Spartans Blast Lake Braddock For Region Title
Senior CF Bryn Renner and the rest of the Spartans greet Tucker Tobin at the plate in the 1st inning Saturday after his 3-run home run put West Springfield up early, 4-0. The Spartans went on to win 11-1 to take the Northern Region title, and will now face Deep Run, at home, on Tuesday, in the state quarterfinals.
Photo By Phil Dolinger \ Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
West Springfield pitcher Mike Kent dominated the Lake Braddock batters throughout Saturday's Northern Region championship game...scattering five hits, allowing one earned run, striking out seven batters, and walking only three.
Photo By Marc Gold \ Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
Lake Braddock catcher Andrew Weidenger applies the tag to West Springfield's Aaron Self in the 1st inning Saturday. The Spartans scored four runs in the 1st inning, however, and went on to win 11-1.
Photo By Phil Dolinger \ Gameday Magazine | VIEW GALLERY
VIENNA, VA - If you are going to try and dethrone a champion, who better to take the mound on your quest, than one of the Region's best? That's what the West Springfield Spartans faced on Saturday afternoon at Madison High School. The Lake Braddock Bruins, last year's Northern Region champions, were looking to keep that crown on their collective heads for one more year, but had to face Spartan ace Mike Kent to do so. And it was Kent who would prevail, scattering 5 hits, allowing a mere one run after blanking the Bruins in the 1st five innings, and going the distance in the 11-1 lopsided victory.
Kent was aided by an offensive outburst that was relentless, beginning in the 1st inning. After starting Bruin pitcher Thomas Gramsch plunked the 1st two Spartans he faced, DH Charlie Morgan bunted them both over to 2nd and 3rd. After a fielder's choice out at the plate for the 1st out of the inning, sophomore DH David Pyon laced a ball into center field, scoring Bryn Renner for the 1st run of the game. Senior C Tucker Tobin strode to the plate next, and took the 1st pitch he saw and drove it just over the right field fence for a 3-run home run, and the inning would end there, with the Spartans on top 4-0.
That would be all the runs Kent needed on the night, as he was masterful on the bump all game. Mixing high velocity curve balls with pinpoint accurate fastballs, he kept the Lake Braddock batters of balance most of the game. Even when the Bruins would seem to get something going, getting runners on and in scoring position (in the 1st and 3rd innings), he bore down and induced ground ball outs, or struck out the side.
West Springfield's offense added runs in the 2nd and 4th innings, but it was the 6th inning that was Lake Braddock's undoing, as they would send 3 different pitchers to the hill to try and stop the Spartan onslaught, but not before they plated 5 in the frame. After Lake Braddock scored in their half of the 6th inning, on Ryan Owens' RBI single to score 1B Bobby Klein, sophomore lead-off hitter, Aaron Self, led off with a single to right, and Bryn Renner reached 1st base on a 5 pitch walk. RF Bobby Wahl laced an RBI single to left-center field, scoring Self, and Renner moved to 3rd on the play. With runners now on the corners, Pyon delivered again, with a double to left-center field, scoring Renner, and Wahl was held up at 3rd. Tobin then added to his RBI total with a single to right, scoring Wahl. After a 2nd pitching change, 1B Richie McMahon finished the scoring with a 2RBI single to right field, scoring Pyon and Tobin.
Kent bent a little, but did not break in the top of the 7th inning, allowing two Bruin base runners, on a single by Keegan Halley, and a Ryan Lindemuth base on balls, he induced a ground out to short to end the game, and the Spartans are now the 2009 Northern Region champions, with the 11-1 victory.
Lake Braddock, having qualified for the state championship tournament by virtue of their 2nd place finish, will now travel down Interstate 95, to Hanover (a few miles East of Ashland) on Tuesday, in the 1st round of state competition, while West Springfield will host Deep Run on the same night. The championships continue on Friday, at Westfield HS, with the semi-final rounds, and concludes Saturday at 3:00pm at the same venue. Friday and Saturday games will be aired live on the Gameday Radio Network, beginning with the CiCi's Pizza Pregame Show, approximately 30 minutes prior to each scheduled contest.
BEST BUY PLAYER OF THE GAME
Tucker Tobin - Sr. Catcher, West Springfield
Tobin got all the runs the Spartans needed in the game, in the 1st inning, with his 3-run home run blast over the right field fence at Madison's Warhawk Stadium Saturday. When the dust settled and the numbers were tallied, Tobin went 2-4, with 4 RBI, and scoring twice.
