James Madison Warhawks
2006 Game Summaries
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Game Summaries
2006 Warhawks Game Summaries
Madison Defeats Stone Bridge 3 to 2 in Opener
Stone Bridge - Pre-Game Notes by Joey Kamide
The Madison Warhawks opened their 2006 season in a big game between two of the top teams in the Liberty District. The Warhawks hosted the Stone Bridge Bulldogs in their first Liberty District Baseball game. Junior Jason Farley was the starting pitcher for Madison. In the top of the first Mike Stancik led off for Stone Bridge and grounded out to Arman Moniri unassisted. Jeron Gouveia walked but Jason Farley struck out David Ball swinging and Tony Mazur looking to end the inning. Stone Bridge sent senior Ryan Shugars to pitch the opener against Madison. The Warhawks struck first as Mark Riffee lined a hard single as the first Warhawks batter of the season. Riffee stole second base and then Alex Andrews walked. Pat Powers came in as a courtesy runner for catcher Andrews. The Warhawks runners put pressure on Stone Bridge and Shugars balked as he tried to quick pitch sending Riffee to third and Powers to second. Shugars struck out Sterling Sams for the first out. The Bulldogs drew their infield in to cut the run off but Arman Moniri hit a ground ball to second and Mark Riffee read the ball getting by the pitcher, broke for home and slid in safely to beat the throw. Moniri was on first on the fielders choice with an RBI and Powers moved to third and the Warhawks led 1 to 0. Shugars tried to quick pitch again and was called for another balk allowing Pat Powers to score and Arman Moniri to take second base. Madison led 2 to 0. Joey Hayes crushed an RBI double to score Arman Moniri and Madison had a 3 to 0 lead. Jason Farley flied out to left field to end the first. Madison had struck first and led 3 to 0.
In the second, Stone Bridge's Chris Dzurilla grounded to Brian Smith who threw to Arman Moniri for the first out. Nico Kolocuris rolled one out in front of the plate and Alex Andrews pounced on it and threw him out for the second out. Nick Bonacquista then hit a deep line drive to right field and Josh Carter made an outstanding overhead running catch for the third out. Shugars settled in and retired Brian Smith, Brig Tison and Mark Riffee on ground outs. Madison led 3 to 0 after two innings.
Stone Bridge scored a pair of unearned runs with the help of two Warhawks errors in the third. Ryan Lewis reached first on an error and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Seb Saraceno. Then Stancik grounded back to Farley who threw wide of Moniri for another error and Lewis scored from second and Stancik was safe at second. Jeron Gouveia doubled off the wall and the Bulldogs had their second unearned run to cut the lead to 3 to 2. The rest of the game featured excellent pitching and outstanding defense. Jason Farley ended the threat by striking out the three and four hitters Ball and Mazur. Shugars was strong for the Bulldogs and struck out the side retiring Alex Andrews, Sterling Sams and Arman Moniri in order in the third. Madison lead 3 to 2 after three innings.
In the fourth the Bulldog's Dzurilla's fly ball was caught by Josh Carter for the first out. Farley struck out Kolocuris for the second out. After Nick Bonacquista lined a single to left, Jason Farley struck out Lewis to end the Stone Bridge fourth. Madison went down in order in the fourth as Josh Carter grounded out, Joey Hayes popped up and Jason Farley grounded out to first unassisted.
In the fifth inning Saracano looped a ball that looked like it was headed to right for a single but Joey Hayes made another Madison web-gem running catch for the first out. Jason Farley recorded two more strikeouts setting down Stancik and Ball sandwiched around a walk to Gouveia. Brian Smith singled to lead-off the Warhawks fifth inning and Brig Tison, substituting for the injured Rich Conlon, executed an excellent sacrifice bunt to move Smith to second. Mark Riffee hit to the right side to move Smith to third with two outs but Shugars stranded him at third by striking out Alex Andrews to end the inning. Madison led 3 to 2 after five innings. Jason Farley left the mound with the lead having pitched five strong innings.
Sophomore Jesse Jeter made his varsity Warhawks debut taking the mound in a tight contest. Tony Mazur crushed a shot to the deep gap but centerfielder Mark Riffee made an incredible long running catch to track it down for the first out. Chris Dzurilla drew a walk and Kolocuris popped up to Brian Smith for the second out. Nick Bonacquista hit a ground ball to Brig Tison who flipped to Joey Hayes covering for the final out of the sixth inning. Madison and Jeter had held the lead with some excellent defensive play. In the bottom of the sixth, Sterling Sams grounded out and Arman Moniri singled. Kyle McIntyre pinch ran for Moniri but was caught attempting to steal for the second out. Josh Carter flied out to center field to end the sixth.
The cool and composed sophomore Jeter took the hill to try to earn the save for Madison. Lewis stroked a single to left for Stone Bridge and then Collin Pearson tried a sacrifice bunt but popped it up and the hustling Brian Smith snared it on the run for the first out and nearly doubled off Lewis with Moniri making a nice pick. Mike Stancik singled and the Bulldogs had Lewis at second and Stancik at first trailing by one run with one out. Jeter grabbed a weak roller by Gouveia and threw him out at first for the second out. With runners at third and second with two outs, Jesse Jeter struck out David Ball to end the game. Madison won its thrilling opener 3 to 2 against a good Stone Bridge team.
Jason Farley pitched an excellent game for Madison recording 8 strikeouts while allowing 2 runs (none earned) on 2 hits with 2 walks for the win. Jesse Jeter pitched well in relief and recorded the save allowing no runs on two hits with a huge strikeout and 1 walk. Mark Riffee and Joey Hayes led the Warhawks as they jumped on Stone Bridge for 3 runs in the first inning. Besides the excellent pitching, Madison made two of the finest outfield catches in years (Mark Riffee and Josh Carter) while Joey Hayes and Brian Smith had two great infield plays as well. Ryan Shugars pitched well but took the loss for Stone Bridge recording 5 strikeouts while walking only 1 batter. Madison hosts McLean tomorrow (Friday night).
"That is Warhawks baseball, the way we played it for so many years in the past," said Coach Mark Gjormand. "We beat a great baseball program tonight led by Coach Plank. We will probably see them 2 or 3 more times this year and wanted to get the win at home. We knew it would be tough. Mark led us off and really got us started. It was huge to threaten first and we put the pressure on them with his hit and stolen base and the balks as they tried to keep us close and quick pitched. Joey had a big double to bring in that third run. I thought Jason was excellent on the hill for us tonight. He made some big pitches against a good hitting team. It was a good team win after a long tough off-season. We had lots of guys contribute tonight. Brig Tison filled in for the injured Rich Conlon and put down a nice sacrifice. Jesse Jeter was good under pressure and got a big save for us. We had two great catches in the outfield tonight by Mark and Josh. I was proud of all the players tonight."
