VISAA Baseball: A comeback, title thwarted

By: ERIC KOLENICH TIMES-DISPATCH STAFF WRITER | Times-Dispatch
Published: May 17, 2009

PETERSBURG - In only the program's fifth year, Steward's players got so close to winning the championship, they could almost touch it.

But in the bottom of the seventh inning, a 3-2 single from catcher Ray Morton gave Greenbrier a 4-3 win and the VISAA Division II state title.

"I love them like my own sons, so it's just disappointing to lose," Steward coach Bruce Secrest said. "One thing's for sure, I'm never disappointed in them because they're such quality young men."

The game went back and forth, with Greenbrier taking a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning and Steward (22-4) tying it up in the sixth. The Spartans never took the lead, but they never let the Gators get comfortable, either.

"They made a couple more plays than we did and I think that ended up being the difference in the ball game," Secrest said.

Greenbrier had the chance to win the game in the top of the seventh inning. Starter Eddie Butler needed only one more strike to win the game. He threw two curve balls to get the count 0-2, but the third curve ball hit the dirt and rolled past Morton, scoring Gary LeClair from third.

But Morton got the chance to redeem himself in the bottom of the seventh. With Adam Tiller standing on second base, Morton missed two opportunities to bunt Tiller over. But Morton worked the count to 3-2 and drove a fastball into right field. Tiller rounded third and slid into home, beating a late tag to score the winning run and win the state championship.

"With an 0-2 count, [Steward pitcher J.T. Wauford] wasn't going to give me anything good to hit," Morton said. "I looked for a fastball that I could drive, and I didn't get one until 3-2. I saw my pitch and drove it. It was exactly what I wanted to do."

This was Steward's second loss of the year to Greenbrier. Earlier in the season, Greenbrier beat Steward 10-5.

"Words can't describe [the feeling]," Morton said. "It hasn't sunk in yet."

Fifth-year senior Wauford pitched the whole game for Steward, allowing three earned runs on four hits. Wauford, who joined the team as an eighth grader in the program's first season, graduates having taken the Spartans further than they've ever gone in program history.

"It couldn't have been any better," Wauford said, looking back on his five years. "It's kind of surreal to see how far we've come to where we are now."

Steward ------------------------- 000 002 1 - 3 5 1
Greenbrier ------------------------- 000 201 1 - 4 4 0

Wauford and Shiflett. Butler and Morton.

DIVISION I

Paul VI 8,
Benedictine 4

Down two runs in the sixth inning, the Cadets began to think, "Is this karma?"

After all, Benedictine had defeated St. Anne's-Belfield and St. Christopher's earlier in the VISAA tournament, despite trailing by two runs going into the final inning of each game. The Cadets were hoping for three in a row.

But lighting didn't strike three times for Benedictine, which fell to Paul VI 8-4 in the VISAA Division I state championship.

Down 6-0 in the second inning, the Cadets climbed back. Benedictine capitalized on errors Paul VI made late in the game and got some timely hitting from Mike Goldberg and Derek Bushey to cut the score to 6-4 in the sixth inning.

Despite being down by two runs, as they were in their last two victories, a championship wasn't in the cards for the Cadets. Benedictine allowed two runs in the bottom of the sixth, meaning the Cadets would now need four runs in the last inning to win.

"Our players truly believed they'd score five runs in the last inning to win," Benedictine coach Sean Ryan said.

Benedictine got one man on base, but couldn't muster any more, finally ending its upset bid.

"This was a season of upsets," Ryan said. "That's the trademark of this team, to fight until the last out."

Paul VI's offense tagged starter Tucker Poole, who pitched on three days rest, for five runs in the second inning, almost putting the game out of reach. Benedictine's six pitchers couldn't keep Paul VI's offense down as Matt Kianka and Chad Morgan both homered for the Panthers.

Goldberg made his 101st consecutive start for Benedictine.
Benedictine ------------------------- 000 013 0 - 4 6 1
Paul VI ------------------------- 051 002 x - 8 10 3

Poole, Joseph (3), Childress (5), Murphy (5), Bushey (6), Goldberg (6) and Dyer. Mancari, McGee and Morgan. W: Mancari. L: Poole.
Contact Eric Kolenich at (804) 649-6109 or ekolenich@timesdispatch.com.