Game Summary Index:
Eustis Florida_at_Orlando,FL/ Tallahassee Godby, FL_at_Orlando,FL/ Orlando_Colonial_HS_at_Orlando,FL/ Orlando_Boone_HS_at_Orlando,FL/ / Langley_Home / South_Lakes_Away / Sewickley Prep PA_Home/ McLean_Away / Fairfax_Home / Oakton_Home / Lee_Away / Marshall_Home / Woodson_Away / South_Lakes_Home / McLean_Home / Fairfax_Away / Langley_Away / Lee_Home / Marshall_away / Woodson_Home / Stuart_Home /Marshall_District_Tournament
Game Summaries
2005 Warhawks Game Summaries
Madison Starts Season in Orlando, Florida
Madison Drops Opener to Eustis, Florida 3-0
The Madison Warhawks opened their 2005 season in the 2005 Orlando National Baseball Classic at McCracken Field next to the Citrus Bowl. The Warhawks first opponent, the Eustis Panthers, are one of the top teams in Florida and are coached by former major leaguer Chet Lemmon. The Warhawks were visitors and faced Panthers right handed pitcher Spencer Hale. Rich Conlon stepped to the plate as the lead-off batter to start the 2005 season. Hale retired Conlon on a strike out and then Mark Riffee lined a single for the Warhawks first 2005 hit. Joe Canova grounded hard back to the pitcher and the Panthers turned a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning.
Brian Eck took the hill for the Warhawks and retired Lemmon's son, Marcus, on a ground out to short stop Rich Conlon for the first out. John Maulia doubled for Eustis and then stole third base and scored on a wild pitch and the Panthers led 1 to 0. Eck stuck out Hale but the Panther reached first safely on a passed ball on the third strike. Hale stole second base but was out on a double play when Steve Brletic lined out to Eric Garner who threw to Rich Colon for the double play to end the inning. Eustis led 1 -0 after one inning.
In the top of the second Arman Moniri flied out to the shortstop and Josh Carter grounded out before Hale hit Joey Hayes with a pitch. Hale struck out Brian Eck and Hayes was left on base. In the bottom of the second, Brian Eck struck out Mike Vaughn looking and retired the side in order getting Kirby Cartwright to ground out to Rich Conlon and Chase Okey to ground out to Eric Garner who threw to Arman Moniri to end the inning. Madison trailed 1-0 after two innings.
Hale struck out Eric Garner in the top of the third and Alex Andrews grounded out for the second out. Rich Conlon drew a walk but was picked off as he stumbled trying to steal. In the bottom of the third, Kyle Storms walked for the Panthers and then Brian Eck struck out Erick Cohen looking for the first out. Marcus Lemmon singled Storms to second and both runners advanced as Matulia grounded out to Arman Moniri unassisted. The Panthers had Storms on third and Lemmon on second with two outs. Eck had an 0-2 count on Hale who lined a single to center scoring both runners with Lemmon drawing a throw on a close play at the plate. Hale went to second on the throw to home. Eustis led 3-0. Brian Eck struck out Brletic to end the inning.
In the fourth, Mark Riffee grounded out on a ball headed for the hole that Hale snagged nicely to prevent a hit. Joe Canova hit another hard grounder up the middle that Hale grabbed again for the second out. Arman Moniri hit a shot at the third baseman that was too-hot-to-handle and resulted in a double down the line. Pat Powers pinch ran for Moniri but was stranded at second as Josh Carter grounded out for the third out. In the bottom of the fourth, Vaughn flied out to Josh Carter for the first out. Cartwright drew a walk and then Chase Okey flied out to Joe Canova for the second out. Brian Eck struck out Storms to end the inning. Madison trailed 3-0 after four innings.
Both pitchers were pitching well and Hale kept that going by striking out Joey Hayes and Jason Farley to start the fifth. Eric Garner grounded a ball up the middle for what looked like a hit but Lemmon gloved it and threw across his body to "just get" Garner who hustled down the line on the closest play of the game. In the bottom of the fifth, Jason Farley made his 2005 pitching debut and immediately retired Cohen on a ground ball that Farley fielded nicely. He retired Lemmon on a fly ball to Joe Canova for the second out. Matulia walked and then Hale flied out to Canova in shallow center field to end the inning. The score was still 3-0 Eustis after five innings.
After Alex Andrews grounded out, pinch hitter Sterling Sams reached first on an error. Rich Conlon reentered to run for Sams and moved to second on a wild pitch. Mark Riffee grounded out hard to the third baseman who kept Conlon at second with two outs. Joe Canova singled to center field but Conlon stopped halfway to home when he saw a throw was coming and went back to third. Canova slid safely into second after being caught on a pick-off attempt and "pickle." The Warhawks had runners on second and third with two outs but the Panthers escaped damage as Arman Moniri grounded out to end the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Brletic walked and was sacrificed to second by Vaughn whose bunt was fielded by Jason Farley for the first out. Cartwright grounded out to Rich Conlon for the second out and Arman Moniri made a nice unassisted put-out to retire Okey and end the inning. Madison had one more at bat left and trailed 3-0.
In the top of the seventh, Kevin Healy grounded out for the first out. Brian Smith reached second on an error. David McIntyre pinch ran for Smith. The Warhawks had a runner on second and needed more base runners to keep the game going. With a full count, McIntyre broke for third base attempting to steal and the Panthers retired Jason Farley on a strike-out and ended the game throwing McIntyre out at third for a double play.
The Warhawks pitched well and played good defense in their debut but faced a good Florida team well into its season. Neither team's offense could solve the pitching (each had only three hits). The Panthers drew four walks and made them count while Madison had one walk and one hit batsman. Base running separated the teams in this game. The Panthers aggressively manufactured runs on the base paths while the Warhawks made several base running mistakes.
Brian Eck took the pitching loss. Brian pitched well in the loss, striking out four while surrendering only three runs, three hits and two walks in four innings. Jason Farley allowed no hits and walked two batters in two excellent shut-out innings of relief. Madison will play at 10:00 AM Tuesday at McCracken field for its second game of the tourney.
"This is a good tournament with good teams. Eustis was a little ahead of us today," said Warhawks Coach Mark Gjormand. "We are disappointed to lose our opener. Our pitching and defense was good which is what we expected. Both Brian and Jason threw well and everyone fielded well. Our hitting was where we thought it was also. We need to keep working on it and we will get better. Our base running was poor today and we need to do a better job at that. Overall, Eustis is a good team and they were a little ahead of us at this point."
Madison Defeats Tallahassee Godby for First Win 8-4
The Madison Warhawks played the Tallahassee Godby Cougars of FL in their second game in the 2005 Orlando National Baseball Classic at McCracken Field next to the Citrus Bowl. The Warhawks were visitors again and faced Godby's pitcher Dale Evans. In the top of the first Rich Conlon grounded out and then Mark Riffee singled. Joe Canova singled and Riffee advanced to third base. Canova was caught leaning and was picked off for the second out and Evans struck out Josh Carter to end the inning with Riffee stranded on third. In the bottom of the first inning senior Chris Sterbenz took the mound for Madison. Lance Riverbank grounded out to Rich Conlon for the first out, and John Rickenbacker flied out to Joe Canova for the second out. Shawn Bezwiechin reached on an error with two outs and stole second base. Richie Beagles singled to score Bezwiechin and Godby led 1-0. Sterbenz hit Patrick Graham with a pitch to put runners on first and second and then Evans walked to load the bases. Chris Sterbenz pitched out of the jam by striking out Mink Baker to end the threat, only allowing the one unearned run.
In the top of the second Joey Hayes singled to start the inning. Ryan Mathews reached on an error with Hayes advancing to second base. The Cougars picked Hayes off of second base for the first out. Jason Farley stroked a single to left field that was misplayed by the left fielder scoring Mathews from first. Farley advanced all the way to third when the relay throw was also poor. The Warhawks had tied the game. Evans struck out Alex Andrews, walked Brian Eck with two outs and retired Rich Conlon to end the inning with men on first and third. The Game was tied 1-1. In the bottom of the second the sloppy play continued as Kevin Vasquez reached first on another Warhawks error. Blake Luenberger sacrificed Vasquez to second with Chris Sterbenz fielding the bunt and throwing to Jason Farley for the out. Vasquez advanced to third on an errant pick-off throw and scored on a bunt single as no one covered first base. Godby led again 2-1.Rickenbacker flied out to Josh Carter and Sterbenz struck out Bezwiechin to end the inning. After two innings, Madison trailed 2-1.
Mark Riffee was hit by a pitch to lead off the third and Joe Canova executed an excellent sacrifice bunt to move Riffee to second. Josh Carter stroked an RBI double to left field and Riffee raced home to tie the game with Carter standing on second. Joey Hayes grounded out to the right side to advance Carter to third with two outs. Evans hit Ryan Mathews with a pitch and the Warhawks had runners at the corner. Jason Farley hit his second RBI single of the game to score Carter and move Mathews to second. Madison led 3-2. Evans retired Alex Andrews to end the threat but the Warhawks had the lead. Chris Sterbenz retired the side in order in the bottom of the third, striking out Beagles, while Graham grounded out to Rich Conlon and Evans flied out to Joe Canova. Madison led 3-2 after three innings.
Evans retired the Warhawks in order in the top of the fourth striking out Brian Eck and Rich Conlon and then Eric Garner stroked a hard liner that the second baseman snatched to deny him a base hit. In the bottom of the fourth, Graham grounded out to Rich Conlon and then Chris Sterbenz struck out Vasquez for the second out. Luenberger singled for Godby and moved to second when Riverbank was hit with a pitch. Joe Canova ended the threat with a catch running in on a fly ball. Madison led 3-2 after 4 innings.
Joe Canova was hit by a pitch to lead off the fifth. Josh Carter flied out to the shortstop and Sterling Sams grounded out with Canova moving to second. Ryan Mathews was hit by a pitch again (the fourth Madison hit batsman of the game and Mathew's second) to put runners at first and second. Evans ended the inning by getting Jason Farley to ground out. Mark Riffee took the hill in the bottom of the fifth to try to save the win. Bezwiechin singled for Godby but was immediately doubled off as Beagles hit a soft liner at Pat Powers who caught it and fired to Jason Farley to double off Bezwiechin for the second out. Graham singled and then Evans grounded to Pat Powers who threw to first and Farley gloved the wide throw and tagged Evans to end the inning. Madison led 3-2.
In the top of the sixth, David McIntyre reached second base on a two base error over-throw. Brian Smith then stroked a pinch-hit triple down the right field line to score McIntyre and Madison led 4-2. Smith scored on a passed ball to give the Warhawks a 5-2 lead. Kyle Hughes stepped up and hit a hard shot back at Evans who gloved it before it went through and threw to first for the first out. Mark Riffee then lined a shot up the middle that the shortstop snagged on a nice running catch to take another hit away. Joe Canova flied out for the third out but Madison led 5-2. In the bottom of the sixth, Mark Riffee retired Mink Baker by fielding a ball hit back to him for the first out. Vasquez walked but Riffee caught him off of first and then Vasquez scampered to second as the Warhawks did not throw to second. Luenberger grounded out to Pat Powers with Vasquez moving to third. Riverbank walked and then took second as the Warhawks chose not to throw him out on a very delayed steal. Both runners scored on a single by Rickenbacker who was awarded second on an interference call. Riffee ended the rally getting Bezwiechin to ground out to Powers. Madison led 5-4.
In the top of the seventh, Kevin Healy led off the inning with a single and moved to second on an excellent sacrifice bunt by Joey Hayes. Ryan Mathews hit a ball back to the pitcher and he threw out Healy who immediately broke for third. Mathews was on first on the fielder's choice. Jason Farley stroked his third single of the game moving Mathews to second. Alex Andrews loaded the bases reaching first on an error. Then Brian Eck drew a bases-loaded RBI walk to score Ryan Mathews with the insurance run. Madison led 6-4. Arman Moniri stroked a clutch pinch-hit 2RBI single to score Jason Farley and Alex Andrews and the Warhawks led 8-4. Evans retired Riffee to end the threat going into the bottom of the seventh. Mark Riffee recorded the save by retiring the side in order in the bottom of the seventh. Arman Moniri made a nice scoop at first on a ground ball throw out during the inning.
The Warhawks were pressing to get their first win and overcame early mistakes for the key first win. Chris Sterbenz recorded the win with four good innings allowing two runs on three hits with three strikeouts, one walk and two hit batsmen. Mark Riffee pitched the final three innings for the save. Jason Farley was the offensive leader going 3 for 4 with 2RBIs. Josh Carter had an RBI double, Brian Smith an RBI triple and Arman Moniri a 2 RBI single. Joe Canova, Joey Hayes and Kevin Healy also contributed singles to the attack. Madison plays the winner of Colonial FL and Monarch FL on Wednesday at Tinker Field in Orlando at 1PM.
"It was good to get that first win. It was a team win as we played 20 of 21 guys with everyone contributing in some way today," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "We held one player back, our starting pitcher for tomorrow, in case of injury so everyone had a role in the first win today. It reminds me of the first win in Charleston last year as we were pressing to get it (the first win) behind us and it feels good to get it. We overcame a lot of mistakes but I think this will help get us going with that winning attitude."
Madison Defeats Orlando Colonial HS 3-2
The Madison Warhawks utilized good pitching, several outstanding defensive plays and timely hitting to defeat the Colonial Grenadiers of Orlando FL 3-2 and advance to the Consolation Championship of the Orlando National Baseball Classic. The game was played at Tinker Field in Orlando. The Warhawks were the home team and senior Andrew Eck started the game on the mound for Madison. Andrew Eck started strong and was able to get the lead-off hitter Rolando Torres to ground out to Brian Eck who threw to first with Arman Moniri making a nice pick for the out. Johnny Kirkland grounded out to Brian Smith for the second out. The Grenadiers Charlie Mangione belted a double to the gap but Andrew Eck ended the threat by striking out Wayne Potts. After half an inning the Grenadiers had no runs with the Warhawks coming to bat. Potts pitched for Colonial and retired Mark Riffee on a ground out up the middle as their second baseman ranged behind the bag to pick it up for the out. Jason Farley flied out to left field and Joe Canova lined out on a hard hit ball at the second baseman. After one inning there was no score.
