Thorpe, Hoover Lift West Stars To 2-0 Win
Sherando's Brogan Hoover broke a scoreless tie in the top of the 3rd inning with a RBI single, and that proved to be the difference as the West All-Stars beat the East All-Stars 2-0 in the 2nd Annual All-Star Game.....
Photo By: Jan Johnson / Gameday | VIEW GALLERY
Stone Bridge's Spencer Brookbank tripled in the top of the 8th inning and knocked in Westfield's Aaron Scoville to give the West All-Stars a 2-0 lead, the game's final score.
Photo By: Jan Johnson / Gameday | VIEW GALLERY
McLean's Sean Fitzgerald got the start for the East All-Stars, and pitched well in his three innings of work. The East All-Stars were unable to give Fitzgerald any offensive help in the 2-0 loss.
Photo By: Jan Johnson / Gameday | VIEW GALLERY
CHANTILLY, VA - It took an extra year for the history books to show a winner of Gameday's baseball All-Star Game, but it was worth the wait. On Friday night, in front of a packed crowd at Chantilly High School, Chuck Welch's West All-Stars pitched a shutout, and turned a few double plays to keep the East All-Stars in check en route to a 2-0 victory.
Centreville's Ryan Ashooh got the win, and Herndon's Nick Impellizzeri registered the save in the 2nd Annual All-Star Game. The West Team didn't exactly scorch the baseball, but they found a way to score when it mattered to seal the victory.
The East All-Stars appeared to have the first legitimate chance to break a scoreless game in the bottom of the 2nd inning, when Woodbridge's Nick Rogowski doubled to lead the inning off. Chantilly's Adam Fridy was then hit in the back by Ashooh, and the East had runners on 1st and 2nd with nobody out.
However, Ashooh got Oakton's Matt Chandler to ground into a double play on a grounder to shortstop Chris Campbell (Centreville). Rogowski moved over the third, but was stranded to keep the game at 0-0 heading to the Top of the 3rd.
Brentsville's Justin Weaver started the inning off with a single to right field for the West All-Stars, and later scored when Sherando's Brogan Hoover singled to left field, to give the West All-Stars a 1-0 lead.
Westfield's Danny Thorpe took the ball from Ashooh in the bottom of the 3rd, and proceeded to strike out Joey Garon of Fairfax, and Washington-Lee's Tom Edwards. Lake Braddock's Bobby Klein then walked, and moved up to second when McLean's Denis Buckley singled with two outs.
Thorpe then buckled down and got Rogowski to ground out, ending the inning and keeping the West All-Stars ahead 1-0 heading to the top of the 4th.
Rogowski entered the game in relief of McLean's Sean Fitzgerald, and quickly retired the side with two ground outs, and a strikeout.
In the bottom of the 4th, Thorpe was on his game again, striking out Fridy and Oakton's Matt Chandler for the first two outs. Woodson's Ryan Lluy then reached base on an error, and later moved up to second on a passed ball. Lake Braddock's Ryan Lindemuth then drew a walk.
With the East All-Stars again threatening, Thorpe struck out Garon to strand the runners, and end the frame. In two innings of work, Thorpe struck out 5 of the 10 hitters he faced, giving up only one hit.
Neither team put a man on base again until the 7th inning when Loudoun Valley's Beattie Southerland singled to lead off the inning. Brentsville's Brian McBride then popped up in the infield for the first out.
Heritage's Nick Clayton then singled to right field for the West All-Stars, moving Southerland up to 2nd. Moments later, Chantilly's Matt DeWitt caught Clayton with too big of a lead down at first, and picked him off.
Loudoun Valley's Alex Owens then struck out to retire the side, stranding Southerland at 2nd base.
In the bottom of the 7th, Herndon's Daniel Shill replaced Broad Run's Shane Vlasic on the hill with the West All-Stars still holding onto a 1-0 lead. Vlasic, who earlier in the week said he was interested to see how his pitching would hold up against the East All-Stars, performed well in two innings of work.
He threw 34 pitches and 21 of them were strikes, and finished with 3 strikeouts on the night.
Shill proceeded to be just as effective for the West, getting McLean's Chris Russo, Sean Fitzgerald, and Lake Braddock's Bobby Klein to all ground out to end the 7th.