Warhawks Rally Late to Defeat McLean Highlanders 5 to 4
McLean Pre-Game Notes by Joey Kamide
The Madison Warhawks came from behind to defeat the McLean Highlanders in a big Liberty District game. The Warhawks started slow and played a McLean team that came to play and play very well. Kevin Ashcraft made his varsity debut as the starting pitcher or Madison. Kyle Meagher led off for McLean and reached first on a Warhawks error. Frankie Cavanaugh flied out to Jason Farley for the first out. Tyler Thompson grounded out to Brian Smith who threw to Arman Moniri for the second out and Kevin Ashcraft struck out Shane Mills to end the inning. In the bottom of the first, lefty Frankie Cavanaugh pitched for McLean. Mark Riffee flied out, Alex Andrews walked and Kyle McIntyre came in as his courtesy runner. McIntyre was caught sealing for the second out and Cavanaugh struck out Sterling Sams for the third out.
In the top of the second, Danny Bell grounded out to the charging Brig Tison for the first out and Drew Morgan hit one towards the middle but Kevin Ashcraft deflected it and hustled to get the ball and throw him out for the second out. Ryan Blackwell singled up the middle and broke on first move for second. Ashcraft had him picked off but the shortstop dropped the ball on the tag and he was safe at second rather than ending the inning. Quin Pippin hit a Texas league single to score Blackwell and McLean led 1 to 0. Pippin went to second on a passed ball and scored on a single by Kendall Wilkins. Meagher grounded out to Brig Tison to end the inning but McLean led 2 to 0 with two unearned runs. The Warhawks went down in order in the bottom of the second, as Arman Moniri flied out and Josh Carter and Joey Hayes grounded out. After two innings McLean led 2 to 0.
In the third, McLean kept swinging as Frankie Cavanaugh led off with a double down the line and moved to third on a single by Tyler Thompson. Shane Mills lined a ball to deep center field that Mark Riffee made a nice running catch to snag. Cavanaugh scored the Highlanders third run on the sacrifice fly and Thompson held at first. Thompson stole second base but Ashcraft ended the threat by striking out Bell and Morgan. McLean led 3 to 0. In the bottom of the third, Jason Farley flied out and Brian Smith grounded out. With two outs, Brig Tison tripled but was stranded at third as Mark Riffee flied out to end the inning. McLean led 3 to 0 after three innings.
Kevin Ashcraft kept battling in the fourth and kept his team close. Ryan Blackwell grounded out to Brian Smith and then Ashcraft struck out Pippin and Wilkins to retire McLean in order. The Warhawks had been flat and had not mounted an attack yet. Cavanaugh had pitched well and was a big contrast to the hard throwing Stone Bridge right-hander from the night before. The Highlanders had made all the defensive plays as well. Madison went down in order again in the fourth as Alex Andrews popped up, Sterling Sams struck out and Arman Moniri flied out.
McLean scored one more unearned run in the fifth when Meagher struck out but reached first on a passed ball that was ruled to have bounced into the dugout. Meagher was awarded second base on the ruling. Cavanaugh bunted back to Ashcraft who threw to third to get Meagher but he was safe on another error as the Warhawks third baseman dropped the ball making the tag. Thompson's sacrifice fly scored Meagher with the fourth run (third unearned). Ashcraft struck out Mills and Bell to end the inning. Madison trailed by 4 runs but the Warhawks showed poise and no panic.
After Josh Carter flied out, Joey Hayes started a Madison rally with a single. Jason Farley sacrificed to move Hayes to second with two outs. Brian Smith struck out but reached first safely on a passed ball. With Hayes at third and Smith at first, Brig Tison singled to score Joey Hayes and move Brian Smith to third. The lead had been cut to 4 to1. Madison had runners at first and third with two outs and Mark Riffee smashed a three-run home run that got out in a hurry to tie the ball game. The Warhawks served notice that they were back. McLean brought in Danny Mills in relief of Cavanaugh and he ended the fifth by striking out Alex Andrews. The game was tied at 4 to 4.
Sam Gilbert made his varsity debut taking the hill in relief of Ashcraft. Gilbert set McLean down in order in the sixth getting Morgan to ground out to Joey Hayes, striking out Blackwell and getting Pippin to ground out to Brig Tison. In the bottom of the sixth, Sterling Sams led off with a walk and Arman Moniri executed a great sacrifice bunt to move him to second. Josh Carter flied out for the second out. Mills struck out Joey Hayes to get out of trouble. The game was still tied 4 to 4 after 6 innings.
McLean threatened in the seventh but the Warhawks did not flinch. After Josh Carter retired Wilkins by catching a hooking liner for the first out. Meagher and Cavanaugh hit back-to-back singles. Facing a first and third situation with one out and the game tied, Sam Gilbert showed what a gritty competitor he is by striking out Thompson and Mills back-to-back to keep the game tied. In the bottom of the seventh, The Warhawks came through in Warhawk Tradition to win the game. Jason Farley stroked a lead-off single and stole second base on a great read. Brian Smith then confidently hit a walk-off game winning single to score Farley who slid in safely ahead of the throw from the outfield. Madison defeated a confident and competitive Highlanders team in an early-season come-from-behind victory.
Sam Gilbert was the winning pitcher for Madison in relief. In his varsity debut, Gilbert pitched two innings allowing no runs on 2 hits with 3 strikeouts. Kevin Ashcraft battled to keep the game close until his offense arrived. Ashcraft pitched five innings allowing 4 runs of which only 1 was earned. Ashcraft struck out 7 batters and walked no one. Madison's rally was started by Joey Hayes, followed by an RBI single by Brig Tison and a three-run home run by Mark Riffee to tie the game. Tison had tripled earlier in the game. Jason Farley singled and scored the winning run on a walk-off RBI single by Brian Smith.
"That was an awesome win tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. "I am proud of the guys. I am impressed with McLean. Coach Thomas is doing a great job and his players are obviously excited to be playing for him. McLean came in battling and throwing haymakers. Our team obviously has matured since last year. We handled adversity with poise and there was no panic in anyone's eyes. We know we can win even if we are behind. Kevin did a good job of staying calm and staying within himself on the hill for us. Sam Gilbert showed great competitiveness in that first and third situation with one out. In our rally Joey got us started and although Mark is our lead-off hitter in that situation we needed him to drive those guys in. He hit that home run hard and got it done. Brig Tison had two big hits tonight also. Jason and Brian finished the job by getting the run across in the seventh. It was a good team win."
Jefferson Pre-Game Notes by Joey Kamide
The Madison Warhawks defeated the Jefferson Colonials 9-0 at James Madison HS to improve their record to 3-0. Sophomore Jesse Jeter started the game on the hill for the Warhawks and struck out Daniel Bergamesca to start the game. Jeremy Freid was thrown out by catcher Alex Andrews for the second out. After Nathan Sonoskey reached safely on an error by the third baseman, Michael Mensing grounded to Arman Moniri who flipped to Jesse Jeter covering first for the third out. In the bottom of the first, after Mark Riffee grounded out hard, Brig Tison doubled and scored on an RBI single by Sterling Sams. Arman Moniri tripled to score Sams and Madison led 2-0. Drew Pyrak struck out Josh Carter and Joey Hayes to end the first. Madison led 2-0 after one inning.