In the top of the second, Colonial's Tyrone Anu hit a hard line drive that Brian Smith snagged for the first out. Kyle Eagen then blasted a home run over the left field wall to give the Grenadiers a 1-0 lead. Andrew Rife then hit a ball towards the right field line and Mark Riffee made an outstanding running and then diving catch for the second out. Andrew Eck ended the inning by striking out Kyle Erch. Colonial led 1-0. In the bottom of the second, Arman Moniri was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Josh Carter then singled Moniri to second with no outs. Brian Smith grounded into a shortstop-to-second-base fielder's choice to force out Carter for the first out and Moniri moved to third. With Moniri at third and Smith on first, Alex Andrews put down a safety-squeeze bunt but Colonial threw out Moniri at the plate for the second out with Andrews reaching first on the fielder's choice and Smith moving to second. Wayne Potts struck out Eric Garner to end the inning and Colonial led 1-0.
Andrew Eck continued to pitch well and work ahead of batters. He struck out Wesley Bencon to start the third inning. Torres flied out to Mark Riffee for the second out and then Johnny Kirkland singled. Andrew Eck struck out Mangione on three pitches to end the inning. In the bottom of the third, Brian Eck led off for the Warhawks by drawing a walk. Mark Riffee singled to move Brian Eck to second base with no outs. Brian Eck moved to third and Mark Riffee to second on a balk. Jason Farley picked up an RBI to score Brian Eck on a ground out to shortstop with Mark Riffee holding at second with the ball in front of him. After being denied first base when hit with a pitch, Joe Canova flied out on a hit and run play and Mark Riffee had to return from third to second with two outs. Arman Moniri crushed a ball to left center and was robbed of an RBI as the Grenadier's Anu made an excellent running catch to prevent the run and end the inning. Madison had tied the game at one run for each team.
Wayne Potts led off the fourth for Colonial with a walk. Anu beat out a bunt and the Grenadiers had two men on with no outs. Kyle Egan then hit a fly ball to the shallow gap and Mark Riffee made a nice long running catch for the first out and held the runners at first and second. Colonial's Andrew Rife then singled to score Potts and the Warhawks held Anu at second base. Andrew Eck prevented further scoring by striking out Erch and getting Wesley Beacon to pop-up to Brian Smith for the third out. In the bottom of the fourth, Josh Carter and Brian Smith drew back-to-back walks to start the inning. Alex Andrews grounded into a second-to-shortstop fielder's choice to force out Smith at second for the first out and move Carter to third. With runner's at the corner, Eric Garner hit a hard grounder at the excellent defensive second baseman who turned a 4-6-3 double play to end the fourth inning with Colonial leading 2-1.
Sophomore Sterling Sams made his varsity pitching debut taking the mound for the Warhawks in the fifth. He promptly struck out Torres for the first out. Kirkland flied out to Mark Riffee for the second out and Sams retired the side in order, taking a throw at first from Arman Moniri on a Mangione ground ball for the third out. In the bottom of the fifth, Sterling Sams grounded out for the first out and then Mark Riffee grounded out on a very close play. Jason Farley hit a line drive on the nose right at the first baseman for the third out. Colonial led 2-1 after five innings.
Colonial threatened to score more in the sixth. Potts led off with a walk and then Anu then flied out to the gap with Mark Riffee running it down for the first out. Eagen walked and then Sams hit Andrew Rife to load the bases. Kyle Yeadon pinch hit and grounded to Arman Moniri who threw to catcher Alex Andrews to force out Potts at the plate. The bases were loaded and the score was 2-1 with two outs. Wesley Bencon then hit a sinking line drive to right and Mark Riffee made another diving catch while running in to end the inning and keep the Grenadiers from scoring.
In the bottom of the sixth, Joe Canova flied out to center field and then Arman Moniri singled to get things started. David McIntyre pinch ran. Josh Carter blasted a double to the gap and the hustling McIntyre scored all the way from first to tie the game. Josh Carter moved to third on a wild pitch and then Joey Hayes grounded out to Potts with Carter holding at third. Alex Andrews then stroked a two-out single to score Carter and Madison led 3-2. Kevin Healy then came is as the courtesy runner for the catcher Andrews. Colonial switched pitchers and Rolando Torres relieved Potts and faced Rich Conlon. The Warhawks executed a nice hit-and-run as Healy broke for second and Conlon grounded a ball up the middle for a single. Healy alertly saw the short stop boot the ball towards right and took third base with a heads-up base running play. Healy was at third with Conlon on first. Torres ended the rally getting Sterling Sams to fly out but not before Madison took a 3-2 lead going into the seventh.
Brian Eck took the hill in the seventh inning to close down Colonial. Brian Eck was able to get Torres to ground out to Rich Conlon for the first out. The Warhawks infield then made two consecutive errors to put two runners on with Potts coming to the plate. Brian Eck struck out Potts for the second out and then recorded the save by sitting down Anu with a strikeout. With the win, Madison advances to the Consolation Championship game at the Orlando National Baseball Classic where they will take on the Orlando Boone HSto Braves at 1PM Tinker Stadium next to the Citrus Bowl. Boone previously defeated our cross-town rival Oakton HS as they advanced towards the consolation title game.
Andrew Eck pitched four good innings in his first start striking out three and walking one while surrendering two runs. Sterling Sams picked up the win with two scoreless innings of relief and Brian Eck recorded the save with two strikeouts in one inning of relief. The defense was excellent with Mark Riffee and Arman Moniri each making several excellent plays. Josh Carter led the offense going 2 for 2 with an RBI double and a walk. Alex Andrews had the game winning RBI hit. Arman Moniri, Mark Riffee and Rich Conlon also contributed to the attack.
"That's traditional Warhawk baseball," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "We got great pitching from Andrew and from Sterling who overcame the nerves of a first varsity pitching performance. Brian came in and did his job to close them down. We made big plays in the field when we needed them behind the pitchers and we had some big hits in key situations. We were more relaxed and played better after getting our first win on Tuesday. I am excited to see that the hard work is starting to pay off, like with Alex, who had a big hit to get us the lead. We work hard to win championships and although we will play for the consolation championship we are excited to be there playing for it tomorrow."
Warhawks Drop Close One to Boone HS of Orlando FL 3-2
The Madison Warhawks jumped to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first and committed three errors and surrendered three runs in the bottom of the first inning today at Tinker Field in Orlando, FL. After the first inning, both teams played well and pitched well as there was no more scoring in the Consolation Championship game against the nationally ranked Boone Braves of Orlando FL 3-2.
In the top of the first, Rich Conlon led off and flied out. Mark Riffee was hit hard by a pitch by Boone's Clay Abel. Then Joe Canova hit a ball back to Abel and the hustling Riffee beat the throw to second and Canova beat the relay throw on the fielder's choice. Abel then balked Riffee to third and Canova to second. Arman Moniri popped up to the first baseman for the second out and then Josh Carter hit an RBI single to score Mark Riffee and move Joe Canova to third. Madison led 1-0. Jason Farley stroked an RBI single and Joe Canova scored the second run and Carter moved to second. Josh Carter was thrown out at third base for the third out of the inning while attempting to steal. Madison led 2-0.
In the bottom of the first, Jason Farley took the hill for Madison and the Warhawks had trouble making plays. Kyle Migetz reached first on an infield error to start the game. Ryan Wittman singled to put men on first and second with no outs. Stuart Tarpley hit a ball back to the pitcher but the throw to second to start a double play was wide and everyone was safe - bases loaded and no outs. Boone's Ryan Mathews's reached on another infield error and the lead was cut to 2-1 with bases loaded again with no outs. Clay Abel hit a sacrifice fly to left fielder Eric Garner and the game was tied with one out and runners at first and second. Cody Allen grounded back to Jason Farley who threw him out at first for the second out. Matt Eason hit a hard grounder at Rich Conlon who made a nice play and threw him out to end the inning Boone led 3-2 as Madison played its worst defensive inning of the tournament.
In the second Abel struck out Joey Hayes and Alex Andrews popped up to first for the first two outs. Brian Eck stroked a nice double and then Rich Conlon walked to put runners on first and second. Mark Riffee drove a deep ball over 400 feet and the Braves' centerfielder made a great running catch over his head to save two runs and end the inning. In the bottom of the second, Boone's Steward rounded out to Rich Conlon and then Migetz walked. Wittman hit a grounder at Joey Hayes who started a well executed round-the-horn double play of Hayes-to- Conlon-to-Moniri to end the inning.
In the top of the third the Warhawks went down in order as Joe Canova flied out deep, Arman Moniri struck out and Josh Carter grounded out. Jason Farley fielded a bunt and appeared to throw out Tarpley but the umpire ruled Moniri was pulled off the bag. Farley retired the next three batters as Mathews popped up to Joey Hayes, McManus grounded out to Hayes and Abel flied out to Eric Garner. Madison still trailed 3-2.
In the fourth, Abel retired the Warhawks in order again, striking out Jason Farley, getting Joey Hayes to fly out right at the outfielder and then striking out Alex Andrews. Allen led off the bottom of the fourth with a single and was sacrificed to second on a bunt by Eason that Jason Farley fielded. Steward flied out to Kyle Hughes who hit the cut-off man and kept Allen, who failed to tag at second with two outs. Migetz grounded out to Brian Eck to end the inning. The score remained 3-2 Boone.
In the fifth, Brian Eck grounded out to Abel for the first out and Rich Conlon walked with one out. Abel hit Mark Riffee again in the same spot with another hard fast ball and Riffee had to leave the game. Kevin Healy ran for Riffee and the Warhawks had two men on with one out. Joe Canova fled out to centerfield and Rich Conlon tagged and ran to third. When the really throw was wide Conlon turned for home and the throw beat him to the plate but the catcher fell trying to make the tag, Conlon leaped over him and the catcher could only touch him with the hand without the ball. The umpire was out of position down the line trying to cover the third base call and called Conlon out to end the inning. The Warhawks were upset as it appeared that Conlon was not tagged. Boone led 3-2. In the bottom of the fifth, Jason Farley et Boone down in order getting Wittman to ground out to Brian Eck for the first out. Tarpley hit a chopper to Joey Hayes' left and Hayes charged left made a nice pick-up and threw off balance to Arman Moniri who tagged the runner going by for the second out. Boone's Mathews flied out to a back pedaling Brian Eck to end the inning.
In the sixth, Arman Moniri popped up to the catcher for the first out. Josh Carter singled and Jason Farley laid down a great sacrifice bunt and almost beat the throw for a hit. Carter was at second with two outs but Abel retired Alex Andrews to end the inning. Jason Farley set Boone down in order with two ground outs to Brian Eck sandwiching a strikeout. Madison trailed 3-2 with one at bat left.
Boone brought in Cody Allen to pitch the seventh. Brian Smith led off the seventh with a walk and then pinch-runner David McIntyre took his place at first. Brian Eck popped up to the catcher for the first out and then Rich Conlon sacrificed McIntyre to second with two outs. Allen struck out Kevin Healy to end the game and Madison lost 3-2.
Jason Farley pitched well but took the loss on the hill. He allowed three runs (all unearned) on four hits, striking out one batter and walking two. Josh Carter was 2 for 3 with an RBI to lead the offense. Jason Farley had an RBI single and Brian Eck a double.
Madison and Oakton had one game each rained out in this tournament and will make it up with a game between the two teams on Saturday April 9, 2005 at 2 PM at Madison HS.
"This was a great tournament with great teams," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "We have to throw and catch it and avoid big innings for the other team. We did not do that well in the first inning today. We had a great week. Our goal was to get better each day and we are doing that. We faced good teams and everyone's number one pitcher. We are better than when we left for Florida and need to stay focused and continue to get better every time we play."
Madison Loses District Opener to Langley With Bad Defensive Inning
The Madison Warhawks gave up four unearned runs in the second inning with two outs on three consecutive errors and trailed the rest of the game although out hitting the Saxons by one hit. For the second consecutive game a bad defensive inning was too big a hole for the offense to dig out from.
In the top of the first Brian Eck took the hill for the Warhawks against the Langley Saxons. Chuck Eller led off the game with a single for Langley. Tommy Tysse grounded out to Eric Garner for the first out with Eller taking second. Jimmy Saris then grounded to Rich Conlon who waited for the runner to clear, fielded the ball and threw to Joey Hayes at third to get Eller who was called safe on the slide on what appeared to be a tag out. Saris was safe on the fielders choice and Langley had runners at the corners. Brian Eck struck out Kevin Corey for the second out and Alex Dadisman lined out to Eric Garner to end the inning with no score. In the bottom of the first inning Bryce Morrison pitched for Langley. Rich Conlon led off for Madison and grounded out to shortstop for the first out. Mark Riffee singled and stole second as Joe Canova was swinging and Canova grounded out to shortstop on a very close play and call. Arman Moniri flied out and Riffee was stranded at second. After one inning there was no score.
