By Jimmy Thomas
Content Editor, DigitalSports.com
Check below the story for video highlights from Fridays Championship game.
The umpires from Saturday night’s Northern Region baseball championship game between Lake Braddock and Chantilly huddled in the parking lot behind the right/field fence at Yorktown High after the game rehashing the critical moments of the Bruins’ 9-6 victory over the Chargers.
At the forefront of the conversation was what proved to be the game-changing play in the deciding fifth inning. Lake Braddock, with the bases loaded and two outs, trailed Chantilly 6-4 when senior centerfielder Shane Halley hit a high fly ball that seemed to linger above the second baseman’s head for several minutes.
“I couldn’t find the ball,” one of the field umpires told his colleagues. “Then I looked down at the second baseman and saw his head swiveling like a bobble-head … and I realized he couldn’t see it either.”
The ball got lost in the lights and eventually fell just behind the second baseman, allowing all three base-runners to score to turn a two-run deficit to a one-run lead. Lake Braddock’s next batter — senior Bruin Shannon Mark — then belted a two-run, home run over the right field fence for a 9-6 advantage.
“I got lucky,” said Halley, who will play next season for the University of Virginia. “I got really lucky. Chris [Yates] made a great pitch, I just missed it and got really lucky. Thats all I can say.”
Lake Braddock led 2-1 after three innings, but Chantilly took its first lead of the game in the top of the fourth inning when senior Patrick Moore hit a leadoff homer to dead centerfield that was followed by a Chris Yates walk and another home run by senior Brian King.
The Bruins responded with a solo shot from second baseman Ryan Buckrop in the bottom half of the inning, but the Chargers rallied again, scoring two more runs in the fifth. Chantilly catcher Keith Morrisroe hit a two-run shot that scored senior Chris Gentile, pushing the Chargers’ lead to three before the Lake Braddock’s big, six-run fifth inning.
Sophomore pitcher Ryan Lindemuth entered the game in the fifth inning and recorded five of the games’ final six outs on strikeouts.
“I felt really comfortable because I was throwing to my brother,” said Lindemuth, whose brother Steven is the Bruins’ starting catcher. “I have been throwing to him for five years now. It was like we were throwing in the front yard.”
The Bruins will play Tuesday night at home against Indian River in the first round of the Virginia AAA state tournament. Chantilly, meanwhile, travels to Old Dominion University on Tuesday where it will face Bethel High School at 6 p.m.
Processing your request, Please wait....
