Cadets foil Saints
By Eric Kolenich Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: May 01, 2011
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With a runner on second base and the score knotted at 5 in the bottom of the eighth inning, all Porter Reinhart needed was a bloop single into the outfield to give St. Christopher's the victory. He came about an inch short.
Reinhart, who had hit a two-run homer in the first, sent a pop fly to shallow left-center field. If the ball had hit the ground, the Saints would have taken an extra-inning victory away from Benedictine.
But Cadets shortstop David Geary dived backward, catching the ball and quelling the Saints' rally. He also had the go-ahead RBI the next inning, sending No. 8 Benedictine (17-3) to a 9-5 nine-inning victory over No. 9 St. Christopher's (15-5) in front of about 1,100 at RF&P Park in Glen Allen on Saturday night.
"That's the thing you go to bed dreaming about," Geary said of the catch. "You think, 'If I could do that, it would be amazing.' "
Benedictine coach Sean Ryan called it one of the defensive plays of the year for the Cadets.
"In that type of situation, it's a do-or-die play," Ryan said.
In the top of the ninth, Geary, who also plays quarterback on the Cadets' football team, hit a fierce bouncer that tore past the second baseman's head and shot into the outfield. That scored outfielder Michael Childress from second, making the score 6-5. The next two batters reached on errors, giving the Cadets a 9-5 lead.
Benedictine's Andrew Woods struck out two batters in the bottom half of the ninth to secure the Cadets' victory.
St. Christopher's committed five errors, which led to four unearned runs.
"It was the defense that crushed us tonight," Saints coach Tony Szymendera said.
St. Christopher's scored all of its runs in the first and the seventh. Reinhart and Casey Fox each had homers to get the Saints started. Later, Patrick Martin scored on a fielder's choice and Fox on a wild pitch. Reinhart finished 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Fox was 2-for-4 and scored two runs.
Benedictine starter Zach Joseph threw 51/3 innings, allowing three earned runs on six hits. He struck out four and walked five.
"He did very well without his best stuff," Ryan said.
Woods relieved Joseph, throwing 32/3 innings. He allowed two runs on two hits. Zach Matthews had two doubles and two RBIs. Michael Childress was 1-for-3 and scored twice.
The game, a rematch of the 2010 VISAA state championship won by Benedictine, served as a fundraiser for Glen Allen Buddy Ball, a program that helps disabled children play baseball. The game raised more than $2,000.
Benedictine is the top team in the state VISAA poll. St. Christopher's is No. 3.
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ekolenich@timesdispatch.con
Benedict. 021 101 004- 9 7 0
St. Chris 300 000 200- 5 8 5
Joseph, Woods (6) and Wood; Fox, English (6) and Stanchina. W — Woods. L — English.
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