In the second Kyle Fraser grounded out to Arman Moniri unassisted. Nick Zahra singled and Daniel Brown grounded out to Eric Garner with Zahra taking second base. The number nine-hitter Dammer was hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Eller grounded to short but the throw to second to end the inning was wide and went to the foul line allowing Zahra to score, Dammer to third and Eller to second. Langley led 1-0. Tysee bunted and the throw to first was wide allowing Dammer and Eller to score with Tysee going to second. Langley led 3-0. Jim Saris hit an infield single that was cut off nicely by the shortstop but Tysse rounded third and the ball was kicked for another error and Tysse scored the fourth unearned run on three consecutive two-out errors. Brian Eck struck out Corey again to end the sloppy inning. Madison trailed 4-0. Morrison struck out Josh Carter in the bottom of the second and then Jason Farley singled and took second on a bad pick-off throw. Joey Hayes flied out to second base and then Alex Andrews singled with Farley moving to third. David McIntyre was the courtesy runner for the catcher. Brian Eck struck out and Madison left two runners on trailing 4-0.
In the third Brian Eck retired the side in order, with Dadisman flying out to Rich Conlon, Fraser grounding out to Arman Moniri unassisted and Zahra lining out on a rope to Joe Canova to end the inning. Rich Conlon walked to lead off for Madison and went to second on a beautiful sacrifice bunt by Mark Riffee with Riffee out on a close play at first. Joe Canova struck out and Arman Moniri walked to put two runners on. Josh Carter flied out to Eller going back in center field for the third out with two more runners left on base. Madison trailed 4-0 still.
Brian Eck struck out Daniel Brown to start the fourth but the nine hitter Dammer reached base again on a walk. Eller drew a walk to put two runners aboard and then Brian Eck struck out Tysee for the second out. Saris grounded to Rich Conlon who stepped on second for the force and end the inning. Jason Farley grounded out to third on a close play at first. Joey Hayes reached first on an error as Saris dropped a fly ball to right field. Alex Andrews flied out to center field and Brian Eck flied out to left field to end the inning with Hayes stranded. Madison still trailed 4-0.
In the fifth Corey singled for the Saxons and took second on a wild pitch. Dadisman flied out to Mark Riffee and Corey moved to third. Brian Eck struck out Fraser and then Zahra grounded to Rich Conlon who threw to first with Arman Moniri making a nice pick for the third out and end the inning. In the bottom of the fifth Conlon flied out to first base on a check swing and Mark Riffee grounded out for the second out. Joe Canova beat out a single after lining a hard shot off the pitcher but was stranded on base as Arman grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.
Andrew Eck relieved his brother on the hill in the sixth and promptly struck out Brown. Dammer reached base again on a walk and then Andrew Eck recorded his second and third strikeouts of the inning sitting down Eller and Tysse. Josh Carter walked for the Warhawks to start the bottom of the sixth. Jason Farley struck out and then Joey Hayes stroked an RBI double to score Carter from first but Hayes was thrown out trying to stretch the hit into a triple. Alex Andrews walked and David McIntyre was the courtesy runner for the catcher. Sterling Sams flied out to center field to end the inning. Madison trailed 4-1 after six innings.
In the seventh, Mike Silvi walked for Langley. Andrew Eck struck out Corey. Dadisman grounded out to Eric Garner and Fraser grounded out on a nice unassisted play by Arman Moniri who fielded a tough hop to end the inning. Jimmy Saris pitched the seventh for Langley. Rich Conlon struck out for the first out. Mark Riffee grounded out on a close play at first for the second out and then Joe Canova struck out for the third out. Morrison recorded the win and Saris a save.
Brian Eck pitched five innings surrendering 4 unearned runs on 4 hits, striking out 5 while walking 1 Saxon and hitting 1 batter to take the pitching loss. Andrew Eck pitched the final two innings allowing no runs or hits, striking out 4 batters while walking 2. Madison had one more hit than Langley with Mark Riffee, Jason Farley, Joe Canova and Alex Andrews each with a base hit. Joey Hayes had an RBI double in the loss.
"We can't give up big innings and self destruct like we did in the second inning," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "We were trying too hard to make things happen. The season is a marathon not a sprint. We need to go back to work tomorrow and get better. We are in the same position, 0-1 in the District as we started last year. We need to work and overcome that like we did last year. We can hit better than we showed tonight and need to get back to work."
Madison Loses to South Lakes 1-0 as Offense Still Slumbers
The Madison Warhawks dropped a 1-0 decision to the South Lakes Seahawks despite an excellent pitching performance by Jason Farley. The Warhawks struggled to put together consecutive hits and managed only 5 base runners including 3 hits, one walk and one batter reaching base on an error. South Lakes managed only one unearned run on four hits, two Madison errors and one walk.
Madison batted in the top of the first against Seahawks pitcher Mike Boyle. Joe Canova led off and grounded back to the pitcher for the first out. Jason Farley grounded out to second base for the second out. Mark Riffee lined a single to the outfield for the game's first hit. Josh Carter reached first on an error and Riffee moved to second. The Warhawks had two runners on base with two outs. Arman Moniri grounded out to end the inning. In the bottom of the first Jason Farley pitched for Madison. Farley struck out Noah Sweet to start the game. Nick Andariese singled and stole second base. Jason Farley struck out Ben Jennings for the second out. and Ben Francis grounded out to Brian Eck to end the inning with no score.
In the second, Sterling Sams led off with a single for the Warhawks. Joey Hayes grounded into a fielders choice as Sams was forced out at second and Hayes reached first with one out. The Seahawks then struck out Alex Andrews and caught Hayes stealing on a strike-out-throw-out double play to end the inning. Jason Farley set the Seahawks down 1-2-3 in the second by striking out John Huppi and Scott Reed and then getting Ben Crawford to ground out to Eric Garner to end the inning.
In the third Madison went down 1-2-3 as Eric Garner struck out, Joe Canova hit a shot off the pitcher that rebounded to the second baseman that resulted in a 1-4-3 put out and Jason Farley flied out to left field. In the bottom of the third, Mike Boyle reached first on a Madison error and was sacrificed to second by Tommy Flynn. Noah Sweet grounded back to Farley for the second out and Andariese popped up to Eric Garner for the third out.
In the top of the fourth, Boyle struck out Mark Riffee for the first out. Josh Carter singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. Arman Moniri popped for the second out and Boyle struck out Sterling Sams to end the inning. Ben Jennings reached first on an error and was replaced by a courtesy runner for the catcher. Bryan Francis singled up the middle but Joe Canova held the runner at second base. Huppi bunted and Alex Andrews jumped on the bunt and threw the runner out at third base to Joey Hayes for the first out. South Lakes had runners at first and second. Scott Reed grounded out to Jason Farley and the runners moved to second and third with two outs. Crawford singled to score Francis and move Huppi to third. The run was unearned as there would have already been three outs had Madison not made the earlier error. Farley struck out Boyle to end the inning trailing 1-0.
Madison went down 1-2-3 in the fifth as Boyle struck out Joey Hayes, Alex Andrews grounded out and Boyle struck out Eric Garner. In the bottom of the fifth, Jason Farley struck out Flynn, Sweet reached on an infield single. Farley struck out Andariese for the second out. Jennings walked to put two men on and then Jason Farley made a nice fielding play on a slow roller to throw out Francis and end the inning trailing 1-0.
In the sixth, Joe Canova walked and took second base on a passed ball and hustled to third as the catcher Jennings could not locate the ball. Boyle pitched out of it getting Farley to fly out to shallow center field with Canova having to hold at third, striking out Riffee and then getting Carter to pop up to first base for the third out stranding Canova at third. In the bottom of the sixth, Jason Farley struck out Huppi for the first out. Reed grounded out to Rich Conlon for the second out and Farley made a nice fielding play again to throw out Crawford to end the inning. Madison trailed 1-0 with one more at bat.
Madison went down 1-2-3 in the seventh as Arman Moniri grounded out. Boyle struck out Ryan Mathews for the second out and Joey Hayes grounded back to Boyle for the final out. Madison lost 1-0 in a game dominated by both pitchers and in which no earned run was scored. Jason Farley pitched 6 innings and did not allow an earned run (he has not allowed an earned run in three appearances this season but has not had enough support to get a win), walked only 1 batter, gave up 4 hits while striking out 8 batters. Mark Riffee, Sterling Sams and Josh Carter had Madison's hits in the loss.
"We are playing not-to-lose rather than playing-to-win," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "We have to work hard and relax and play-to-win to get better."
Madison's Game Versus Sewickley Prep of Pittsburgh, PA was rained out
Warhawks Come Back To Form With 13-1 Win Over McLean
The Madison Warhawks returned to Warhawks form pounding the ball against the hot-hitting McLean Highlanders from the start. Senior pitcher Chris Sterbenz dominated a good hitting team from the mound. Sterbenz pitched six strong innings for the win, allowing 1 run on 5 hits while striking out 7 and walking only 2 Highlanders. Madison's offense returned to form pounding 15 hits and scoring 13 runs in a ten-run rule win. Joe Canova was 3 for 4 with 3 doubles and 3 RBIs. Rich Conlon was 3 for 3 with a double, Josh Carter had a home run and an RBI single. Mark Riffee and Arman Moniri had RBI doubles and Brian Eck had 2 infield singles and an RBI. Alex Andrews singled and Kevin Healy had a 2 RBI single. Ryan Mathews had a pinch hit single. Moniri and Jason Farley had sacrifice flies. Tonight Madison looked like the Warhawks that have dominated Liberty District play for several years.
The Warhawks batted first against McLean's Shane Mills. Joe Canova led off for Madison and reached first on an error and hustled to second on another error. Mills balked Canova to third and Jason Farley hit a sacrifice fly to score Canova. Madison led 1-0. Mark Riffee drew a walk and broke for second as Arman Moniri doubled with 2 strikes and scored a hustling Riffee all the way from first base. Madison led 2-0. Josh Carter singled to drive in Moniri and Madison led 3-0. Carter stole second and took third on a wild pitch in the dirt. Mills struck out Brian smith for the second out and then Alex Andrews reached first on an error that also scored Josh Carter. Madison led 4-0. David McIntyre was the courtesy runner for the catcher, Andrews. McIntyre and Rich Conlon executed a beautiful hit-and-run with Conlon grounding a single through the vacated hole where the infielder left to cover second and McIntyre running safely to third. Mills struck out Brian Eck to end the inning. Madison scored 4 runs and sent 9 batters to the plate.
In the bottom of the first, senior Chris Sterbenz took the hill and was outstanding. Sterbenz struck out TK Marks to start the inning. After Kevin Clinton lined a single to left and stole second base, Sterbenz struck out John Oldenberg and William Corey to shut down McLean with 3 strikeouts in the first inning.
In the second, Joe Canova doubled and moved to second as Jason Farley grounded out to first. Mills struck out Mark Riffee and Arman Moniri flied out to end the inning. In the bottom of the second, Andrew Burton grounded out to Brian Smith for the first out and then John Edington doubled to the gap and slid into second safely on a close play. Josh Huson drew a walk but the Warhawks ended the inning on a strike-out-throw-out double play as Sterbenz fanned Shane Mills and Alex Andrews threw out Huson trying to steal with Brian Eck applying the tag. Madison led 4-0 after two innings.
Madison went down 1-2-3 in the third as Josh Carter flied out, Brian Smith struck out and Alex Andrews flied out to short stop. In the bottom of the third, Kyle Meagher led off with a double for McLean. TK Marks doubled inches inside the line to score Meagher with the Highlanders run and cut the lead to 4-1. Sterbenz got the partisan fly out of Clinton to Carter for the first out. TK Marks took third on a passed ball. Brian Smith nicely fielded a ground ball by Oldenburg, checked Marks back to third and threw out Oldenburg for the second out. Corey flied out to Joe Canova to end the inning. Madison led 4-1.
In the fourth, Rich Conlon beat out an infield single and went to second on an overthrow into the dugout. Brian Eck reached first on a bunt single with Conlon taking third. Brian Eck stole second with a safe tumbling slide to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Joe Canova, with two strikes, then blasted a double off the top half of the outfield fence and scored both Conlon and Brian Eck. Madison led 6-1. McLean brought in Andrew Burton to relieve Mills on the mound. Jason Farley grounded out for the first out with Canova taking third. Mark Riffee then hit an RBI double with two strikes to score Canova and Madison led 7-1. Riffee took third on a passed ball. Arman Moniri hit a sacrifice fly and Mark Riffee tagged and scored to increase the lead to 8-1. Josh Carter blasted a solo home run and the Warhawks led 9-1. Burton retired Brian Smith on a ground out to end the inning. Madison led 9-1. Chris Sterbenz ad the defense continued to be dominate. After walking Burton, Rich Conlon scooped up an Edington ground ball, stepped on second and fired to first for a double play. Sterbenz pitched Huson well and Conlon finished the inning throwing out Huson on a ground ball. Madison led 9-1 after four innings.
In the fifth, Lefty Frank Cavanaugh took the mound for the highlanders. David McIntyre flied out on a well hit ball for the first out. Rich Conlon doubled and took third on a passed ball. Cavanaugh struck out Sterling Sams for the second out and then Joe Canova hit another two-strike double to score Rich Conlon and Madison led 10-1. Jason Farley walked and Mark Riffee lined out to end the inning. Chris Sterbenz retired McLean in order in the fifth, striking out Shane Mills for the first out. Danny Bell flied out to Joe Canova for the second out and TK Marks grounded out to Brian Smith for the third out. Madison led 10-1 after five innings.
In the sixth, Ryan Mathews led off with a single and took second on a wild pitch. Eric Garner struck out and Joey Hayes grounded back to Cavanaugh who threw out Ryan Mathews who broke for third. Hayes reached first on the fielder's choice and then hustled to third on a single by Alex Andrews. Kyle Hughes came in as the courtesy runner for the catcher. Pat Powers walked to put Hayes at third, Hughes at second and Powers at first. Brian Eck beat out an infield single to score Hayes and the bases were still loaded with two outs. Madison led 11-1. Kevin Healy hit a "seeing-eye" single through the infield to score Hughes and Powers and Madison led 13-1. Jason Farley hit a ground ball to third to force out Eck and end the inning. Chris Sterbenz finished the game an inning early by the ten run rule after six innings. Sterbenz struck out Terry Sweeney for the first out. After Neil Moyer doubled for McLean, Michael McCollough popped up to Sterbenz for the second out and then Sterbenz sat Cavanaugh down on strikes to end the game the way he started it.