In the top of the second Pyrak singled for Jefferson but was forced out at second on a ground ball by Radcliffe to Brig Tison who threw to Joey Hayes at second. Radcliffe was forced out at second on another force out on a ground ball hit to Brian Smith who threw to Joey Hayes. Jonathan Seidman grounded out to Brian Smith to end the inning. In the bottom of the second Jason Farley led off with a walk for Madison. Farley went to third when Brian Smith reached second base on a two base error by the Colonials third baseman. Alex Andrews singled to score both Farley and Smith. Madison led 4-0. Mark Riffee lined a hard single that moved Pat Powers, the courtesy runner for Andrews, to third. Riffee stole second and then Brig Tison grounded to the pitcher who threw Powers out at home for the first out. Mark Riffee advanced to third and Tison was at first on the fielder's choice. Sterling Sams reached first on an error by the Jefferson shortstop while Riffee scored to make it 5-0. Tison was at second and Sams at first when Arman Moniri singled to score Tison and Madison led 6-0. Josh Carter doubled to score Sams and moved Moniri to third base. The Warhawks led 7-0. Joey Hayes walked to load the bases and then Jason Farley reached first on a fielder's choice error by the catcher allowing Moniri to score and everyone to move up. Madison led 8-0. Brian Smith grounded into a fielder's choice to force out Carter for the second out and Alex Andrews grounded out to end the inning. Madison led 8-0 after two innings.
In the third Jesse Jeter struck out John Labarge but Labarge reached first on a passed ball error. Bergamesca move LaBarge to second with a sacrifice bunt with Jeter throwing to Arman Moniri for the first out. Freid popped up to Moniri for the second out and after Sonoskey walked, Mensing grounded back to Jeter to end the inning. Mark Riffee was hit by a pitch to start the third and promptly stole second base. Pat Powers grounded out to short for the first out and then Sterling Sams singled to score Riffee and Madison led 9-0. Arman Moniri walked and then Kyle Hughes popped up for the second out and Joey Hayes grounded out to end the inning. Madison led 9-0 after three and substituted for almost all of the starters.
In the top of the fourth, Pyrak doubled for Jefferson and went to third on a wild pitch. Jesse Jeter struck out Radcliffe and Yarock for the first two outs and then Kyle McIntyre made a nice catch to end the inning and strand the runner at third. In the Madison fourth, Jimmy McNamara struck out looking for the first out. Ryan Mathews drew a walk and moved to second on a passed ball. Collin Flaherty struck out for the second out and Kyle McIntyre grounded out to end the inning.
In the fifth, Sam Gilbert pitched in relief of Jeter. LaBarge singled for Jefferson. Gilbert struck out Bergamesca for the first out and then Fried grounded out to Ryan Mathews for the second out. Sonoskey flied out to Kyle Hughes for the third out. In the bottom of the fifth, Pat Powers struck out for the first Warhawks out. Todd Crissey popped up to second base for the second out and Matt Zepp grounded out to end the inning. The score was still Madison 9 and Jefferson 0.
In the sixth, Michael Mensing singled for the Colonials and then Sam Gilbert hit Pyrak with a pitch. Radcliffe grounded back to Gilbert who started a double play throwing to Pat Powers who relayed to Matt Zepp for the second out. Mensing moved to third and was stranded as Yaroch was called out looking to end the inning. Kyle Hughes reached first on an infield single and moved to second base as Joey Hayes reached first on an error. Jimmy McNamara struck out and then Ryan Mathews flied out to the Jefferson left fielder who threw Hughes out at the plate for an inning-ending double play.
Jefferson went down in order in the seventh as Thomas Warner grounded out to Pat Powers. Ben Mars grounded out to Joey Hayes and Sam Gilbert struck out Brian Stewart to end the game.
Madison scored its runs early as the starting line-up has a good night at the plate. Arman Moniri was 2 for 2 with a triple, a walk and 2 RBIs. Sterling Sams was 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs. Mark Riffee was 1 for 2, was hit by a pitch, stole 2 bases and scored 2 runs. Brig Tison was 1 for 2 with a double and scored 2 runs. Alex Andrews had a single and 2 RBIs and Josh Carter added an RBI double to the attack. Jesse Jeter was the winning pitcher. He pitched 4 innings allowing 2 hits, no runs while striking out 4 batters and walking 1. Sam Gilbert pitched the final 3 innings and kept the shut out allowing 2 hits, striking out 3 batters and walked no one.
"I was very pleased with our energy level from the moment we started batting practice," said Madison coach Mark Gjormand. "I felt like that carried over throughout the game. Jefferson is a young team and we needed to get after them early, which we did. Jesse was very sharp and did a great job in getting the first win of his young career. Sam came in behind him and gave us another consistent performance to preserve the shutout. It was a great win and I continue to see us getting more relaxed in the box. I loved our approach at the plate, especially in the first two innings. It was also great to see everyone get involved in the ball game from a playing stand point. I was glad to see us not lose our defensive focus with all the adjustments to the line up we made early in the game. Other than a couple of pitcher's, we were able to get a lot of guys involved and that makes it another great team win for us. I really liked the way we went about our business tonight. We have a long way to go and a lot of improving to do, but I really enjoy taking the field with this ball club. We have another real tough Liberty District team coming in here Friday night in South Lakes who is the (3-0) in District. We will have to be prepared for a dog fight as Coach Morris does an outstanding job with his guys."
Madison hosts South Lakes Friday night at 7PM. This is a game time change as Cable channel 10 will be broadcasting the game. It should be a warm night in Vienna so let's get the Warhawks baseball community to the field to support Madison in this early season battle of District leaders.
Madison Shuts Out South Lakes 9-1
South Lakes Pre-Game Notes by Joey Kamide
The Madison Warhawks hosted the South Lakes Seahawks in a Liberty District game at Madison HS. Jason Farley pitched for Madison on the first warm night of the season. In the top of the first, Noah Sweet led off for South Lakes and grounded out to Joey Hayes. Tommy Flynn grounded out to Brian Smith and then Jason Farley struck out Nick Andraise. South Lakes sent Tommy Gately to the mound. In the bottom of the first, Mark Riffee crushed a line drive that the South Lakes outfielder made an excellent catch for the first out. Brig Tison popped up to second base for the second out and then Sterling Sams crushed a line-drive double. Sams took third on a wild pitch but was stranded after Arman Moniri lined out hard. Madison was hitting the ball hard but had nothing to show for it after one inning.
