Wahl Pitches Spartans Past Chantilly 2-1
Chantilly's Kevin McGrath battles it out at home with West Springfield's Tucker Tobin in the 5th inning. McGrath beat the throw home for the first run of the game on Wednesday evening...
Photo By: Phil Dolinger / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
West Springfield's senior outfielder Andy Stallings had the game winning hit against Chantilly, lifting his team to a 2-1 victory.Battling with Colella on a 3-2 count, Stallings drove a fastball over the outside half of the plate to score Richie McMahon from first base...
Photo By: Phil Dolinger / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Chantilly junior catcher Matt DeWitt jumps up to catch a high pop-up late in the game against West Springfield. DeWitt had a great night defensively, gunning a Spartan out at 2nd base for a key out, while also lacing a sac fly to help his Chargers offensively...
Photo By: Phil Dolinger / Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
FAIRFAX, VA - John Colella, Bobby Wahl, that's pretty much all you need to know about Wednesday's clash between Chantilly and West Springfield. Fans were treated to an extra inning thriller than eventually ended on an extra base hit by Andy Stallings that scored Richie McMahon for the Spartans. The 2-1 win gave the Spartans a berth into the state playoffs, and in Friday's Northern Region Championship contest.
West Springfield will play Lake Braddock for the third time this spring on Friday for the Northern Region title after the Bruins upset Westfield 3-0 in the first game of the afternoon.
Chantilly scored first to take a 1-0 lead in the top of the 5th inning when Kevin McGrath touched home on a sacrifice fly to left by junior Matt DeWitt. The Chargers led 1-0 and with pitcher John Colella pitching a gem, Chantilly looked confident in their chances to win the game.
West Springfield found an answer in the bottom of the 6th inning after junior Bobby Wahl doubled off of Colella. Courtesy runner Tomy scored when Tucker Tobin singled to right field, tying the score at 1-1.
The game remained tied over the next few innings as Colella and Wahl were dominant on the hill. Through 6 innings, Wahl had struck out 9 Chargers already, and Colella was getting stronger as the game progressed.
Chantilly threatened in the top of the 7th, 8th, and 9th, but Wahl got out of every jam to keep the game tied at 1-1. That set up the drama in the bottom of the 9th for the Spartans.
Colella, who pitched masterfully the entire game, allowed Richie McMahon on with a single to centerfield with two outs. That brought senior Andy Stallings to plate with a chance to win the game with an extra base hit, and that's exactly what he did.
Stallings worked the count full, fouling off several pitches from Colella to stay alive in the at-bat. After the 8th pitch of the exchange between the two, Stallings hammered a fastball to right centerfield, plating McMahon all the way from first for the game winner.
Stallings said that he was just hoping to get a pitch he could drive, and Colella finally threw one to him.
"It was just fastball after fastball. He [Colella] wasn't throwing me anything else, he wasn't throwing me anything else all game," said Stallings. "I knew it was coming and I just finally got a piece of it and it just went."
The Spartans celebrated the win, storming the field and chasing down both McMahon and Stallings after the play. Head Coach John James said that his Spartans had played in some close games throughout the season, and that was an advantage in Wednesday's game.
"We've played in a lot of big games. They have been there before. I think we have had 3 or 4 walk-off games this year. They have a never say die attitude and they have the confidence to get it done at crunch time," said James.
Wahl finished the night with 14 strikeouts and scattered 5 hits in a 9 inning complete game performance. Wahl said after the game that it was one of the best games he's been a part of.
"I was just praying for a hit," said Wahl. "John [Colella] was pitching lights out all game. I have so much respect for John."
The Spartans will play Lake Braddock at Madison High School Friday for the Northern Region Championship, and according to James, West Springfield's strategy will be to go after the win at all costs.
"We're going for it. We'll worry about the state playoffs when we get there," said James. "We've got a chance to win a ball game and be Regional Champs, so we are going at it 100%."
Wednesday's game was one that you hate to see someone lose, especially the way Colella pitched for Chantilly. Entering the game, Colella had struck out 26 hitters in his previous two starts, and on Wednesday he added 7 more to that total. He gave up just 6 hits and 2 earned runs, but that was enough for West Springfield to advance to Friday's final.
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Bobby Wahl - Junior Pitcher (West Springfield)
Wahl was magnificent for the Spartans on Wednesday, tossing a 5 hitter and striking out 14 hitters. His control was impressive, and as the game wore on, his velocity never dropped on his fastball. He was dominant in every fashion, and was deserving of the win.
Andy Stallings - Senior Outfielder (West Springfield)
No stranger to big games and crucial moments in a big game, Andy Stallings once again came through for the Spartans with the game winning hit. Stallings played well in the outfield too, but his last at-bat was a classic. Battling with Colella on a 3-2 count, Stallings drove a fastball over the outside half of the plate to score Richie McMahon from first base. The hit gave West Springfield a 2-1 win and a berth into the state playoffs.
COACH HAYES' ANALYSIS:
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Great pitching trumps great hitting on most nights, and that is what we saw on Wednesday night with the Chargers and Spartans. The two best players on the field were the pitchers Colella and Wahl. Back and forth they went, exchanging punch outs and great pitches. It truly was a classic of a game, and the ending was what playoff baseball is all about.
West Springfield has a legit chance to win the region, and contend for a state championship. They are four wins away from that scenario, and the reason they can do it is because of their pitching. If you want to be a serious contender, you have to have two quality starters on the hill, and the Spartans have it with Wahl and Mike Kent.
What a luxury it is for Coach James to have both of these guys in the stable. West Springfield is a good hitting club all the way through the lineup, and they can sting just about any pitcher they face.
I like their chances to be playing at Westfield in the state semifinals at a minimum a week from Friday.
Chantilly played a tremendous game, and in some ways, they outplayed West Springfield in the game. They hit at key moments, bunted guys over, and played stellar defense to keep the game knotted up.
Colella was every bit as impressive as Wahl, and stellar defensive plays from Matt DeWitt and Timmy Bolinger headlined the night for Chantilly. Coach Kevin Ford and his staff deserve a ton of credit for getting this team ready to compete at the highest level in this tournament.
This one will hurt for a bit, but looking back over time, they will be proud of how they played.
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