Here a few of the most recent articles I've found:
MOUNTAIN VIEW 9, MASSAPONAX 6
Ben Keller went 3-for-4 with four RBIs to lead Mountain View over Massaponax.
Sean Morgan was 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a sacrifice fly for the Wildcats (3–2, 3–1), who visit Orange on Tuesday.
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Mountain View 0020 250 9 11 3
VINNIE CUNNINGHAM, Brandon Imler (3) and Ben White. CRAIG LOPEZ (6), Sean Morgan, Justin Kime (3) and Isaac Geisler.
Prep Baseball: Eagles won’t slack off
By STEVE FRANZELLO
Last year, Colonial Forge put together a 12-game winning steak to earn a share of the Commonwealth District title and a Northwest Region playoff berth.
With 10 players gone from that playoff squad, a rebuilding mode appeared to be inevitable for the Eagles this season.
But under veteran coach Shawn Szakelyhidi, Colonial Forge doesn’t always rebuild—it reloads.
After Friday night’s 6–4 comeback win over county rival Stafford, it appears that the reloading process is in full swing. After falling behind 4–0, the new-look Eagles rallied for six runs and then closed out the win.
“I was pleased,” said Szakelyhidi. “We didn’t panic, and we didn’t try to get it all back with one swing. That’s a sign of a team that’s maturing.”
The Eagles (5–2 overall, 3–1 in the district) may not have got it all back with one swing, but they came pretty close with senior Chase Boster’s three-run homer in the bottom of the third.
After a scoreless first inning, Stafford (1–4, 1–3) used three walks and three hits—one a two-run single by Cody Beacorn—to build a 4–0 lead. Kamreon Mangin and Jacob Scheneman also had RBIs in the frame.
But Boster, one of the most experienced seniors on the Eagles team, helped fuel a fast response by Colonial Forge in the next two innings.
In the second, he drove a single up the middle and then plated the Eagles’ first run on a two-out single by another senior, Lucas Behning.
But Boster saved his big blow until the next inning, when he came to the plate with two runners on board.
Catcher Drew Mikula led off with his second hit of the game, and then courtesy runner Carter Siweck scored on a double to the gap in right–center by Anthony Malocu to get the rally started.
After Cole Migliorini reached on an infield error to put runners at the corners, Boster drove Justin Thomas’ first pitch to right field, and it kept sailing until it cleared the fence.
“I caught the Forge jet stream,” said Boster, who was an all-district pitcher last season. “I knew it was going to be a good hit, but I didn’t know it was going to go as far as it did. It got caught in the wind and kept going.”
It was the first home run by a Colonial Forge player this year, and the Eagles made sure that it wasn’t wasted. They added another run in the bottom of the fourth on a double by Behning and a sacrifice fly to deep center by Malocu.
“Chase and I both came out of our slumps today,” said Behning. “I think the main thing for this team is to keep building together with the chemistry and have faith in each other.”
The Eagles’ offense got the lift it needed from its veteran seniors like Boster and Behning, but on the mound it was a pair of juniors that kept the Indians in check after momentum had shifted.
Corey Schaeffer, a junior varsity graduate who is coming back from an injury, turned in four solid innings to get the win after taking over for starter Michael Mares. Right-hander Colton Steber then closed the door with two scoreless frames in the sixth and seventh.
“Our pitching got us tonight,” Stafford coach Tommy Harrison said. “When you go up 4–0, you have to pitch like you have a lead, and we didn’t. We have three games next week and we have to figure it out.”
Szakelyhidi believes the Eagles have the pieces in place to make another strong run this year, but there is still work to be done.
“We needed this win to get back in contention,” he said. “I don’t like to use the word ‘potential,’ but I really like the way this group works. The key for us is the leadership of our seniors. And hopefully these younger guys can grow up real fast.”
Both teams continue their district schedules on Tuesday. Stafford hosts Riverbend, while Colonial Forge travels to Brooke Point.
Stafford 0400 000 4 5 2
Colonial Forge 0141 00x 6 8 1
JUSTIN THOMAS, Skip Salyers (5), Adam Sharrow (6) and Matt Yelverton. Michael Mares, COREY SCHAEFFER (2), Colton Steber (6) and Drew Mikula.
Both were from Fredericksburg.com. I believe Colonial Forge, Mountain View and Riverbend are among the favorites though I have no clue which one is leading the Commonwealth District at this time.