In the top of the second, Jason Farley struck out the side in order setting down John Huppi, Matt Gusdorf and Michael Boyle. In the bottom of the second, Josh Carter walked to lead off the second. Joey Hayes and Jason Farley flied out each to the opposite field as Madison continued to hit the ball well. Carter stole second base and then Brian Smith doubled off the wall to score Josh Carter and Madison led 1-0. Alex Andrews lined a double to score Brian Smith for the second run and then Mark Riffee lined out again right at a South Lakes fielder to end the inning. Madison led 2-0 and were hitting the ball hard all over the field but South Lakes made the catches to keep the game close.
In the top of the third, Scott Reed hit a routine ground ball to short but reached safely on an error. Bobby Clinage sacrificed Reed to second with a bunt. Conor Zagurski grounded out to Joey Hayes with Reed moving to third with two outs. Noah Sweet then hit another grounder to short that was also bobbled for an error and South Lakes cut the lead to 2-1 with an unearned run. Jason Farley ended the inning by striking out Tommy Flynn. In the bottom of the third Brig Tison and Sterling Sams grounded out for the first two outs and then Arman Moniri lined a single. Moniri stole second base and Josh Carter walked to put runners at first and second. Jason Farley then hit a deep fly ball to the wall in the gap that was caught and missed a home run by a foot to end the inning. Madison led 2-1 after three innings.
In the fourth, Jason Farley continued his no hitter as Adraise flied out to Josh Carter for the first out and Farley struck out Huppi and Gusdorf again for the second and third outs. Farley had 7 strikeouts after four innings and South Lakes, unlike the Warhawks, had not put a good swing on the ball all night as he was pitching well. In the bottom of the fourth, Brian Smith grounded back to the pitcher for the first out. Alex Andrews then crushed a line drive that was snagged to prevent extra bases for the second out. Mark Riffee then hit a ball to deep centerfield that was caught against the wall also missing a home run by a foot for the third out. Madison continued to be hitting the ball hard but led only 2-1 after four innings.
In the fifth, South Lakes went down 1-2-3 again as Jason Farley sandwiched strikeouts of Boyle and Clinage around a nice play by Joey Hayes who caught a hard short hop ball hit by Scott Reed and threw him out at first. Finally, in the bottom of the fifth things started to fall for the Warhawks who had attacked all evening. Brig Tison and Sterling Sams drew walks from Gately to start the inning. Arman Moniri dropped a great bunt single to load the bases with no outs. South Lakes then sent Jake Farrell to the mound to relieve Gately. Josh Carter lined a two run single to score Brig Tison and Sterling Sams and the lead was 4-1 with no outs. Joey Hayes dropped a bunt single down to load the bases again. Jason Farley then hit a fly ball to shallow left center field that was dropped for an error allowing Arman Moniri to score. The bases remained loaded with no outs and Madison led 5-1. Brian Smith drew a bases loaded walk to force in Josh Carter with the 6th run. South Lakes then sent in Bryan Francis to relieve Farrell, who did not record an out. Alex Andrews hit into a double play to force Smith but Joey Hayes scored the 7th run. Mark Riffee was called out looking to end the inning. Madison led 7-1.
In the sixth, Alex Andrews saved the no hitter by pouncing on a ball rolling in front of the plate and throwing out Zagurski for the first out. Noah Sweet grounded out to Brig Tison for the second out and then Jason Farley walked his only batter, Tommy Flynn. Farley recorded his 10th strikeout to end the inning by fanning Andraise. Madison added two more runs in the sixth. Brig Tison walked and then Francis hit both Sterling Sams and Arman Moniri with pitches to load the bases with no outs. Tison tried to score on a passed ball but was thrown out at the plate for the first out. Josh Carter hit a sacrifice fly for the second out to score Sterling Sams and Madison led 8-1. Joey Hayes doubled in Arman Moniri with the 9th run. Jason Farley flied out to end the sixth. Madison led 9-1 and Farley had pitched a no-hitter through 6 innings.
Sam Gilbert pitched the 7th inning and tried to preserve the no hitter. Gilbert struck out Hupi for the first out. Gusdorf grounded out to Brian Smith for the second out and Boyle grounded out to Joey Hayes to end the game.
Madison took over sole possession of first place in the Liberty District with a 4-0 record. Jason Farley and Sam Gilbert combined for a no hitter. Farley recorded the win pitching six innings, striking out 10 batters and walked only 1 batter. He gave up 1 unearned run. Gilbert retired the side in order in the 7th. Offensively, the Warhawks hit the ball hard and didn't have much to show for their efforts until later in the game. Josh Carter had a single and a sacrifice fly for 3 RBIs that broke open the scoring. Brian Smith and Alex Andrews had back-to back doubles to score the first two runs. Sterling Sams had a double and was on base three times tonight. Arman Moniri had two singles including a great bunt and Joey Hayes had a double and bunt single as well. Madison's offense looked good all night and a good South Lakes defense took away many big hits tonight from the Warhawks.
"I was pleased with our effort and approach tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. Commenting on Jason Farley's no hitter combined with Sam Gilbert's relief pitching in the 7th inning, Gjormand said, "Jason was tremendous tonight. He was poised and stayed the course. He kept them off balance. We hated to pull him but as we have said in the past when we pulled pitchers with a no hitter going before, it is March and championships are not won in March. We don't want anyone to over do it early in the season. Switching to the offense, I really liked our approach to hitting tonight. From the first batter to the last we really squared up on a lot of balls tonight. I felt throughout the game that if we kept hitting like that, eventually things would break our way and it did. We hit a pitcher pretty well that had 13 strikeouts in a game last week. I was also pleased by how well we executed our short game. It was a good team win against a quality team."
The Madison Warhawks traveled across Vienna to play the George C. Marshall Statesmen in a Liberty District road contest. Marshall sent pitcher Ryan Goss to the mound. In the top of the first inning, Mark Riffee singled to start the game and stole second base. Brig Tison walked and Riffee moved to third and Tison to second on a Goss wild pitch. Sterling Sams hit a deep sacrifice fly to score Mark Riffee and Madison led 1-0. Brig Tison moved to third on another wild pitch and scored on an RBI single by Arman Moniri. Madison led 2-0. Moniri stole second base and then Josh Carter blasted a 2 run home run to put Madison ahead 4-0. Joey Hayes singled to keep the attack going. Hayes advanced to second as Jason Farley grounded out for the second out. Brian Smith walked but was picked off first base by Marshall's catcher Alan Stoupa to end the inning. Madison led 4-0. In the bottom of the first Kevin Ashcraft took the mound for the Warhawks. Jeff Miller grounded out to Arman Moniri who flipped to Kevin Ashcraft covering for the first out. Jordan Culbreath popped up to Brig Tison for the second out. Alan Stoupa singled and then Ryan Goss grounded out to Brian Smith who threw across the diamond to Arman Moniri to end the first. Madison led 4-0 after one inning.
