Friday against Stone Bridge. He retired 17 of the first 19 Bulldogs he faced, and struck out 5 in that stretch. Stone Bridge didn't score until the 5th inning when Patrick Thompson raced home on an error in the infield after being hit by a pitch.
Thompson's run made the score 2-1, but Chantilly answered in the top of the 6th inning with a run of their own when senior Joe Danehower singled to right field with two outs, scoring Kevin McGrath from second. Chantilly led 3-1 entering the bottom half of the inning, and Colella was still pitching extremely well.
Stone Bridge senior Johnny Bladel, like he has done so many times for the Bulldogs, stepped up to the plate and delivered to lead the inning off. He sent Colella's only mistake of the night over the left field fence with a towering home run to pull Stone Bridge back within one run at 3-2.
In the bottom of the 7th, the Bulldogs put their first hitter on base when Michael Mattingly reached with a walk. Coach Sam Plank put Sid Harvey in to pinch run, but Colella made that move irrelevant.
The senior got Patrick Thompson to fly out to right field, and then struck out the next two hitters for the Bulldogs to end the game and Stone Bridge's season.
On the night, senior Danny Bates was 3 for 3 for Chantilly, with two singles and a double. He also played very well at shortstop in the game, making several tough plays in the field.
It was Chantilly's seniors that stepped up big on Friday in the 3-2 win over Stone Bridge. Last year, the Chargers made a deep run into the state playoffs, and leading the way then was King, and again the power hitting first baseman came to play when it mattered most.
"I was just trying to drive the fastball, and luckily he left it a little up," King said. "He throws the ball very hard, and I just tried to drive it the other way, and it worked out for me."
King, Bates, Danehower, and McGrath all registered hits on the night, and Colella was dominant.
In a losing effort, Stone Bridge senior Johnny Bladel pitched really well for the Bulldogs. He went the distance, giving up 7 hits, 3 earned runs, and struck out 7 Charger hitters.
After the game, Chantilly head coach Kevin Ford said it was huge to get Colella some run support early on.
"We've struggled lately to score runs, and to get that jump right there and with Brian having a really good approach there and getting a pitch he could handle, it was huge," said Ford.
Colella, who got the win with a complete game performance, struck out 9, and only gave up 1 hit in the contest. That hit was the home run to Bladel, but Colella said he was able to shake it off and keep his focus.
"I was kind of relieved that he hit the home run, because there was nobody else on base and I could go back to the wind-up, where I felt comfortable all night long," Colella said. "Nothing was really hurt, and I knew I just had to go back and get the 4-5-6 guys."
Chantilly will play T.C Williams on Memorial Day at Robinson High School with first pitch schedule for 4pm. Stone Bridge closed out their 2009 season with a record of 17-6. Bulldog head coach Sam Plank said he was proud of what his team was able to accomplish despite the tough loss.
"This group really came together and played well this year," Plank said. "To win 17 games says something about this group, and that's what makes it tough to see it end."
BEST BUY PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
Presented By: Best Buy
John Colella - Chantilly Senior Pitcher
Colella was incredible on Friday night, striking out 9 and finishing with a 1-hitter complete game in the 3-2 win over Stone Bridge. Colella moved his fastball in and out and threw his off-speed pitch impressively all night long. Stone Bridge really never got on track because of Colella's ability to get ahead of hitters early in the count.
Brian King - Chantilly Senior 1st Baseman
King was his usually self in the playoffs, Mr. Clutch. When the second season begins, King elevates his game, and his two run homer in the 1st inning was huge in this game. King also made several solid plays in the field at first base.
Johnny Bladel - Stone Bridge Senior Pitcher
Bladel pitched extremely well on Friday, and also crushed a solo home run in the contest for the Bulldogs. His stellar career on the diamond for Stone Bridge comes to an end after leading the Bulldogs to the Northern Region playoffs two years in a row.
COACH HAYES' ANALYSIS:
Presented By: AOC Solutions
The solution for Chantilly on Friday night was improved production from the lineup for head coach Kevin Ford, and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time. Ford's club had struggled to score against good pitching throughout the season, but on Friday, Chantilly took the lead early and never looked back. Colella is the real deal folks, and if the Chargers can get past TC Williams Monday, it will most likely create a showdown with West Springfield. The probable pitching match-up would feature Colella and Clemson recruit Mike Kent for the Spartans. Talk about a ticket worth purchasing.
Chantilly still needs to capitalize with runners on base. They left several stranded again on Friday night, and the game almost slipped away from them because of it. The good sign for Chantilly is the top of the order with Bates, King, and McGrath is starting to heat up just in time for another post-season run.
For Stone Bridge, Friday's defeat was a tough pill to swallow. They won 17 games this season, far more than most figured they would entering the 2009 campaign. Sam Plank will have some work to do to replace the talented senior class that graduates, but the future does look promising. Sophomore sensations J.J White and Spenser Rositano return to anchor the Bulldog roster next spring, and if this year was any indication, Stone Bridge will reload and be a contender again in 2009.
NORTHERN REGION QUARTERFINAL SCHEDULE
Monday May 25th, 2009
At Madison High School
- Westfield vs South County (1pm)
- Lake Braddock vs Centreville (4pm)
At Robinson High School
- West Springfield vs Robinson (1pm)
- Chantilly vs T.C Williams (4pm)
CONCORDE DOMINANCE:
Friday's opening round of the Northern Region playoffs proved some theories correct with the Concorde District winning all four of their match-ups. Westfield beat Woodson 11-5 to advance to Monday's quarterfinal where they will see South County. The Stallions defeated Edison 7-1. Centreville scored in the 1st inning against McLean to take a 1-0 lead, and that was all junior phenom Ryan Ashooh needed to help the Wildcats advance. They play Lake Braddock Monday after the Bruins beat Mount Vernon on Friday.
Robinson advanced with a win over Marshall Friday, and they will play West Springfield. The Spartans won 14-4 against Washington-Lee. Chantilly's 3-2 win over Stone Bridge put them in the quarterfinals, but surprisingly it was T.C Williams who beat top seeded National District team Yorktown to secure a spot opposite of the Chargers on Monday.
It's pretty remarkable that the Concorde District did not lose a single game, especially given the fact that they played some strong competition from the Liberty District. It just goes to show you that the Concorde District is the real deal. I'm convinced they will come out looking even better after Memorial Day.
VIDEO COPIES OF FRIDAY'S STONE BRIDGE VS CHANTILLY GAME:
If you would like to order a copy of Friday's game between Stone Bridge and Chantilly, you can do so by e-mailing GamedayMagazine@aol.com. The game will be available on-demand to watch throughout the next few weeks on GamedayTV.