The Warhawks defeated a quality McLean baseball team out hitting the Highlanders 15 to 5. Chris Sterbenz picked up his second win in two starts with an excellent outing to stop the Warhawks early season slump and return Madison to its winning ways.
"Tonight I am as proud of this team as any I have coached," said coach Mark Gjormand. "We knew we are a good team and felt like we let one slip away last Friday night. We went back to work and broke out tonight. We had a lot of big two-strike hits tonight and as a young team came in here and got a good win against a quality team. Chris Sterbenz set the tone for the team. He let me know that he was excited to pitch and was ready to go. He would have pitched this weekend when we were rained out. He gave us a great effort tonight against a quality team. We are ready to get back to work tomorrow and continue to get better."
Warhawks Defeat Fairfax Rebels 4-3 in 8 Innings
The Madison Warhawks hosted the Fairfax Rebels in a festive Friday night game at Madison HS that was taped and will be broadcast this week over a local cable TV station. The Warhawks sent pitcher Jason Farley to the mound. In the top of the first, Nick Calabrese led off for the Rebels with a single. TJ Prioletti grounded out to Arman Moniri unassisted and Calabrese moved to second with one out. Phil Prophett grounded out to Rich Conlon for the second out with Calabrese taking third base. Nick Simons singled to score Calabrese and Fairfax led 1-0. David Olson grounded back to Jason Farley who threw him out for the third out. Fairfax led 1-0. In the bottom of the first, Phil Prophett pitched for Fairfax. Joe Canova grounded out on a close play at first to start the inning. Jason Farley flied out and Mark Riffee grounded out. The Rebels led 1-0 after one inning.
In the top of the second Andrew Punsalan reached first on an infield single when the Warhawks failed to communicate who had the ball and who was covering. Dallas Kuchel sacrificed Punsalan to second with one out. Alex Andrews made a nice fielding play on the bunt to get him out. Jason Farley closed the door by striking out Jake Warhurst and Zak Knoll to end the inning. Madison went down 1-2-3 again in the second inning as Arman Moniri grounded out for the first out. Prophett struck out Josh Carter for the second out and Sterling Sams flied out to end the inning. Fairfax led 1-0 after two innings.
In the third, Calabrese led off with a walk for Fairfax. Prioletti reached first on an error and the Rebels had runners on first and second with no outs. Prophett doubled to score Calabrese and Prioletti moved to third. Simons flied out to Joe Canova for a sacrifice fly as Prioletti tagged and beat the throw to the plate to give the Rebels a 3-0 lead. Olson laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Simons to third. Alex Andrews threw out Oslon for the second out. Punsalan grounded back to Jason Farley for the third out. Fairfax led 3-0.
In the bottom of the third, Prophett struck out Rich Conlon for the first out and then Brian Smith lined a single. Alex Andrews flied out for the second out and Smith retreated back to first. Joe Canova and Jason Farley drew back-to-back walks with two outs to load the bases. Mark Riffee then stroked an RBI single to score Brian Smith and the lead was cut to 3-1. Canova was at third, Farley on second and Riffee at first with two outs. Arman Moniri popped up to short to end the inning but the lead was cut to 3-1.
Jason Farley sat down the Rebels 1-2-3 in the top of the fourth to keep the Warhawks in the game. Kuchel grounded out to Rich Conlon and Farley struck out Warhurst and Knoll back-to-back for the second time in the game to end the inning. Josh Carter reached first base on an error and then Sterling Sams singled with Josh Carter hustling to third. Kevin Healy pinch ran for Sams and broke for second and was caught in a run down and slid safely to second when Kaito dropped the throw for an error. Josh Carter broke for home and the poor throw to the plate bounced past the catcher for another error allowing Carter to score and Healy hustled to third with no outs. Prophett balked allowing Healy to score and the game was tied 3-3. Rich Conlon lined out for the first out. Brian Smith grounded out for the second out and Alex Andrews flied out for the third out. After four innings the game was tied at 3 runs each.
In the fifth, Calabrese grounded out to Jason Farley for the first out. TJ Prioletti hit an infield single and then Prophett was hit by a pitch on the foot to put runners on first and second with one out. Simons grounded out to Arman Moniri unassisted for the second out with the runners moving to second and third. Jason Farley recorded a big strike out of Olson to end the inning and keep Fairfax from scoring. Madison went down 1-2-3 in the fifth as Joe Canova grounded out, Jason Farley flied out and Mark Riffee was called out looking. The game was tied 3-3 after five innings.
Jason Farley set Fairfax down in order in the top of the sixth as Punslan grounded out to Arman Moniri unassisted and Farley struck out Kuchel and Warhurst back-to-back to retire the side. The Warhawks went down in order also in the sixth as Arman Moniri grounded out on a nice play by Fairfax's Calabrese. Josh Carter also grounded out to Calabrese and Sterling Sams lined one off the pitcher that bounced to Kaito who made the put out (score it 1-4-3) for the third out. The game was still tied 3-3.
In the seventh, Brian Eck took the hill in relief of Farley for the Warhawks with the game tied. Knoll grounded out back to Brian Eck for the first out. Calabrese hit a hooking fly ball over the infielder but Mark Riffee made a nice catch running in for the second out. Rich Conlon made a nice athletic pick-up of a short hop while ranging to his left and threw out Prioletti to end the inning. Prophett struck out Conlon to start the bottom of the seventh and then Brian Smith reached first on an error. David McIntyre pinch ran for Smith and was called out at second in attempted steal of second on a questionable call for the second out. Warhawks faithful may want to see that call again on the cable replay. Alex Andrews grounded out and the game was headed into extra innings.
Fairfax threatened in the top of the eighth as Prophett led off with a double off the wall that came close to leaving the ball park. Simons walked giving the Rebels runners at first and second with no outs. Fairfax put in an unannounced courtesy runner for Simons. Olson tried to sacrifice but bunted back to Brian Eck who threw to Brian Smith at third and force out Prophett. Alex Andrews then picked off the runner at second after a missed bunt attempt with Rich Conlon making the tag for the second out. Punsalan walked to put Olson at second and Punsalan at first with two outs. Brian Eck struck out Kuchel to end the inning and keep it scoreless.
In the bottom of the eighth. Daiki Kaito took the mound in relief of Prophett. Joe Canova singled to start the inning for Madison. Jason Farley lined a single hard off of Kaito's leg. Canova recognized that no one was covering third and hustled to third. Madison had Joe Canova at third and Jason Farley on first with no outs and Mark Riffee coming to the plate in another RBI situation. After a conference, Fairfax decided to intentionally walk Mark Riffee and face Arman Moniri instead with the bases loaded and no outs. In Warhawk tradition, Arman's job was to make them pay for the intentional walk. Moniri wasted no time as he lined the first pitch to the outfield for a walk-off game winning single. Madison won 4-3 in eight innings.
For the game, Jason Farley pitched six great innings allowing 3 runs on 5 hits with 7 strikeouts, 1 walk and 1 hit batter. He kept the Warhawks in the game but did not get a decision. Brian Eck was the winning pitcher with two excellent scoreless innings of relief. Brian allowed no runs, 1 hit, with 1 strikeout and 2 walks. Arman Moniri had the game winning walk-off hit. Mark Riffee had the other RBI for Madison with another bases loaded hit. Joe Canova, Brian Smith, Sterling Sams and Jason Farley all contributed hits to the attack. Madison returns to action against Oakton at Madison at 2PM in another exciting cross town game between the Vienna High Schools.
"It was fun tonight, the guys were really getting after it," said coach Mark Gjormand. "It is fun because we are teaching, the players are competing, improving and playing hard. We are much better than we were a week and a half-ago when we played our first game following the Florida trip. This was an excellent pitched game as Jason kept us in it and Brian was strong at the end for the win. Rich and Alex made key defensive plays to get us out of the eighth. Joe made a heads-up base running play on Jason's hit. Mark, who had a big RBI earlier, was cranked up and ready to win it then they decided to intentionally walk him and pitch to Arman. Arman made a great adjustment after we had talked following his prior at bats. He stepped up big for us to get the game winning hit. This is a great weekend as we have Oakton at home also tomorrow. We are excited to get after it again tomorrow."
The Madison Warhawks hosted the Oakton Cougars on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Vienna. The Warhawks sent Andrew Eck to the mound in the first. Bryan Kidwell doubled for Oakton and went to third on a sacrifice bunt by Butler with Andrew Eck making a nice play on the bunt for the first out. Preston Madden grounded out to Arman Moniri unassisted for the second out with Kidwell scoring. Evan Frederickson popped-up on a towering ball in the sun to Joey Hayes to end the inning. Oakton led 1-0. In the bottom of the first, Brian Kidwell pitched for Oakton and Joe Canova and Jason Farley flied out. Mark Riffee singled with two outs. Arman Moniri grounded out for the third out.
In the second, Andrew Eck struck out Chris Despins. Curtis Eward hit an infield single. Andrew Eck struck out Wargo and Johnson grounded out to Joey Hayes to end the inning. In the bottom of the second, Josh Carter struck out, Joey Hayes grounded out and Rich Conlon grounded out to the catcher. Oakton led 1-0.
In the third, Alfredo Rodriguez hit an infield single and stole second base. Kidwell grounded out moving Rodriguez to third. Matt Butler hit a deep sacrifice fly to score the run with Mark Riffee making a nice running catch for the out. Madden doubled and Frederickson grounded out to Brian Eck to end the inning. In the second half of the third, Alex Andrews led off with a walk and Eric Garner ran for him. Brian Eck grounded into a fielders choice to force Garner. Joe Canova grounded into a fielders choice to force Eck and Jason Farley flied out. Oakton led 2-0.
In the fourth, Despins flied out to Mark Riffee on another running catch. Eward walked then Fargo flied out to Mark Riffee on another running catch coming in and then Johnson flied out to Mark Riffee running to the line. In the bottom of the inning, Mark Riffee grounded out on a close play at first and Arman Moniri flied out on an excellent running catch by Butler to take away a hit. Josh Carter doubled with two outs and scored on an RBI single by Joey Hayes to cut the lead to 2-1. Rich Conlon singled and Alex Andrews singled to load the bases. Brian Eck flied out and all the runners were stranded. Oakton led 2-1.
In the fifth the Warhawks could not make the plays to get them out of the inning. Andrew Eck walked Rodriguez and then Mark Riffee took the hill and walked Kidwell. Butler tried a sacrifice bunt but no one covered first so all the runners were safe with no outs. Butler then hit a tailor made double play ball but the Warhawks bobbled it and all the runners were safe, a run scored, bases were loaded with no outs and the inning should have been over ( or at least two outs.) Riffee struck out Frederickson for the first out that also should have ended the inning. A runner scored on a low pitch that bounced away from the catcher for a run. Despins hit a ground ball through the hole to score another run. Eward grounded out for the second out on a good play by Joey Hayes (yet another time the inning should have ended) and then Wargo hit a slow rolling seeing-eye grounder that scored two more runs. Johnson struck out to end the inning. Madison gave up another 5 runs as they could not make the plays to prevent the big inning - their downfall in three games thus far. Madison trailed 7-1.
In the bottom of the fifth, Joe Canova grounded out and Jason Farley reached on a Cougar error. Kidwell hit Mark Riffee with a pitch and then Arman Moniri hit a ground ball fielders choice but Oakton could not get the sliding Riffee at second as the throw was wide and bases were loaded. Josh Carter hit an RBI single to score Jason Farley and the bases were still loaded with one out. Joey Hayes struck out and Rich Conlon popped up to short and Madison left the bases loaded for the second consecutive inning. Madison trailed 7-2.
Madison substituted for most of the defensive players in the sixth. Rodriguez singled and executed a delayed steal. Kidwell flied out to Kyle Hughes and Rodriguez tagged and went to third with one out. Oakton then squeeze bunted for an eighth run and the runner was safe at first. Madden flied out to Kevin Healy for the second out. Frederickson doubled to score Butler and Despins grounded out to Joey Hayes. Oakton ran their lead up to 9-2 and brought in Evan Fredrickson to pitch. In the bottom of the sixth, Frederickson struck out Ryan Mathews, walked Pat Powers, struck out Kevin Healy and struck out Jimmy McNamara.
Sterling Sams pitched the seventh for Madison and retired Eward on a ground ball back to himself. Carmine Cafiero reached second base on a throwing error. Kevin Miyato grounded out to Arman Moniri unassisted and Brandon Padula flied out to David McIntyre to end the inning. In Madison's half of the seventh, Colin Michael struck out Sterling Sams. Arman Moniri singled and then David McIntyre walked and Joey Hayes singled to load the bases for the third inning and fourth time in the game. Rich Conlon and Ryan Mathews struck out to end the game.
Madison lost to a good Oakton team. Madison and Oakton each had 8 hits, however, the Warhawks left the bases loaded three of the seven innings stranding 12 runners in the game. Once again, the Warhawks could not make the plays to escape the fifth and gave up five runs as a result. Josh Carter and Joey Hayes each had two hits and an RBI in the loss. Alex Andrews was 1 for 1 and was hit by a pitch. Mark Riffee (1 for 2) had a hit and was also hit by a pitch. Arman Moniri and Rich Conlon each had a hit for Madison. Andrew Eck pitched well surrendering 3 earned runs while taking the loss. Mark Riffee and Sterling Sams pitched in relief.
"I tip my hat to Oakton," said Mark Gjormand. "They have a good program and we have a good program. We feel we can play with them but needed to get one or two more things done and did not do it. It was a good week although it was not as good an ending as we wanted. We were excited to play them today but did not seem to have the same intensity we had last night in our win over Fairfax or in the McLean win Tuesday. We need to play at that level every game and have to work hard. We have a big week ahead of us and we need to get better. We need to get better to beat Oakton and teams like them when we get to Regionals."