In the second Alex Andrews struck out and then Mark Riffee singled again to get things started. Riffee stole second and third base and scored as Brig Tison beat out an infield single. Tison took second as Marshall's first baseman mishandled the throw. Madison led 5-0. Sterling Sams struck out and Arman Moniri grounded out to end the inning. In the bottom of the second, Kevin Ashcraft struck out Blair DeLean to start the inning. Pat McClain singled for the Statesmen and moved to second on a passed ball. Stephen Gooding flied out to Josh Carter for the second out. Bryan Whittington hit an RBI double to score McClain and the score was 5-1. Jacob Orndorff singled to right field but Whittington tried to score from second and Josh Carter gunned him down at the plate by several steps with Alex Andrews making the tag to end the inning. After two innings, Madison led 5-1.
In the third Goss struck out the side retiring Carter, Hayes and Farley in order. In the bottom of the third, Kevin Ashcraft struck out Jeff Miller to start the inning. Culbreath grounded out to Brig Tison for the second out. Alan Stupa hit a home run for Marshall to cut the lead to 5-2. Goss doubled and then DeLean was hit by a pitch. McClain drew a walk to load the bases but Kevin Ashcraft pitched out of trouble getting Gooding to fly out to Josh Carter to end the inning. After three innings the Warhawks led 5-2.
In the fourth, Brian Smith doubled to start the inning for the Warhawks. Smith advance to third on a deep fly out by Alex Andrews. Mark Riffee stroked his third consecutive hit for an RBI single to score Brian Smith and Madison led 6-2. Riffee stole second base and took third on a passed ball. Brig Tison hit a sky high ball down the line that dropped in over the shortstop. Riffee scored and Tison hustled to third for a triple. Madison led 7-2. Sterling Sams struck out for the second out and Arman Moniri walked. Moniri broke for second base and was caught up in a long run-down allowing Tison to come home with the 8th run before giving himself up for the final out. Madison led 8-2. In the bottom of the fourth, Jesse Jeter pitched for Madison in relief of Kevin Ashcraft. Jeter struck out Bryan Whittington to start the inning but Whittington reached first as the ball skidded past the catcher on the third strike. Whittington advanced to second base on a wild pitch. Orndorff walked and the runners moved to second and third on a sacrifice bunt back to Jeter who threw to Joey Hayes covering first for the first out. Jordan Culbreath hit a sacrifice fly to Mark Riffee who hit the cutoff man to keep Orndorff at second with two outs. Whittington scored the unearned run. Jesse Jeter struck out Stoupa to end the inning. After, four innings Madison led 8-3.
In the fifth inning, Nate Whittington pitched for Marshall in relief of Goss. Josh Carter led off with a walk. Joey Hayes singled Carter to second and then Jason Farley attempted a sacrifice but Whittington threw Carter out at third base. Hayes was at second and Farley at first on the fielder's choice. Brian Smith then stroked his second double of the game to score Joey Hayes and Jason Farley, who had hustled all the way from first base. Madison led 10-3. Alex Andrews singled to move Smith to third. Pat Powers came in as the courtesy runner for catcher Andrews. Powers stole second base and then Brian Smith executed a delayed double steal to steal home on the throw to second. Madison led 11-3. Pat Powers stole third base and then Mark Riffee drew a walk. Ryan Matthews flied out to shortstop for the second out. Whittington walked Sterling Sams to load the bases and then he walked Arman Moniri to force in Pat Powers with the 12th run. Madison led 12-3. Josh Carter struck out to end the inning. Jeter faced Goss to start the bottom of the fifth. Goss hit a chopper to shallow third that Brian Smith charged and flipped across to Arman Moniri who made a great pick for the first out. DeLean doubled and then McClain was hit by a pitch. The runners then moved up to second and third on a passed ball. Gooding rolled one out in front of the plate and Alex Andrews threw him out at first for the second out. DeLean scored for Marshall ahead of the return throw. Bryan Whittington grounded out to Brig Tison to end the inning. Madison led 12-4 after five innings.
In the top of the sixth, Jake Orndorff pitched for Marshall. Joey Hayes popped up to first base for the first out. Todd Crissey flied out for the second out. Kyle McIntyre drew a walk and then stole second base and third base. He scored when the catcher's throw to third went into left field for an error. Madison led 13-4. Collin Flaherty flied out to end the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Orndorff reached on an infield error and moved to second on a walk issued to Miller. Culbreath grounded to Joey Hayes who threw to Kyle McIntyre covering second base to get Miller for the first out. Orndorff was at third and Culbreath at first on the fielder's choice. Jesse Jeter struck out Stoupa again for the second out. Goss grounded to Joey Hayes who threw to Matt Zepp who made the tag at first for the final out. Madison led 13-4 after six innings.
In the top of the seventh, Mark Riffee doubled off the wall for his fourth hit in four at bats and was on base for the fifth time tonight. Pat Powers popped up to Orndorff for the first out. Kyle Hughes drew a walk and Madison had Riffee at second and Hughes at first with one out. Matt Zepp struck out and then Jimmy McNamara smoked a line drive to left field but Zamir Ahadzada made the catch for Marshall to end the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, DeLean walked and McClain singled. Gooding grounded to Kyle McIntyre who threw to shortstop Pat Powers covering to force out McClain at second for the first out. Gooding stole second base and McClain scored when Collin Flaherty threw to second base. Whittington grounded out to Pat Powers for the second out and Orndorff lined back to Jesse Jeter to end the ball game. Madison defeated Marshall 13-5 on the road.
For Madison, Josh Carter's early two run home run was a big hit. Mark Riffee had another big night going 4 for 4 with a double, a walk, 4 stolen bases, 3 runs scored and an RBI. Brian Smith was 2 for 2 with 2 doubles, 2 RBIs and a walk. Brig Tison was 2 for 2 with a triple, a walk and 2 RBIs. Joey Hayes was 2 for 4, Arman Moniri had 2 RBIs and 2 walks and Sterling Sams had the first RBI of the game. Pat Powers and Kyle McIntyre each had 2 stolen bases and Alex Andrews added a hit to the attack. Kevin Ashcraft was the winning pitcher for Madison. Ashcraft allowed 2 runs on 6 hits, striking out 2, walked one and hit one batter. Jesse Jeter pitched effective innings in relief striking out 3 batters. Jeter allowed 3 runs (2 were earned) on 2 hits. He walked 3 batters and hit one batter.
"It was a good win tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. "Our season ended last year at their hands so it was obviously a much better feeling walking off the field after the game tonight. It was nice to win our first road game and get the fifth win tonight. I liked the way our guys approached their at bats again tonight. Mark got us started again and I think the way Josh squared up on that ball in the first inning and hit the home run gave us the first big blow in the game. It was a good night by so many of our guys throughout the line-up that it is hard to mention them all. Our approach was good. We need to keep improving but we are off to a good start. We are going back home before heading off for our Spring Break trip. We host the defending District champions next and we'd like to get our sixth win before heading to South Carolina."