The West All-Stars added an insurance run in the top of the 8th inning when Westfield's Aaron Scoville reached base on an error. Stone Bridge's Spencer Brookbank then tripled to right centerfield to plate Scoville, and the West All-Stars took a 2-0 lead.
Trailing 2-0, the East All-Stars had one last chance to mount a comeback in the bottom of the 9th, but Herndon's Nick Impellizzeri wouldn't let it happen. Impellizzeri struck out Russo after walking Robinson's Rutger Floyd, and then got Fitzgerald out on strikes as well.
W.T Woodson's Connor Reilly then flied out to right field with Floyd on second to end the game.
Click here to see the complete box score, and team statistics by Gameday's Chris Barron.
CROWN TROPHY MVP AWARDS:
Presented By: Crown Trophy
Brian McBride (Brentsville Catcher)
There wasn't a harder working player on the field in Friday's All-Star Game than Brentsville's Brian McBride. Head Coach Chuck Welch and his staff were so impressed with McBride's toughness and play behind the plate that Welch personally made a trip to the press box to recommend him for the MVP honor.
Centreville's Chris Mandell had to leave early for graduation, and McBride was the only catcher left on the roster to handle the in-game catching duties, bullpen duties, and still found the energy to hit.
He finished the night 0-1, but won the admiration of his teammates and coaches en route to being named the West All-Star MVP.
"It was a lot of fun, and it was something I haven't done before," said McBride. "I met my future college roommate at Longwood next year too in Alex Owens, who was on my team tonight, so that was pretty cool."
Nick Rogowski (Woodbridge Pitcher/Right Fielder)
A week after starting the state championship game, Rogowski was back doing what he did best this spring on both the mound and at the plate. Rogowski had a double in the contest, and finished 1 for 3. He reached base twice in the game, and threw two innings of no-hit baseball for the East All-Stars, thus earning the East Team MVP trophy.
"Going up on the mound, my arm felt great with 6 to 8 days rest," said Rogowski about his All-Star experience. "It's a great group of guys, and having my coaches out here was great. They are all great guys, and it was just a great time."
COACH HAYES' ANALYSIS:
Presented By: Fundusnow.com
Friday's 2nd Annual All-Star Game was once again a thrill for the players, coaches, fans, and most of all, us here at Gameday. It was bitter sweet too, as the game marked the end of the 2010 baseball season.
We travel around the region all year long, watching the finest perform on the diamond, and we become fans too from the broadcast booth. It was fun to watch pitchers like Ryan Ashooh, Danny Thorpe, and Sean Fitzgerald throw one more time in their high school uniform.
The results weren't much different than what they had done in their entire careers either. The hitters had the odds stacked against them on Friday night, but they battled too. Spencer Brookbank's big triple at the end of the game was a fitting end to his senior year.
It also brought the first game of the year that we covered back to the front of my mind. It was between Loudoun Valley and Stone Bridge, and the game was dedicated to former Bulldog assistant James Timbers, who passed away earlier this year.
As Brookbank dove into 3rd base safely, I couldn't help but think that just maybe, it brought a smile to Timbers watching from up above.
Friday's All-Star Game didn't feature too many highlights at the plate, but the defensive plays made were tremendous. There were 3 double plays turned in the first two innings alone.
We learned that the Group AA baseball talent is just as rich as the Group AAA in the Northern and Northwest Regions. Broad Run's Shane Vlasic, Sherando's Brogan Hoover, and Brentsville's Brian McBride and Justin Weaver all performed well in the 2-0 win for the West All-Stars.
As for the coaches, they had a blast too. Welch, who coached last year's West All-Stars said after the game, that he had a ton of fun.
"The thing that makes this so fun is the fact that we get to meet all of the kids we play against, or read about during the year, and then get the opportunity to get to know them. That's what I enjoy the most about coaching in this game."
Welch improved his All-Star coaching record to 1-0-1 with the West's 2-0 win over the East on Friday night, and the East All-Stars fell to 0-1-1.
All in all, everyone in attendance was treated to a great game, and we should all feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to watch the area's best players take the field one final time.
On behalf of the entire Gameday staff, we'd like to thank the coaches, players, and the staff at Chantilly High School for helping to make this event successful for the second year in a row.
I'm already excited for the 3rd Annual All-Star Weekend next spring!
GAME VIDEO & TEAM PICTURE AVAILABLE FOR ORDER:
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