Warhawks Shut Down By Lee Lancers 5-1
The Madison Warhawks traveled to Springfield to play the Lee Lancers on a rainy cold night dominated by pitching. The Warhawks Brian Eck pitched well in a duel with the Lancers Kevin Moreland but in the end, Moreland was dominant pitching a one hitter, with 12 strikeouts, no walks, one hit batsman with three Lancers errors behind him. Moreland also hit a two-run home run for Lee.
In the top of the first, Mark Riffee doubled for Madison but was stranded at second as Moreland struck out the other three batters in the inning and kept the Warhawks scoreless. In the bottom of the first, Brian Eck struck out Lee's Mike Boulter to start the inning. Pat Fitzgerald singled for the Lancers, went to second on a passed ball and scored on Troy Hamilton's double. Greg Jones grounded out to Brian Smith with a great pick at first on the throw by Arman Moniri. Moreland grounded out to Rich Conlon to end the inning. Lee led 1-0 after one.
Madison tied the game in the second when Moreland hit Brian Smith with a pitch and Rich Conlon hit a ground ball to the second baseman who threw the ball into left field trying to start a double play. Smith hustled to third and Conlon was safe at first. Alex Andrews squeezed Brian Smith home on a sacrifice bunt to tie the score. Morleand recorded two strikeouts in the inning. Madison set Lee down in order in the second as Brian Eck recorded two strikeouts and Alex Andrews threw out Kyle Smith, who attempted to steal second base after drawing a walk. Eric Garner made a nice tag on the play.
Moreland and Lee retired the Madison side in order in the third and Madison set Lee down in order in the third also. Alex Andrews threw out Aaron Schooley , Boulter flied out to Mark Riffee and Fitzgerald popped out to Brian Smith on a swirling fly ball to get the Lancers out. The middle innings of the game were played in a cold rain that was heavy at times.
In the top of the fourth, Arman Moniri reached on an error and David McIntyre pinch ran. McIntyre stole second and stole third but was stranded as Moreland pitched out of the inning getting two fly balls and a strikeout. The rain came down heavier as Madison took the field. Troy Hamilton doubled after what appeared to have been a third strike that was not called. Greg Jones sacrificed Hamilton to third and Kevin Moreland hit a home run to put Lee ahead 3-1. Brian Eck pitched out of the inning with a nice catch by Arman Moniri on a hard hit line drive with a runner on second. Eck struck out Kyle Smith to end the inning.
Madison had a chance to score again in the fifth after Brian Eck reached on an error and stole second base. Joe Canova hit a hard shot that was hit directly at the second baseman who playing up the middle. Morleand ended the inning on another strike out. Brian Eck recorded two more strikeouts and Mark Riffee made a nice catch in the bottom of the fifth to set Lee down. Madison still trailed 3-1.
Madison went down 1-2-3 in the sixth as Morleand continued to pitch well. Lee added two more runs as Jones walked and stole second. After Brian Eck struck out Moreland, Chris Vela hit a ground rule double to put runners at second and third. Sanders hit a two run double and Lee led 5-1. Kyle Smith hit a ground ball to Rich Conlon who stepped on second and fired to Arman Moniri to complete a double play and end the inning.
Madison's Alex Andrews reached first in the seventh on an error but Moreland retired the rest of the side for the win. Brian Eck pitched well in the loss allowing 5 earned runs on 6 hits with 7 strikeouts and 4 walks. Mark Riffee's first inning double was the only hit the Warhawks managed against Moreland who threw his third one hitter of the season for first place Lee.
"Brian did a nice job for us on the mound tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. "Kevin Moreland obviously was good for them. Moreland has improved a lot since last year and was tough tonight. He looked like he is pitching like his brother pitched last year which is a real compliment to him. Give Lee the credit. They had good pitching and timely hits tonight."
The Madison Warhawks hosted the Marshall Statesmen on a cold windy Friday night at Madison HS 11-4. The Warhawks sent senior stopper Chris Sterbenz to the mound and he responded with his third win in three starts. The game featured cross-town Vienna rivals and the Warhawks fans were rewarded with a good team win on a very cold night.
In the top of the first, Ed Solomon led off for Marshall and grounded out to a charging Brian Smith on a slow roller. Jordan Culbreath grounded out to Rich Conlon for the second out and Chris Sterbenz struck out Neil Gentile to retire the side in order. In the bottom of the first , Joe Canova led off against Marshall hurler Neil Gentile and grounded out for the first out. Mark Riffee singled and stole second base. Josh Carter's single fell in for hit as the right fielder lost it in the sun and then booted the ball allowing Mark Riffee to score from second after he had gone back to tag. Carter rounded second on the error and went to third as the relay throw was overthrown into the dugout. Carter was granted home on the over throw and Madison led 2-0. Arman Moniri flied out and Joey Hayes grounded out to end the inning with Madison leading 2-0.
Chris Sterbenz set the Statesmen down 1-2-3 again striking out Blair Delean for the first out. Ben Fletcher flied out to Rich Conlon for the second out and Alex Stoupa flied out to Josh Carter for the third out. In the bottom of the second, Brian Smith grounded out and Alex Andrews singled. Eric Garner ran for Andrews and took second as Rich Conlon grounded out for the second out. Garner moved to third on a wild pitch and was stranded there as Brian Eck flied out. Madison led 2-0.
In the top of the third, Pat McCain hit a deep fly ball to the gap but Mark Riffee made a nice running catch for the out. Stephen Gooding flied out to Riffee for the second out. Jeff Miller bunted and Chris Sterbenz fielded it and threw him out. All nine Marshall batters through three innings had been retired. In the bottom of the third, Joe Canova grounded out and then Mark Riffee reached on an error. Riffee stole second base and then Josh Carter struck out with Riffee stealing third on the pitch. The throw bounced past the third baseman and Riffee hustled home with the third run. Madison led 3-0. Arman Moniri grounded out to end the inning.
In the fourth, Solomon flied out to Mark Riffee who made another nice running catch for the out. Culbreath reached on an infield throwing error that bounced into the Marshall dugout and rewarded him with second base. Gentile grounded to Brian Smith for the out with Arman Moniri making a nice pick on the low throw. Culbreath took third on the play and scored on Marshall's first hit of the game, a single by Delean. Fletcher grounded out to Brian Smith to end the inning. Madison led 3-1. Joey Hayes flied out to start the bottom of the fourth. Delean hit Brian Smith with a pitch and Smith stole second base. Alex Andrews walked and Eric Garner ran for him. Brian Smith stole third base and Garner stole second base. Rich Conlon hit a ground ball to short stop and Smith scored and Garner broke for third. The shortstop Fletcher threw to third to try to get Garner but hit him as he slid in and the ball bounced away allowing the hustling Garner to score and Conlon reached second on the fielder's choice. Madison now led 5-1. Brian Eck laid down a bunt nicely and the pitcher bobbled the ball trying to make the play and could not throw out Eck who then stole second base on the next pitch. Joe Canova singled to score Conlon and move Brian Eck to third. Madison led 6-1. Mark Riffee hit a deep sacrifice fly to score Brian Eck who tagged and Madison led 7-1. Josh Carter flied out on a nice catch by the Marshall outfielder.
In the top of the fifth, Chris Sterbenz struck out Stupa for the first out and then Pat McClain hit a home run and the lead was cut to 7-2. Gooding walked and then Sterbenz struck out Jeff Miller for the second out. Solomon reached second base on an infield throwing error and moved Gooding to third. Culbreath singled to score Gooding and as Solomon rounded third the throw from left field beat him to the plate but sailed high allowing Solomon to score. The lead was now 7-4 with Culbreath on second. Sterbenz struck out Gentile to prevent further damage as Marshall scored three runs (two unearned in the inning). In the bottom of the fifth, Ryan Goss pitched for Marshall. Arman Moniri reached first on an error and Jimmy McNamara pinch ran for him. McNamara stole second base and then Joey Hayes walked to put two men on board. Goss struck out Brian Smith for the first out. Alex Andrew walked and Eric Garner was the courtesy runner for him. The Warhawks had McNamara on third, Hayes on second and Garner on first with one out. Goss pitched out of the jam recording his second and third strikeouts of the inning retiring Rich Conlon and Brian Eck. The Warhawks left the bases loaded and led 7-4 after five innings.
In the sixth, Delean singled for Marshall. Fletcher lined out to Brian Smith who made a nice play on the catch. Delean stole second base but was stranded there. Stoupa flied out to Josh Carter and Chris Sterbenz struck out McClain to end the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Joe Canova was hit by a pitch and stole second and third base. Mark Riffee walked and stole second base. Josh Carter singled to score Joe Canova and move Mark Riffee to third. Madison led 8-4. Eric Garner pinch ran for Carter and on a hit-and-run steal attempt. Arman Moniri singled to score Mark Riffee and the hustling Eric Garner all the way from first base. Madison led 10-4. Joey Hayes walked and Brian Smith was hit hard in the back again to load the bases. Ryan Mathews hit a sacrifice fly to score Arman Moniri and the score was 11--4 in favor of the Warhawks. Rich Conlon walked to load the bases again but Kyle Hughes grounded back to the pitcher on a fielder's choice and Goss threw out Hayes at the plate for the second out. Joe Canova grounded out at first to end the inning. Madison led 11-4.
Chris Sterbenz struck out Gooding to start the seventh and then Goss singled for Marshall. Solomon grounded to Brian Smith who made a nice play to force out Goss at second base. Culbreath flied out to Eric Garner to end the game.
Chris Sterbenz improved his record to 3-0 in three starts. He allowed 4 runs (one earned run) on 5 hits with 7 strikeouts and 1 walk. Josh Carter had 2 hits in four at bats, Mark Riffee was 1 for 2 with three runs scored, four stolen bases and a sacrifice fly RBI, Arman Moniri had a two RBI single, Alex Andrews hat a hit and two walks, Joe Canova had a hit, two stolen bases and an RBI and scored a run for the offense.
"The players are doing a good job of continuing to believe in themselves," said coach Mark Gjormand. "Our approach at the plate is aggressive and very good. We keep working hard on conditioning and I am pleased with our team speed. Our running game was good. It was a good team win. Chris Sterbenz gave us great senior poise on the mound again tonight and set the tone for the win. He pitched another good game for us. The team wanted to get this win for Coach Sullivan who had ran a good program at Marshall. The players are excited to have him as part of our program and wanted to get him here and have him be a part of this win tonight. It was a good win for the entire team."
The Madison Warhawks traveled to Fairfax and played the senior dominant WT Woodson Cavaliers. Jason Farley pitched for Madison and Ross Taranto for Woodson. In the top of the first Madison went down 1-2-3. In the bottom of the first Mike Bianucci walked for Woodson and took second on a passed ball. Jason Farley struck out Jim Gibbons for the first out and then Jon Quigley doubled. Bianucci stopped at third and then scored when the relay throw beat him to the plate but sailed away. Farley struck out Matt Noble and Brian Kramer to end the inning. Woodson led 1-0.
Madison went down in order in the second. In the bottom half of the second, Woodson failed to score as Joe Canova made a shoe-string catch on a Taranto flair, Brian Smith fielded a sacrifice bunt following a walk and Jason Farley struck out Ben Kaplan.
In the third, Alex Andrews led off with a single for the Warhawks. David McIntyre came in to courtesy run for the catcher and was promptly picked off first base for the out. Rich Conlon singled and took second on a wild pitch and third on a passed ball. Brian Eck attempted a safety squeeze but reached on a fielders choice as Conlon was thrown out at home for the second out. Brian Eck stole second base and scored on an infield single by Joe Canova. Canova attempted to go to second on a bad Woodson throw but was out to end the inning. The game was tied at 1-1.
In the bottom of the third, Jason Farley struck out Bianucci and Gibbons to start the inning. Quigley singled and then Noble was hit by a breaking pitch. Kramer singled but Eric Garner kept the runner from scoring and bases were loaded. The Warhawks were one pitch away from getting out of the inning but Taranto walked on a full count to force in a run. Pongrace then doubled to score two more runs and then Taranto scored as the Warhawks botched a delayed double steal play by Woodson. Morley struck out but Woodson led 5-1.
Madison failed to score in the fourth and fifth and Woodson added two more runs in the fifth when Kramer singled, Taranto doubled and both scored on a two-out-two-run-error with Andrew Eck pitching for Madison.
In the sixth, Madison stranded Rich Conlon and Mark Riffee on base following walks. Woodson added two more runs in the sixth, when Gibbons walked and Quigley homered. In the top of the seventh, Arman Moniri singled for Madison and Patrick Powers ran for him. Ryan Mathews was hit by a pitch but both runners were stranded as the game ended.
Madison lost 9-1. Jason Farley took the loss surrendering 5 runs (4 earned) on 5 hits with 7 strike outs and 4 walks. Andrew Eck pitched in relief surrendering 4 runs (2 earned) on 3 hits. Alex Andrews, Rich Conlon, Joe Canova and Arman Moniri had Madison's four hits.
"I tip my hat to Woodson tonight. They have a senior team that has played together for a long time now, " said Coach Mark Gjormand. "We came in focused and had a couple of good chances early but Woodson made the plays to stop our opportunities including the play on the squeeze bunt. Jason competed the entire way even though he wasn't as sharp as usual with the breaking pitches. Andrew Eck pitched well in relief. A couple of his runs would not have happened if we had made the play behind him."
"We need to stay the course, come to work everyday, win as many games as possible and then prepare for the post season. Everything is still in front of us."