Woodson Pre-Game Notes by Joey Kamide
The first place Madison Warhawks hosted the Woodson Cavaliers in a Liberty District game at James Madison High School. Madison sent junior left hander Jason Farley to the mound to face Woodson. In the top of the first Farley was dominant as he struck out the side sending down Ryan Weir, Jackson Clement and Jacob Morley on strikes. Joey Carleton pitched for Woodson. In the bottom of the first Mark Riffee blistered a line drive that bounced over the fence on one hop for a ground rule double to start the game. Brig Tison then hit a two-run home run and Madison was off to a quick 2-0 lead. Sterling Sams reached first safely on an error and then stole second base. Arman Moniri was hit by a pitch and then Sams and Moniri moved up to third and second on a double steal. Josh Carter grounded out for the first out to score Sterling Sams and Moniri moved to third on the play. Madison led 3-0. Joey Hayes popped up to Woodson's Dylan Robeson, nephew of Warhawks coach Bob Robeson, for the second out. Jason Farley flied out to deep center field to end the inning. Madison led 3-0 after one inning.
In the second inning, Jason Farley set Woodson down in order again as he threw out Matt Noble on a roller in front of the mound, struck out Nick Gallo and Joey Carelton grounded out to Brig Tison who threw to Arman Moniri to end the inning. In the bottom of the second, Brian Smith grounded out on a close play and then Alex Andrews lined a hard single. Kyle McIntyre entered as the courtesy runner for Andrews. McIntyre stole second base and was advanced to third by Mark Riffee who hit behind the runner. Brig Tison singled to score McIntyre and Madison led 4-0 and was playing good baseball and executing very well. Arman Moniri grounded out to end the inning.
In the third, Jason Farley continued his dominance as he struck out the side again setting down Kevin Schmidt, Jack Hanley and Dylan Robeson on strikes. Farley had retired all 9 hitters so far and had 7 strikeouts through 3 innings. Josh Carter led off Madison's third inning with a walk. Joey Hayes flied out down the line for the first out. Jason Farley tripled down the line and Carter scored to give Madison a 5-0 lead. Pat Powers came in as a courtesy runner for Farley. Brian Smith then hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Pat Powers with the 6th run. Madison was executing well all night to get the runs across. Alex Andrews hit a deep ball to the gap and Jacob Morley raced under the ball for Woodson but dropped it. Andrews hustled all the way to second base. Kyle McIntyre then came in as a courtesy runner for the catcher Andrews. Mark Riffee flied out deep with Woodson's outfielder making a nice catch on the run to end the inning. Madison led 6-0 after three innings.
Jason Farley remained perfect through four innings as he struck out Woodson's 1-2-3 hitters for the second time each sitting down Weir, Clement and Morley on strike outs. Farley had faced 12 batters through 4 innings and had 10 strikeouts. Woodson sent left hander Matt Coleman to the mound in the fourth. Switch hitter Brig Tison turned around to the right side and singled for his third hit of the game. Tison took second base on a passed ball. Clement struck out Sterling Sams on a questionable called strike for the first out. Arman Moniri then ripped an RBI double to score Brig Tison and Madison led 7-0. Josh Carter flied out for the second out and Joey Hayes lined out hard to the gap to end the inning. Madison led 7-0 after four innings.
In the top of the fifth Noble rolled another ball in front of Jason Farley who threw him out at first for the second time. After retiring the first 13 batters, Farley lost his no hitter on a Texas-league looper by Nick Gallo over the leaping Brian Smith. Farley came right back and struck out Joey Carleton for the second out. Kevin Schmidt then singled and Woodson had 2 runners on base (first and third) with two outs. Jason Farley ended the inning by striking out Matt Coleman. After 5 innings, Farley had finished his work for the night. He allowed no runs (and has not allowed an earned run this season in three starts), two hits, had no walks and struck out 12 batters in another dominating performance.
In the bottom of the fifth, Jason Farley and Brian Smith flied out to start the inning with two outs. Alex Andrews drew a walk and then Kyle McIntyre ran for him. Coleman then hit Mark Riffee with the first pitch to put two runners on base. Brig Tison hit another single for his fourth hit and fourth RBI to score McIntyre. Riffee raced to third and Madison led 8-0. Sterling Sams grounded out to end the inning. The Warhawks still led 8-0.
Sam Gilbert took the mound in relief for Madison in the top of the sixth inning. Dylan Robeson flied out to Josh Carter for the first out and Weir flied out to Sterling Sams for the second out. Alex Andrews made a nice play to throw out Jackson Clement and the inning ended and the shut out continued. In the bottom of the sixth, Arman Moniri singled for his second hit of the game and moved to second on a single by Josh Carter. Matt Zepp pinch hit but grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Moniri was now on third with two outs. Sam Gilbert popped up to end the inning. Madison led 8-0 heading into the seventh.
In the seventh inning, Jacob Morley grounded out to Brian Smith for the first out. Noble then hit a fly ball to left field that was dropped for an error as the fielder appeared to lose the ball in the lights at the last second. Nick Gallo singled but Brian Smith dove to keep the ball in the infield and held the runners at first and second with one out. Then Carleton grounded to Arman Moniri and he started a great looking Moniri to Tison to Gilbert covering double play to end the game. Madison shut out Woodson 8-0 and the Warhawks lead the Liberty District with a 6-0 record heading into their South Carolina Spring Break Tournament.
Jason Farley had a tremendous night as summarized above. He struck out 12 batters and allowed no runs on 2 hits with no walks. Sam Gilbert pitched well out of the bullpen again holding the shut out. Brig Tison had a great night to lead the offense going 4 for 4 with a home run and 4 RBIs hitting 2 hits each from both sides of the plate. Arman Moniri was 2 for 3 with an RBI double and was hit by a pitch. Jason Farley also had an RBI triple tonight and Mark Riffee's double was the other big hit of the night. Riffee was also hit by a pitch tonight.
"It was a great win tonight. We played great baseball tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. "We obviously pitched well, we played excellent defense and I continue to like our approach at the plate. We move runners along, get the hits and sacrifices when we need them and we are running the bases well. Tonight, Mark once again got us off to a good start and then Briggy had a great night. He was 4 for 4 with the home run and hit from both sides. He is just a sophomore and keeps getting better as the season progresses. Arman also had a good night tonight. Jason was excellent tonight and just kept setting them down. He has been sharp every outing this season. It was good to get that sixth win before traveling to South Carolina. This is always a good tournament as we have played down there in the past. They are good hosts and we are looking forward to having a great trip, playing good baseball and enjoying vacation."
