South Richmond singles out Delaware

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. -- In a 15-2 romp, the biggest winner yesterday was, of course, South Richmond.

But in a close second might be VCU.

The Rams picked up two commitments this week from the South Richmond Post 137 team, which after a setback Friday resumed its dominance yesterday afternoon by run-ruling New Castle, Del.

The team plays again today at either 1 or 7 p.m., with the chance to advance to the American Legion Mid-Atlantic final and potentially a second-consecutive Legion World Series appearance.

Yesterday was a demonstration of offensive might, including a 4-for-4 from cleanup hitter Dustin Sollars. The team felt it had something to prove after being stymied by Mount Laurel, N.J., in the previous outing.

"We feel like we can hang with anybody here," he said. "We got off to a great start and scored in nearly every inning."

The offensive explosion of recent weeks hasn't gone unnoticed. Catcher Chris Ayers and third baseman Joey Cujas, both rising seniors at Manchester, agreed this week to play for VCU beginning in 2010.

South Richmond's ace pitcher, Blake Hauser, will become a Ram this fall, barring an agreement with the Cleveland Indians, who drafted him late in this year's Major League Baseball draft.

NCAA rules prohibit VCU from commenting on commitments, but the team did send a representative to Morgantown this week to watch the future players, as well as scout out some of the team's young talent.

There was plenty to see yesterday. Cujas and Ayers were the only players to double on a day that was mostly dominated by singles and a steady parade of South Richmond players around the bases.

The only player not to get a hit was Hauser, but that was because of a lack of chances. He walked twice, was hit once and laid down a successful suicide squeeze bunt in the first, then flied out in the sixth.

On the mound, Danny Mooney's lone blemish was a pair of runs he allowed in the first. After that he settled down and blanked New Castle the rest of the way, finishing in the seventh with a pair of strikeouts.

"The offense gave me a lot of runs, and I worked off of that," the rising senior at Cosby said.

Sollars praised Mooney as one of the team's most consistent pitchers, adding that he nearly always hits the spot given to him by Ayers.

Mooney also was backed by a strong defense, including a glove-popping throw from Ryan Morrison at first base that gunned down a runner at home during the third inning. In addition, the team successfully turned two double plays through second baseman Tyler Piper.

South Richmond's opponent for today will be Mount Airy, Md.

"Every game could be our last game," coach Byron Ballard said. "It's important to play with that intensity."

South Richmond ------------------------- 315 004 2 15 16 1
New Castle, Del. ------------------------- 200 000 0 2 8 3

Mooney and C. Ayers; Geyeski, Latham (4), DeAscanis (6) and Craft. L: Geyeski.

Records: South Richmond 27-5; New Castle, Del. 25-10