Warhawks Open Second Half of District Play with 11-1 Win Over South Lakes
The Madison Warhawks opened the second half of Liberty District play hosting the South Lakes Seahawks. The Warhawks sent senior stopper Chris Sterbenz to the mound. In the top of the first, Nick Andriese led off for the Seahawks and flied out to Mark Riffee for the first out. Chris Sterbenz struck out Tommy Flynn for the second out and Ben Jennings flied out to Mark Riffee running in on the fly ball for the third out. In the bottom of the first, David McIntyre led off for the Warhawks against Seahawks hurler, Tommy Gately. McIntyre flied out to center field for the first out. Mark Riffee doubled and took third as Joe Canova reached first on a bunt single. Canova stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Gately struck out Arman Moniri and then hit Brian Smith to load the bases. Gately struck out Jason Farley to end the threat. There was no score after one inning.
In the top of the second, Chris Sterbenz set South Lakes down 1-2-3 again on 7 pitches. Bryan Francis grounded out to Rich Conlon. Chris Sterbenz struck out John Huppi and Brian Crawford flied out to Mark Riffee. In the bottom of the second, Alex Andrews grounded out and Gately struck out Rich Conlon for a second out. Brian Eck drew a walk and stole second base but was stranded as David McIntyre struck out. There was no score after two.
In the top of the third, Noah Sweet reached on an infield single. Conor Zagurski attempted to bunt but popped up to Brian Smith for the first out. Bobby Clinage flied out to Mark Riffee in foul territory for the second out and Andries flied out to Mark Riffee again to end the inning. In the bottom of third, Mark Riffee led off and lined a single. Joe Canova walked to move Riffee to second and then Arman Moniri executed an excellent sacrifice bunt to move Riffee and Canova into scoring position with one out. Brian Smith drove a deep sacrifice fly ball that scored Mark Riffee and Madison led 1-0. Joe Canova tagged and advanced to third on the play. Gately escaped further damage retiring Jason Farley. After three innings Madison led 1-0.
In the top of the fourth, Tommy Flynn doubled on a misjudged ball and scored on a Ben Jennings double to the gap. Jennings was called safe at second on a close play. The game was tied at one run each. Francis grounded out to a charging Rich Conlon who made a nice play for the out with Jennings moving to third. With the infield in, Sterbenz got Huppi to fly out to Brian Eck who made a nice play while going back to get the ball and held the runner. Sterbenz made a nice fielding play on Crawford's ground ball to end the inning. The game was tied at one run each. Gately retired the Warhawks in order in the bottom of the fourth as Alex Andrews lined out on a hard shot to the outfield, Rich Conlon struck out and Brian Eck flied out.
In the top of the fifth, Sterbenz shut down South Lakes again. Brian Smith ranged nicely to his left on a ground ball and threw out Sweet on the run. Brian Eck made a nice short hop pick-up and threw out Zagurski for the second out. Clinage walked and then Andriese flied out to Mark Riffee for the third time and the third out .
The Warhawks blew open the game in the bottom of the fifth, as David McIntyre led off with a double and Mark Riffee beat out a bunt single to put runners at the corners with no outs. Riffee stole second base. Joe Canova popped up for the first out and then Arman Moniri delivered a clutch two-strike single to score McIntyre and Riffee and the Warhawks led 3-1. Pat Powers pinch ran for Moniri. Brian Smith reached first on an error with Powers hustling safely to second. Sterling Sams lined a single off of the pitchers' leg and the bases were loaded. Alex Andrews singled to score Pat Powers and the bases were still loaded. The Warhawks led 4-1. Kyle Hughes hit a ground ball to second to force Eric Garner who ran for Andrews with Brian Smith scoring. The lead was 5-1 with Jason Farley, who ran for Sams, on third and Kyle Hughes on first following the fielder's choice. Hughes stole second and then Brian Eck singled to score Farley. The left fielder misplayed the ball to score Hughes and allow Eck to take second base. Madison led 7-1. David McIntyre batted again in the inning and singled to score Brian Eck with the eighth run. Mark Riffee doubled again and McIntyre hustled to third. Joe Canova doubled to score McIntyre and Riffee and Madison led 10-1. Arman Moniri hit another RBI single to score Joe Canova and end the game by the ten-run rule 11-1 in the fifth.
The Warhawks opened second half play with a strong win. Chris Sterbenz improved his record to 4-0 with five good innings of work. Sterbenz only needed 5 innings with the run support and allowed only 3 hits with 2 strikeouts. The Warhawks defense was excellent as was the offense. Mark Riffee was the offensive leader going 4-4 with two doubles and three runs scored. Arman Moniri was 2-3 with 3 RBIs and a sacrifice and Joe Canova was 2-3 with 2 RBIs. David McIntyre was 2-4 with an RBI and Alex Andrews and Brian Eck contributed RBI singles to the attack.
"Chris Sterbenz was great on the mound again tonight," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "It was good to get the first one out of the gate to start the second half. Mark Riffee was great tonight going 4-4 with two doubles. Although we had a couple of guys still looking at pitches tonight, I felt we had many quality at bats and swings up and down the line-up. We showed our team speed tonight and have one down as a good start to the second half."
"We have a tough McLean team coming in here Wednesday night. They are a good club and will be hungry. We are going to keep working hard and we are looking forward to playing them in what should be a good game."
Warhawks Drop Close One in Seventh Inning to McLean 5-4
The Madison Warhawks hosted the McLean Highlanders in a well played Liberty District game. Madison lefty Jason Farley pitched for the Warhawks and Danny Bell pitched for McLean. In the top of the first, TK Marks homered for McLean and Kevin Clinton singled. JB Oldenburg grounded to Brian Eck who stepped on second to force out Clinton for the first out. Billy Corey flied out to Mark Riffee for the second out and then Oldenburg stole second base. Danny Bell grounded out to Brian Eck who threw to Arman Moniri to end the inning. McLean led 1-0. In the bottom of the first, David McIntyre struck out for the first out. Mark Riffee doubled and moved to third as Joe Canova grounded out hard for the second out. Riffee hustled home sliding in safely on a passed ball to tie the game at one run each. Arman Moniri lined a single but was forced out at second on a ground ball hit by Josh Carter to end the inning. The score was Madison 1 and McLean1 after one inning.
Jason Farley set McLean down 1-2-3 in the second. Farley struck out John Edington looking for the first out. Josh Huson grounded out to Brian Eck for the second out and Mark Riffee made a long running catch against the fence to retire Andrew Burton for the third out. Madison also went down in order as Brian Smith flied out on a well hit ball. Alex Andrews grounded out and Rich Conlon flied out to end the inning. The score was still tied at one run after two innings.
In the top of the third, Kyle Meagher doubled to start the inning for McLean. Jason Farley struck out Marks for the first out. Clinton doubled to score Meagher and then Jason Farley struck out Oldenberg for the second out. Corey doubled to score Clinton and McLean led 3-1. Bell hit a duck-snort single over the infield to score Corey and then Farley retired Edington unassisted on a ground ball. McLean led 4-1. In the bottom of the third, Brian Eck lined a single to start things for the Warhawks. Brian Eck stole second base and stole third. The McLean catcher's throw to third skipped into left field allowing Eck to score sliding in to home on the error. The score was cut to 4-2. David McIntyre flied out, Mark Riffee grounded out and Joe Canova grounded out to end the inning. After three innings, Madison trailed 4-2.
In the top of the fourth, Joe Canova retired Huson with a great diving catch on a line drive towards the gap. Burton singled and tried to steal second but Meagher stood on the plate to interfere with the catcher's throw. Meagher was called out for interference and Burton was sent back to first. Marks flied out to Mark Riffee to end the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Arman Moniri flied out, Josh Carter flied out deep and Brian Smith grounded out and the side was out in order. Madison trailed 4-2 after four innings.
In the top of the fifth, Andrew Eck took the mound in relief of Jason Farley. Clinton doubled for McLean and stole third base. Oldenburg walked and stole second. McLean was threatening with two runners in scoring position with no outs. Corey grounded to Brian Eck who checked the runners to hold them and fired to first to retire Corey. On a wild pitch, Alex Andrews hustled and threw out Clinton trying to score with Andrew Eck making the tag. Bell walked and Madison brought in senior closer Brian Eck to pitch to Edington. Edington grounded to Joey Hayes who made a nice play to end the inning. The Eck brothers pitched out of a jam and The Warhawks defense was excellent.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Warhawks rallied. Alex Andrews walked and Eric Garner came in as a courtesy runner for the catcher. Garner stole second base. Rich Conlon beat out a bunt single and the Warhawks had runners at the corner with no outs. Conlon stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Brian Eck flied out to second for the first out and Sterling Sams struck out. Mark Riffee then lined a clutch two-out single to score Garner and Conlon to tie the game. Riffee hustled to second when McLean threw home without a cutoff. Joe Canova hit it hard at Oldenburg who retired him to end the inning. Madison had come back to tie the game at four runs each.
Brian Eck struck out the Highlanders in order in the top of the sixth, sending Huson, Burton and Meagher back to the dugout with just 11 pitches. In the bottom of the sixth, Arman Moniri was hit by a pitch and Eric Garner entered the game as a pinch-runner. McLean threw out Garner attempting to steal second for the first out. Josh Carter grounded back to relief pitcher Shane Mills for the second out and Brian Smith flied out for the third out.
Marks led off the seventh with a single and took second on a sacrifice bunt by Clinton. Arman Moniri made a diving unassisted tag for the out on the sacrifice bunt. Oldenburg grounded out to Rich Conlon who made a nice play from the shortstop hole to retire him. Marks slid in safely on the return throw with Josh Carter making a nice back-up on the play. Corey lined the first pitch into centerfield to score Marks and give McLean the lead at 5-4. Bell grounded out to Arman Moniri unassisted to end the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Alex Andrews grounded out and Mills struck out Rich Conlon and Brian Eck to end the game.
The Warhawks lost a close one after battling back. Jason Farley pitched well and Andrew Eck and Brian Eck combined to stop McLean from scoring after they had two runners in scoring position with no outs in the fifth. Brian Eck was excellent in relief but took the loss as McLean capitalized by getting the go-ahead run in the seventh. The Highlanders had more chances to score all night and finally broke through in the seventh. Mark Riffee led the Madison offense hitting 2 for 3, with a double, a run scored and two RBIs that tied the game. Arman Moniri, Brian Eck and Rich Conlon had Madison's other hits tonight.
"I am proud of our guys tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. The kids played their hearts out against a good senior dominant team tonight and are right there ready to break out. It was a tough loss as we rolled the dice in the sixth inning and tried to steal with a fast player to manufacture a run and just got caught. We had not been thrown out in several games so I felt we needed to be aggressive and give it a shot. As a team we are right on the brink of breaking out and reaching the next level. I am proud of all these guys. Brian was excellent tonight as our closer, we just needed one more out and Corey got the hit for them. Mark did a great job again tonight for us. We have to move on and not let tonight bother us in the next game."
The Madison Warhawks traveled to play the Fairfax Rebels to complete a three game week. The Warhawks sent lefty Mark Riffee to the mound and Fairfax pitched Phil Prophett. In the top of the first, Prophett struck out David McIntyre for the first out. Mark Riffee walked on four pitches and then Joe Canova singled to advance Riffee to second. Mark Riffee stole third base and the throw went through the third baseman allowing Riffee to score the first run. Joe Canova took second on the throw. Arman Moniri singled Canova to third and then Jason Farley laid down a sacrifice bunt and Joe Canova slid home safe on a play at the plate with Farley reaching first on the fielders choice and sacrifice. Madison led 2-0. Moniri took second on the play. After Brian Smith struck out, Rich Conlon reached on an error and Arman Moniri slid in safely with the third run. Alex Andrews singled to score Jason Farley and Madison led 4-0. Brian Eck doubled to score Rich Conlon with the fifth run and move Pat Powers, the courtesy runner for Andrews, to third. David McIntyre batted again in the first inning and doubled to score both Powers and Eck. Madison led 7-0. Chase Philips relieved Prophett on the mound for the Rebels. Mark Riffee flied out with Fairfax making the catch against the outfield fence to end the inning. Madison led 7-0. Mark Riffee pitched for the Warhawks and retired Nick Calabriese on a ground ball back to himself for the first out. After hitting TJ Prioletti with a pitch. Riffee got Prophett to ground into a Rich Conlon to Brian Eck to Arman Moniri double play on the next pitch to end the inning. Madison led 7-0 after one inning.
In the second, Joe Canova singled and went to third on a single by Arman Moniri. Jason Farley hit a deep sacrifice fly to score Canova and Madison led 8-0. Brian Smith was hit by a pitch and two runners were aboard with one out. Rich Conlon singled to score Arman Moniri and Madison led 9-0. Alex Andrews flied out deep and Brian Eck popped-up to the pitcher for the third out. Madison led 9-0. Mark Riffee set the Rebels down 1-2-3 in the second. Riffee struck out Nick Simons, Chase Philips flied out to Eric Garner for the second out and Andrew Punsalan popped up to Rich Conlon to end the inning. Madison led 9-0 after two innings.
In the third, David McIntyre beat out an infield single but was forced out at second on a fielder's choice by Mark Riffee. Jimmy McNamara then was the courtesy runner for the pitcher. Joe Canova doubled into the gap to score McNamara from first and Madison led 10-0. Arman Moniri and Jason Farley each flied out deep to end the inning. In the bottom of the third, Mark Riffee struck out Jake Warhurst for the first out. David Olson grounded out to Brian Smith for the second out. Dallas Kuchel reached first on an infield error and then Calabrese flied out to Eric Garner to end the inning. Madison led 10-0 after three innings.