Hanahan Invitational Tournament
April 8, 2006 to April 15, 2006
Spring Break
Madison Rallies to Defeat Defending South Carolina 4A State Champs in Extra Innings
The Madison Warhawks made the long journey to Charleston, SC to play in the Hanahan Invitational Tournament. The Warhawks drew a tough opening assignment playing the defending AAAA (4A) South Carolina State Champions, the Stratford Knights. The Warhawks sent sophomore Jesse Jeter to the mound to face Stratford who batted first. Nick Osterman led off for Stratford and grounded to Joey Hayes who threw him out for the first out. Then Corey Wilhoit reached first safely on a groundball error. Stratford then looked like a good offensive team that was playing it's 20th game as their bats came alive. Kyle Jordan doubled down the line and moved Wilhoit to third. John Murrian singled to score Wilhoit and Jordan and the Knights led 2-0. Murrian took second on an error on a pick-off attempt. Alex Latsko, a former Warhawks JV player who moved to SC, doubled to score Murrian and Madison trailed 3-0. Damon Ardis continued the onslaught with another Stratford double to score Latsko and the lead was 4-0. Pitcher Tyler Hill dropped a shallow single in to score Ardis and Stratford led 5-0. Jesse Jeter struck out Matt Gunther for the second out and then Justin Brown doubled to score Hill from first base and Stratford led 6-0. Osterman grounded out again to Joey Hayes to end the inning. Madison had taken a good shot from Stratford but showed no panic.
In the bottom of the first Mark Riffee led off for Madison by crushing a triple and was safe at third on a head first slide. Riffee scored immediately as Brig Tison grounded out for the RBI. Madison was on the board in a hurry. The lead was cut to 6-1. Hill struck out Sterling Sams for the second out and then Arman Moniri reached first on a throwing error. Josh Carter lined into hard luck as his ball bounced off the pitcher and bounded to the second baseman for a 1-4-3 out to end the inning. Madison trailed 6-1 after one inning.
In the top of the second, Wilhoit led off with a single for Stratford and stole second base on a ball in the dirt. Jesse Jeter struck out Jordan for the first out and then walked Murrian. Wilhoit took third and Murrian went to second on a passed ball. Jeter struck out Latsko for the second out and then Ardis grounded to Brig Tison who made a nice play and threw to Arman Moniri to end the inning. Stratford's lead was still 6-1. In the bottom of the second Joey Hayes grounded out. Jason Farley doubled for Madison to put a runner aboard. Brian Smith flied out to right field and Hill struck out Alex Andrews to end the inning. Stratford led 6-1 after two innings.
In the top of the third, Hill doubled for Stratford and moved to third on a single by Gunther. Justin Brown hit a slow roller to short that Madison turned into a nice Brig Tison to Joey Hayes to Arman Moniri double play. Hill scored Stratford's 7th run on the play. Osterman then doubled and the Knights were in business again. Wilhoit singled to score Osterman and Stratford led 8-1. Jordan walked and then Murrian grounded out as Brian Smith ranged to his left and then threw him out across the diamond. Madison trailed 8-1. In the bottom of the third, Mark Riffee lined a tough two strike pitch towards the gap but the Knights outfielder caught the ball on the run for the first out. Brig Tison and Sterling Sams each grounded out and Madison trailed 8-1 after three innings.
In the top of the fourth, Sam Gilbert took the mound for Madison in relief of Jeter. Gilbert struck out his former teammate Latsko for the first out. Ardis drew a walk and took second on a wild pitch. Tyler Hill singled to score Ardis and Madison trailed 9-1. Sam Gilbert struck out Matt Gunther for the second out and then Brown grounded to Joey Hayes who flipped to Brig Tison covering to end the inning. Arman Moniri started the bottom of the fourth with a Warhawks double. Josh Carter struck out and then Moniri moved to third as Joey Hayes grounded to the right side for the second out. Jason Farley singled to score Moniri and the lead was cut to 9-2. Brian Smith doubled to the gap and would have scored Farley easily but Farley tripped coming down the line and scrambled to the plate as Latsko's throw to the plate was wild. Madison now trailed 9-3. Alex Andrews flied out to end the inning.
In the top of the fifth, Gilbert and the Warhawks continued to battle to stay in the game. Gilbert walked Osterman to start the fifth but Alex Andrews picked off Osterman at first with Arman Moniri making the tag. Wilhoit grounded out to Joey Hayes for the second out and then Jordan dropped a bunt single down for the Knights. Murrian flied out to Mark Riffee who caught the ball running in to end the inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Riffee grounded out and then Brig Tison reached first as the shortstop misplayed a ground ball. Sterling Sams singled Tison to second base. Arman Moniri crushed a ball down the line and the left fielder could not come up with it on the diving attempt. Everyone was safe on the single and the bases were loaded. Josh Carter popped up for the second out and Joey Hayes hit a clutch two-out single to right that skipped by the outfielder for an extra base error. Tison and Sams both scored and the lead was cut to 9-5. Jason Farley then had another big hit as he doubled again to score Moniri and Hayes and the lead was cut to 9-7. Brian Smith singled for another RBI as Farley scored and Madison was trailing only 9-8. Alex Andrews grounded into a fielders choice to end the inning.
In the top of the sixth, Sam Gilbert was still pitching and Latsko grounded out to Brian Smith for the first out. Smith then made a nice charging play to throw out Ardis on a chopper for the second out. Tyler Hill recorded his fourth hit, a single for Stratford, and then Gunther quickly singled on the next pitch. There were runners on first and second with two outs. Gilbert left having kept Madison in the game and Jason Farley took the hill. Farley struck out Brown to end the threat. Madison trailed 9-8. In the bottom of the sixth, Damon Armis pitched for Stratford. Mark Riffee lined out for the first out and Brig Tison flied out for the second out. Sterling Sams singled and Kyle McIntyre pinch ran. Arman Moniri popped up to end the inning. Madison trailed 9-8 heading into the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, Osterman popped up to Jason Farley for the first out. Wilhoit beat out a chopper for an infield single and then Jason Farley struck out Jordan for the second out. Murian singled to put runners at first and second and then Latsko grounded out to Brig Tison who made a nice play to end the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, Josh Carter grounded out for the first out. Joey Hayes doubled and Pat Powers came in to pinch run. Stratford brought in Kyle Jordon in relief of Ardis. Jason Farley then doubled again for his fourth hit and fourth RBI to score Powers and tie the game. Brian Smith grounded out and moved Farley to third. Alex Andrews walked and Collin Flaherty ran for him. Mark Riffee then grounded up the middle where the shortstop grabbed it and retired Flaherty at second to end the inning. The game was tied at 9-9 and headed to extra innings. Hayes reentered the game at second base.