Brian Smith singled to start the top of the fourth inning. Rich Conlon singled to advance Smith to second with no outs. Dallas Kuchel then came in to pitch for Fairfax and relieve Philips. Ryan Mathews hit an infield single and Brian Smith scored. The lead was 11-0. Joey Hayes walked to load the bases. Eric Garner hit a ball to centerfield that looked like it was trapped and in for a hit but it was ruled a catch and a sacrifice fly allowing Rich Conlon to tag and score. Madison led 12-0. Jimmy McNamara hit a ground ball to the shortstop who stepped on second but McNamara beat the throw to first for a fielder's choice and RBI as Ryan Mathews scored. Madison led 13-0. Kyle Hughes singled and Jimmy McNamara advanced to second. Sterling Sams singled to drive in McNamara. Kyle Hughes was thrown out trying to advance to third and Madison led 14-0.
Mark Riffee set the Rebel side down in order on seven pitches in the fourth, getting three ground balls to Rich Conlon. Conlon fielded all three balls cleanly and threw to Arman Moniri retiring the heart of the order, Prioletti, Prophett and Simons. Madison led 14-0 after four.
In the top of the fifth, Kuchel struck out Kevin Healy and Pat Powers for the first two outs. Andrew Eck flied out to centerfield to end the inning.
Madison sent Mark Riffee out to pitch the fifth needing three more outs to end the game with a no-hitter and shut-out. Riffee retired the first batter Philips who hit a fly ball to Eric Garner. Punsalan flied out to Kyle Hughes for the second out. Warhurst reached first on an infield error and then Olson grounded back to Mark Riffee, who threw to first to end the game with a no-hit shut out.
Madison's offense was excellent tonight and was led by Joe Canova who was 3 for 3 with a double and RBI. David McIntyre was 2 for 3 with a double and two RBIs. Arman Moniri and Rich Conlon were also 2 for 3. Brian Eck had a double and RBI. Jason Farley had two RBIs on two sacrifices and Eric Garner had a sacrifice fly and RBI. Brian Smith, Alex Andrews, Ryan Mathews, Kyle Hughes and Sterling Sams each had hits tonight. The defense was good tonight in support of Mark Riffee who threw a no-hit-shut out on 45 pitches this evening.
"We were relaxed tonight after having good practices," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "We were having fun and playing well. I felt we have been real close to breaking out for good wins like tonight. Everybody on the team played tonight except Chris Sterbenz who we wanted to keep healthy for his next start early next week. The entire team contributed and had good at bats tonight. We saw the ball well. The defense was good in support of Mark. He was terrific tonight in his first pitching start of the season. He was hitting his spots well. What more can you ask of him than a no-hit-shut out with no walks? We have a few big weeks ahead of us and we are excited to play these games that are coming up."
Warhawks Drop Close One at Langley
The Madison Warhawks traveled to McLean to play the Langley Saxons in a make-up game previously rained out. Chris Sterbenz pitched for Madison against Danny Hockberg for Langley. In the top of the first David McIntyre led off the game for Madison with a double. Mark Riffee moved the runner to third hitting a ground ball behind him for the first out. McIntyre scored on a wild pitch and the Warhawks led 1-0. Joe Canova singled and then Arman Moniri singled Canova to second. Brian Smith popped out on a bunt attempt and then Rich Conlon delivered an infield single to load the bases. Alex Andrews singled to score Joe Canova, kept the bases loaded and Madison led 2-0. Hockberg struck out Brian Eck to end the inning with Madison leading 2-0. In the bottom of the first, Chris Sterbenz retired the Saxons in order. Chuck Eller flied out to Brian Smith for the first out. Danny Brown grounded out to Brian Eck for the second out and Jimmy Saris flied out to Eric Garner to end the inning. After one inning, Madison led 2-0.
In the second, Madison went down in order as Eric Garner struck out, David McIntyre flied out and Mark Riffee flied out. In the bottom of the second, Alex Dadisman drew a walk, and then Kevin Corey hit a shot deflected by Arman Moniri to Rich Conlon who threw back to Moniri for the out. Dadisman advanced to second. John Dammer flied out to Eric Garner for the second out and then Nick Zahra lined out to Arman Moniri to end the inning. Madison led 2-0 after two innings.
In the top of the third, Joe Canova beat out an infield single and then Arman Moniri hit a ball off the pitcher that deflected to the second baseman who threw Moniri out for the first out. Canova took second. Brian Smith grounded out with Canova advancing to third. Langley brought in Bryce Morrison to pitch and then Rich Conlon delivered a two-out RBI single to score Joe Canova and Madison led 3-0. Alex Andrews legged out an infield single but when the throw hit him he tried to advance to second and was thrown out to end the inning. Madison led 3-0. In the bottom of the third Kyle Fraser grounded out to Brian Eck for the first out and then Tommy Tysse doubled. Tysee advanced to third on a wild pitch. Eller walked and stole second and took third as the throw was bad and skipped into centerfield. Tysse scored Langley's first run on the error. Brown singled to score Eller and the lead was cut to 3-2. Saris doubled to put runners at second and third with one out. Dadisman doubled to score Brown and Saris and Langley led 4-3. Corey walked to put two men on and then Andrew Eck took the hill as the Warhawks relief pitcher. Dammer walked to load the bases and Zahra hit a ground ball that was booted for an error allowing Dadisman to score the fifth run. Andrew Eck struck out Fraser for the second out with bases loaded. Mark Riffee made a running and diving catch to keep Langley from scoring more runs and ended the inning with Langley leading 5-3.
Brian Eck singled to lead off the fourth inning and advanced to second on a passed ball. Morrison balked Eck to third and then struck out Sterling Sams for the first out. David McIntyre struck out for the second out. Mark Riffee doubled with two outs to drive in Brian Eck to cut the lead to 5-4. Langley brought in their ace Jimmy Saris, who is committed to pitch for Duke next year. Mark Riffee stole third base to put the tying run on third but Saris ended the inning by striking out Joe Canova. In the bottom of the fourth, Andrew Eck walked Eller and then closer Brian Eck took the mound for Madison. Brian Eck picked off Eller for the first out. Brown doubled and advanced to third as Saris grounded out to Joey Hayes for the second out. Dadisman flied out to Joe Canova to end the inning. Langley led 5-4 after four innings.
In the fifth, Saris struck out Jason Farley. Brian Smith lined out and Rich Conlon struck out. In the bottom of the fifth, Brian Eck struck out Corey. Dammer grounded out on a nice play by Brian Smith. Zahra doubled but Fraser grounded out to Brian Smith to end the inning. Langley still led 5-4.
In the top of the sixth, Madison had its chances and did not capitalize. Alex Andrews was hit by a pitch and Pat Powers courtesy ran for him. Brian Eck sacrificed Powers to second and almost beat out the play by hustling down the line. Sterling Sams doubled but Powers went all the way back to second and had to be held at third without scoring. The Warhawks had runners on the corners as David McIntyre grounded towards the drawn-in-third baseman who threw Powers out at the plate for the second out. Saris gave Mark Riffee nothing to hit and walked him to load the bases. Joe Canova went down on strikes to end the inning and Madison trailed 5-4. In the bottom of the sixth, Brian Eck struck out Tysse. Eller grounded out to Brian Smith. Brown reached on an infield single and Saris grounded out to Joey Hayes. Madison still trailed 5-4.
Saris struck out the side in the top of the seventh retiring Farley, Smith and Conlon to end the game. The Warhawks let this one slip away and had their chances to win, stranding 11 base runners including leaving the bases loaded twice and leaving runners at third base two other innings. The Warhawks out hit the Saxons 11-7. This was a game that Madison let slip away and was the Warhawks to win. Chris Sterbenz took his first loss on the hill. Andrew Eck allowed one inherited runner to score but pitched out of further damage with the help of his defense. Brian Eck shut down Langley the rest of the way but Madison failed to score its runners in scoring position in several innings. Alex Andrews, Joe Canova and Rich Conlon had two hits each. Mark Riffee had a big RBI double while Rich Conlon and Alex Andrews had key RBIs early in the game. David McIntyre doubled and scored the first run. Sterling Sams doubled in the sixth inning. Brian Eck and Arman Moniri had hits in the attack.
"We did a good job of competing tonight," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "We had a chance to win in the sixth but came up short. We left a lot of runners on board tonight. Chris started off well but his arm did not feel great this evening. Brian did a good job keeping us in the game and giving us a chance to win. Langley is having a good season and I feel we are able to play right there with them. We play a good Lee team tomorrow and we need to be ready to compete again."
Warhawks Defeat Lee Lancers 9-5
The James Madison Warhawks Hosted the Robert E Lee Lancers and defeated the Lancers in a key Liberty District contest. Madison sent lefty Jason Farley to the mound and Lee countered with their senior right-hander Troy Hamilton. In the top of the first Mike Boulter attempted a bunt but catcher Alex Andrews pounced on the ball and threw him out. Pat Fitzgerald walked and then Troy Hamilton flied out to David McIntyre for the second out. Fitzgerald moved to second on a balk and scored when Greg Jones reached safely on a Madison throwing error. Lee led 1-0. Jones stole second base and then Jason Farley struck out Chris Vela to end the inning. In the bottom of the first Madison went down 1-2-3 as David McIntyre, Mark Riffee and Joe Canova each grounded out. Lee led 1-0 after one inning.
In the second, Kevin Moreland doubled for the Lancers. Andrew Sanders tried a sacrifice bunt but put the ball in the air and Sterling Sams made a diving catch for the first out. Jason Farley then struck out Kyle Smith and Aaron Schooley to end the inning with no runs allowed. Madison went down 1-2-3 again as Sterling Sams and Joey Hayes struck out and Brian Smith flied out. Lee led 1-0 after two innings.
In the top of the third, Boulter was hit by a pitch and then Jason Farley struck out Fitzgerald for the first out. Hamilton singled to move Boulter to third. Boulter drew a throw and Hamilton slid in safely at second on the throw. Greg Jones then doubled to score both Boulter and Hamilton and Lee led 3-0. Lee had a courtesy runner run for Jones and he broke for third on a ground ball to Brian Eck. Eck threw to Brian Smith who made the tag for the second out. Chris Vela was safe at first on the fielder's choice. Alex Andrews gunned down Vela attempting to steal for the final out with Brian Eck making the tag. Lee led 3-0. Coach Gjormand had seen enough of the low energy and coached the Warhawks up to an attacking level of energy in a huddle between innings. In the bottom of the third, Alex Andrews flied out and Rich Conlon grounded out. Brian Eck reached first on an error and moved to second on a wild pitch. David McIntyre walked and Mark Riffee hit a ball hard but right at the third baseman to end the inning. Madison trailed 3-0 after three innings.
Jason Farley continued to pitch well in the fourth. After Moreland walked, Farley struck out Sanders and then rolled a double play ground ball that Brian Eck fielded, stepped on second and fired to first to retire Schooley and end the inning quickly.
Madison came out ready to put the pressure on Lee in the bottom of the fourth. Joe Canova hustled to beat out a bunt to get the inning started. After Sterling Sams struck out, Hamilton hit three consecutive Warhawks batters with pitches putting Joey Hayes, Brian Smith and Alex Andrews on board. Andrews was credited with an RBI for taking one in the back and Joe Canova scored to cut the lead to 3-1. Eric Garner ran for Andrews. Rich Conlon then stroked a key single to score both Hayes and Smith and Madison tied the game. Brian Eck reached safely on a fielders choice as Lee forced out Garner at third for the second out. David McIntyre singled to score Rich Conlon and then the ball bounced passed the center fielder for an error allowing Brian Eck to score and McIntyre to go to second. Madison led 5-3. Mark Riffee hit a double and McIntyre scored. Madison led 6-3. Mark Riffee then stole third base but was stranded as Joe Canova flied out to end the inning. The Warhawks took the lead 6-3.
In the top of the fifth, Jason Farley continued to pitch a great game retiring Lee in order with a fly ball to Brian Eck, a ground ball to Brian Smith and a ground ball to Rich Conlon. In the bottom of the fifth, Hamilton hit Sterling Sams with a pitch to lead off the inning. Kyle Hughes pinch ran for Sams. Joey Hayes singled Kyle Hughes to second. Lee relieved Hamilton and brought in Brian Deal to pitch. Brian Smith hit a ground ball that was fielded but all the runners were safe on the single and bases were loaded. Alex Andrews then hit a sacrifice fly that scored Kyle Hughes and Joey Hayes tagged and went to third. Madison led 7-3. Brian Smith stole second but the throw was bad and bounded into center field. Joey Hayes scored on the error and Smith took third. Madison led 8-3. Rich Conlon then put down a sacrifice bunt that scored Brian Smith with the 9th run. Deal struck out Brian Eck to end the inning. The Warhawks led 9-3.
In the top of the sixth, Hamilton reached first on a Madison error. Greg Jones hit a double into the gap and Hamilton scored all the way from first base. The lead was 9-4. Jason Farley struck out Deal for the first out and then Moreland grounded to Brian Smith who checked the runner back to second and threw out Deal for the second out. Sanders was hit by a pitch and then Smith hit a ground ball that was thrown past the first baseman for an error that allowed Jones to score and Sanders to go third while Smith reached first safely. Madison led 9-5. Schooley lined out to Brian Eck to end the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Eric Garner flied out and Deal walked Mark Riffee. Riffee stole second base and went to third as Joe Canova beat out another infield single. Sterling Sams grounded back to the pitcher Deal and the runners held as Deal threw out Sams for the second out. Joey Hayes walked to load the bases and Brian Smith grounded out to second to end the threat. Madison led 9-5.
Jason Farley took the mound in the seventh seeking a complete game win facing the top of the order. Boulter grounded out to Rich Conlon for the first out. Fitzgerald singled but was forced out at second one batter later as Hamilton grounded to Brian Eck who threw to Rich Conlon to get Fitzgerald for the second out. Greg Jones flied out to Joe Canova to end the game.
Madison won a key game as they are battling Lee for the fourth seed in the District Tournament. Jason Farley got the win with a great seven inning effort. Farley allowed 5 runs of which only 2 were earned while scattering 5 hits. Farley recorded 5 strikeouts while walking 2 Lancers and hitting one batter. The key hits for the Warhawks offense was a two-run RBI single by Rich Conlon, and RBI single by David McIntyre and Mark Riffee's RBI double all which occurred in the Warhawks fourth inning rally to take the lead. Alex Andrews had 2 RBI's on a sacrifice and by being hit by a pitch. Joe Canova had two infield singles and scored the first Warhawks run. Brian Smith added an infield single to the attack.
"We did not come in sharp at the beginning," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "On the other hand we have been sharp recently and still lost a few games. We dug in and started executing once they got the three-run lead. We were feeling for the ball rather than attacking it. We turned around and put pressure on them rather wait and receive it. We ran the bases well in the rally as well. I thought Jason pitched a good game for us. It was good for him to get the win. It was a good win for the team as we are in the thick of battling for the four versus five seed in the District Tournament and are overcoming the adversity of some key injuries keeping players out of the line-up."
Warhawks Move into Fourth Place Tie with 4-1 Win over Marshall Statesmen
The Madison Warhawks traveled across Vienna to play the Marshall Statesmen on another cold Friday night. The Statesmen honored their senior players before the game then sent their ace Blair Delean to the mound. The Warhawks started lefty Mark Riffee on the mound. In the top of the first, David McIntyre reached first. Mark Riffee lined out to right field for the first out and Marshall doubled off McIntyre who broke for second base on the play. Joe Canova flied out to end the inning. In the bottom of the first, Jeff Miller led off for Marshall and reached first on an infield single. Edward Solomon lined out to Joey Hayes who stepped on first for an unassisted double play to retire Solomon as well. Jonathan Culbreath flied out to David McIntyre to end the inning with no score.
In the top of the second, Sterling Sams flied out on a deep fly ball. Jason Farley and Brian Smith grounded out to go down in order. In the bottom of the second Blair Delean flied out to Jason Farley and Allen Stoupa grounded out to Brian Smith. Patrick McClain singled and then Stephen Gooding hit a ground ball for what should have been the third out but the Warhawks made an error allowing McClain to go to third and Gooding to first. Mark Riffee struck out Alex Aivazis to end the inning. After two innings there was no score.
In the third, Alex Andrews walked. Kevin Healy came in to run as the courtesy runner and stole second base. Delean struck out Rich Conlon, Brian Eck and David McIntyre in order to keep the game scoreless. In the bottom of the third, Mark Riffee struck out Jake Orndorff for the first out. Miller walked and took second as Solomon grounded out to Brian Smith. Riffee retired Culbreath on one pitch with a fly ball to Jason Farley. The pitchers duel was on and there was no score.
Mark Riffee led off the fourth and hit a ball that was harder than the short-stop could handle without knocking it down and then throwing the rebound and Riffee beat the throw to first. Joe Canova moved Riffee to second with a bunt single and then Sterling Sams sacrificed Riffee to third and Canova to second. Jason Farley flied out to shallow centerfield and the runners had to hold. Delean pitched out of trouble by striking out Brian Smith with two runners in scoring position. In the bottom of the fourth, Delean grounded out to Brian Eck for the first out. Stoupa hit a routine ground ball but reached first on a Madison error. Mark Riffee then struck out McClain and Gooding in order to end the inning. The pitchers had kept the game scoreless and both offenses had been on their heals through four innings.
In the fifth, Alex Andrews led off with a double for the Warhawks. Kevin Healy came in to run for the catcher Andrews. Rich Conlon struck out and Kevin Healy stole third base. Brian Eck hit an RBI single and Healy scored the first run of the game. Madison led 1-0. Eck stole second base and took third as David McIntyre grounded out. Brian Eck scored the second run on a passed ball and Madison led 2-0. Mark Riffee reached first on an error. Riffee stole second base and then stole third base drawing a throw that skipped into left field. Riffee bounced up and came home having manufactured the third Warhawks run. Joe Canova grounded out to end the inning but Madison took the lead 3-0. Aivazis walked and then Orndorff laid down a sacrifice bunt that Riffee fielded and threw him out with Aivazis advancing to second. Miller grounded out to Brian Eck for the second out with the runner moving to third. Solomon doubled to drive in a run for Marshall and the lead was 3-1 in favor of Madison. Culbreath grounded back to Mark Riffee who threw to first to end the inning. After five innings Madison led 3-1.
In the sixth, Sterling Sams hit a hard ball that the shortstop could not handle going into the hole. Pat Powers pinch ran for Sams. Jason Farley sacrificed Powers to second with one out. Brian Smith grounded back to Delean but Pat Powers advanced to third on the play. Alex Andrews singled to drive in Pat Powers and Madison led 4-1. Kevin Healy ran for Andrews but was forced out at second as Rich Conlon hit into a fielder's choice to end the inning. Madison led 4-1 and Mark Riffee moved to right field after allowing only 3 Marshall hits. Closer Brian Eck took the mound for the Warhawks and set the Statesmen down in order getting Delean to fly out to Joe Canova for the first out. Brian Eck struck out Stoupa and McClain flied out to Mark Riffee to end the inning. Madison led 4-1.
In the seventh Brian Eck popped up to Delean in foul territory for the first out. David McIntyre struck out for the second out and then Mark Riffee lined a single for the Warhawks. Riffee was stranded as Joe Canova grounded out to end the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Gooding grounded to Jason Farley who flipped to Brian Eck covering for the first out. Aivazis grounded out to Joey Hayes and Ryan Goss flied out to Joe Canova to end the game. Madison won 4-1.
The game was a pitchers duel as Mark Riffee only allowed 3 Marshall hits and closer Brian Eck kept the Statesmen off the bases. Madison managed 4 runs on 5 hits off of Delean who is also a fine pitcher. The Warhawks manufactured runs. Mark Riffee recorded the win with four strikeouts, Brian Eck got the save and Delean took the loss for Marshall. Alex Andrews was the hitting star going 2 for 2 with a double, RBI and a walk. Brian Eck had an RBI single. Joe Canova, Mark Riffee and Sterling Sams had the other Madison hits. Riffee manufactured a Warhawks run with his base stealing.
"Great job tonight by our players as we came out tonight to do what we needed to do to win," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "We beat a quality pitcher who gave them a great effort tonight. I was happy with our pitching. Mark was good again tonight. He was sharp, throwing strikes, working ahead of batters. He gets a lot of ground balls when he needs them. Brian came in an did a good job shutting them down as our closer. He and Mark combined for a great outing. On offense, Alex Andrews had a great game. He had an RBI again tonight and is becoming a clutch hitter as he has batted over .500 when runners are in scoring position. I thought he did a good job in every at bat tonight. We had some good at bats tonight although their pitcher was tough at times. We showed we can manufacture runs which sometimes we are going to need. We have another big game Tuesday night against a good club and I feel we are continuing to play good ball."
Warhawks Lose to Cavaliers 13-5
The Madison Warhawks played the WT Woodson Cavaliers at Madison and lost 13-5. Woodson scored 5 runs on 4 hits and 2 errors in the first inning off of Chris Sterbenz who took the loss on the hill while pitching the first two innings. Madison scored 3 runs in the bottom of the first with the highlights including a double by David McIntyre and an RBI single by Joey Hayes. Brian Smith added a single and then Madison scored two runs when Alex Andrews was hit by a pitch and Rich Conlon drew a bases loaded walk. Woodson scored 4 more runs in the second and Madison left the bases loaded in both the first and second innings.
Jason Farley pitched well in the middle three innings and did not allow a run on only 2 hits and had 3 strikeouts. Woodson scored 2 runs in the sixth off of Brian Eck, who pitched the final two innings, following a leadoff error by the Warhawks. Madison added a run in the sixth when Mark Riffee led off with a single and scored all the way from first base on a triple blasted by Eric Garner.
Woodson scored 2 more runs in the seventh and then Madison's final run came in the bottom of the seventh when Jimmy McNamara led off with a single and moved to second on a grounder by Ryan Mathews. Kevin Healy singled to score McNamara from second base.
The Warhawks were out hit by Woodson 15-9. The Madison offense included contributions from Eric Garner (RBI triple), Brian Smith(2 for 3) and the following players who were 1 for 2: David McIntyre, Joey Hayes, Mark Riffee and Sterling Sams. Jimmy McNamara and Kevin Healy also added hits for Madison.
"We did not get out of the gate well tonight spotting a senior team 5 runs in the first inning," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "You just can't spot a good veteran team that many runs. We did a nice job getting 3 runs back but we left the bases full the first two innings and did not stay aggressive. Jason threw very well in the middle innings for us. Overall, I thought we stayed in the game and still competed late despite falling behind. However, they simply outplayed us tonight. We have to go back to work and get ready for our final regular season game and then the tournament."
Warhawks Defeat Stuart 8-1 in Non-District Game
The Madison Warhawks hosted the JEB Stuart Raiders at Madison in a non-district game and won 8-1. The Warhawks honored seniors Joe Canova, Andrew and Brian Eck, Eric Garner and Chris Sterbenz prior to the game on Senior Night. Andrew Eck went the distance and struck out 17 Raiders for the win.
Madison scored 3 runs in the first inning on 2 hits including a single by Joey Hayes and a two-run RBI single by Alex Andrews. Madison added another run in the third inning when Joe Canova singled, stole second base and scored on a double by Brian Smith.
In the fourth inning Madison increased it's lead to 7-0 with three more runs. Eric Garner singled and scored on an RBI by Mark Riffee. Joe Canova singled, stole second base, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on an RBI double by Joey Hayes. Hayes scored on an RBI single by Brian Smith. Stuart's only run came in the fifth when Tommy Palmitiota singled, took second on a passed ball and scored on a single by Casey Eliff. Madison increased it's lead to 8-1 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Kevin Healy walked and stole second base. Chris Sterbenz stroked a single and his first RBI to score Healy with the 8th run.
Andrew Eck was dominant and recorded 17 strikeouts, while surrendering only 1 run on 3 hits with 2 walks. The two runners who walked were picked-off by Andrew Eck and thrown out stealing by Ryan Mathews. Madison will host Marshall Tuesday night in the first round of the Liberty District Tournament.
"It was good to end the season on a win prior to the playoffs," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "Andrew Eck was excellent tonight striking out 17 batters. He was the story of the game tonight. It was a good senior night and Joe Canova, Eric Garner and Chris Sterbenz all helped the offense tonight. We wanted to play Brian Eck but we held him out for precautionary reasons to make sure he is ready to go Tuesday."
The Madison Warhawks jumped to an early lead against the Marshall Statesmen but sloppy defense allowing Marshall to score three unearned runs in the District Tourney opener. Madison was eliminated from post season play by Marshall by the score of 4-2. The Warhawks out hit Marshall 7 to 3 but made four costly errors that gave Marshall the lead. Brian Eck pitched well allowing only two hits in five innings but surrendered 4 runs (three were unearned) to take the loss. One of the hits he surrendered was a solo home run. Mark Riffee pitched 2 innings of scoreless relief and only gave up one hit.
The Warhawks jumped to an early lead in the first as David McItyre singled and took second as the outfielder misplayed the ball for an error. Mark Riffee then hit an RBI double to score McIntyre for a 1-0 lead. Riffee was thrown out stealing and then Joe Canova singled and stole second base. With two outs Brian Smith walked to put two runners on boasrd and Jason Farley singled to score Canova. Madison led 2-0 after one inning of play.
Pat McClain homered for Marshall in the second to cut the lead to 2-1. Madison threatened to score again in the second when David McIntyre doubled with two outs and went to third on a single by Mark Riffee. Riffee stole third to put two runners in scoring position but Madison stranded both runners.
Marshall took the lead in the third following a controversial play. Jeff Miller had grounded into an inning ended double play but he was awarded first base and Jacob Orndorff was given second base as the umpire ruled catcher's interference on Madison. Following a nice catch by Joe Canova for the second out. Edward Solomon hit a slow roller to third. Madison threw the ball past the first baseman for an error allowing Orndorff to score and then made another error allowing Miller to score and Solomon to take second. Marshall led 3-2.
Marshall added another unearned run in the fifth on two Madison errors. Orndorff reached first on an error but was forced at second on a fielders choice by Miller. Culbreath popped up to Rich Conlon for the second out and then Solomon reached first on another throwing error allowing Miller to score again. Brian Eck picked off Solomon but Marshall had the lead at 4-2 after five innings.
Mark Riffee pitched two scoreless innings in the sixth ad seventh innings for the Warhawks but Madison could not score to come back. For the game, David McIntyre and Mark Riffee each were 2 for 4 with a double. Jason Farley was 2 for 3 and Joe Canova added a single. Riffee and Farley had the RBIs. Marshall was led by pitcher Blair DeLean who pitched very well throwing 131 pitches in the win for Marshall. Pat McClain's home run was Marshall's big hit.
With the loss Madison was eliminated from post season play and ended a disappointing season. The Warhawks were young and inconsistent but return many players who will have to work hard in the off-season to return Madison to its Traditional Championship ways in 2006. The seniors were disappointed to go out on a losing note but were parts of Championship teams the rest of their Madison years.
"First of all, I tip my hat to Marshall and Jim Jullien for the win," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "We knew that DeLean would pitch well and they would play hard. Our pitchers pitched well also. Brian Eck pitched well and we did not give him the support tonight. He surrendered two hits, one of which was home run, but our defense which has been good lately let us down tonight. Mark Riffee came in an shut them down pitching well in relief. Offensively, we were aggressive early and had a good approach early in the game but when things got rough we reverted to playing defensively as opposed to aggressively."
"I am proud of each of our players and each of our coaches. We had a lot of adversity this year and everyone played and coached through it. The team had good character but just could not overcome all the diversity and could not sustain consistency."
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