In the eighth, Jason Farley struck out Ardis and then Hill singled for the fifth time. Farley struck out Gunther and Brown swinging to end the inning. In the bottom of the eighth, Jordon struck out Brig Tison. Sterling Sams hit his third consecutive single and moved to second base on an Arman Moniri single. Josh Carter was able to move the runners to third and second on a ground out that was the second out. Joey Hayes then grounded up the middle but the shortstop had no play as there was no force at second and Hayes was safe at first with a game winning single. Madison had come back from a 9-1 deficit to defeat South Carolina's Defending 4A Champions by the score of 10-9. Madison improved to a 7-0 record and plays tomorrow in the HIT Tourney.
Many Warhawks had big contributions to the win. Jason Farley recorded the win in relief and had his best game at the plate going 4 for 4, with 4 RBIs and 3 doubles. Joey Hayes, Sterling Sams and Arman Moniri were all 3 for 5. Hayes had the game winning hit to score Sams. Moniri had a double. Mark Riffee had a lead-off triple and scored Madison's first run in the comeback. Brian Smith was 2 for 4 and had 2 RBIs and had a great game defensively. Alex Andrews picked off a runner for a key play.
"That was great win against a good team that is well coached team, the Defending 4A South Carolina State Champions," said coach Mark Gjormand. "Anything that could have gone wrong for us early in the game happened. They hit the ball hard and looked like they had played 20 games already but we kept playing. Their coach said he saw no panic in us and that was right as we kept going about our business. We don't watch the score board. We work one run at a time to get it back. This team is fun to take the field with. A different guy picks us up in different games or situations. That is what we want. Jason had a great day today. It was good to see Sterling keep coming through today. Arman and Joey and Smitty all had big hits as well. Everyone contributed up and down the line-up. We can swing it but we are not used to having someone swing it that well against us. It was a good win. We have more work to do in this tourney but that was a good start. It was fun tonight."
Madison Goes Extra Innings Again to Defeat Northwood Academy
Following an extra-inning-energy-draining slugfest and comeback the night before, the Madison Warhawks were locked into a pitchers duel that took two extra innings to settle tonight. The Warhawks defeated Northwood Academy's Chargers of South Carolina and their legendary coach, Jerry Stootes. Stootes has the most wins among all coaches in South Carolina High School baseball and his team played fundamentally sound baseball. Madison sent lefty Kevin Ashcraft to the mound to oppose the Chargers ace, Kenny Anderson. In the top of the first Anderson hit Mark Riffee with the first pitch of the game. Riffee stole second base and then Brig Tison tried to execute a sacrifice bunt but popped it up to Anderson who threw to the shortstop who blocked the base before he had the ball to double off Riffee for the second out. Sterling Sams walked and stole second base. Arman Moniri grounded out to end the inning. In the bottom of the first for Northwood Chris Solomon flied out to Sterling Sams, Matt Rose flied out to Joey Hayes and Kevin Ashcraft struck out Tony Gaston to end the inning. No one had scored after one inning.
In the top of the second, Joey Hayes reached first on an error and stole second base. Jason Farley popped up for the second out and Brian Smith struck out for the second out. Kyle Hughes lined out hard to right field to end the inning. Madison had yet to score and Anderson was effective. In the bottom of the second, Derek Smith grounded back to Kevin Ashcraft who threw him out for the first out. Chad Baur flied out to Kyle Hughes for out number two. Robert Colson singled and Thomas Levander walked to put two runners aboard before Kenny Anderson flied out to Joey Hayes. After two inning no one had scored.
In the top of the third, Alex Andrews walked and Kyle McIntyre courtesy ran for him. Anderson hit Mark Riffee with a pitch for the second time to put two runners on board. Brig Tison sacrificed McIntyre to third and Riffee to second with the first out. Anderson struck out Sterling Sams for the second out and Arman Moniri lined out hard to left field. The Warhawks stranded two runners in scoring position and had not scored yet. In the bottom of the third, Brandon Stootes singled but was promptly picked off by Kevin Ashcraft with Arman Moniri laying on the tag. Solomon grounded out to Brian Smith and Matt Rose popped up to Joey Hayes again to end the inning.
In the top of the fourth, Joey Hayes singled and moved to second as Jason Farley grounded back to the pitcher. Brian Smith flied out for the second out and then Hayes took third on a balk by Anderson. Kyle Hughes grounded out and the Warhawks had stranded at least one runner in scoring position each of the first four innings. Tony Gaston laid down a beautiful bunt for a single but the throw was very wide and in the dirt. Arman Moniri made an incredible diving stop and pick to keep the ball from skidding into a lot of foul territory. Gaston then advanced to second on a bad pick off attempt. Derek Smith walked and the Chargers moved the runners to third and second with a sacrifice bunt by Baur. With two runners in scoring position, Kevin Ashcraft recorded a big strike out of Colson for the second out. Levander punched a single to score Gaston for the first run but Kyle Hughes' throw kept Smith at third. Kenny Anderson hit a deep shot to centerfield but Mark Riffee tracked it down to end the inning. Northwood led 1-0 after four innings.
In the top of the fifth, Alex Andrews struck out and Mark Riffee grounded out on a close play at first. Brig Tison doubled and scored on an RBI single from Sterling Sams. The Chargers throw from the outfield was on the money and beat the runner to the plate but the catcher could not handle it cleanly and Tison slid through to tie the game. Sams took second on the throw and moved to third on a passed ball. Arman Moniri grounded out to end the inning. Madison had tied the game at one run each but stranded another runner in scoring position for the fifth consecutive inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Kevin Ashcraft continued to pitch well as he struck out Stootes to start the inning. Solomon doubled in the gap just off the top of the hustling Sterling Sams' glove. Sams had covered a lot of distance and nearly caught up with ball that was hit hard. Mark Riffee backed him up and made a strong throw to third to keep the runner at second. Solomon later moved to third on an infield single by Gaston and would have scored if he had already been on third. Alex Andrews made a great catch on a towering fly ball in the spacious foul territory behind home plate to hold the runners. Brian Smith then made a nice charging play and threw a short-hopper on the run to Arman Moniri who made an incredible pick to keep the Chargers from scoring and end the inning. The Warhawks defense and pitching came through again to keep any runs from scoring in the inning.
In the top of the sixth, Joey Hayes flied out for the first out. Jason Farley grounded out for the second out and then Brian Smith drew a walk. Anderson struck out Kyle Hughes to end the inning. the game was still tied at 1-1. Kevin Ashcraft sent Northwood down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth. He struck out Baur, Colson grounded out to Brian Smith and Brig Tison made a nice play on a ground out by Levander. The game was 1-1 after six innings.
In the top of the seventh, Alex Andrews stung the ball but lined out directly to the centerfielder. Mark Riffee was on base for the third time as Anderson walked him on four straight pitches. Riffee stole second base and took third as Brig Tison grounded out behind the runner. The Chargers intentionally walked Sterling Sams and Kyle McIntyre took his place as a runner. Arman Moniri grounded out and the game was still tied and Madison stranded another runner at third. In the bottom of the seventh, Ashcraft kept the Warhawks in the game striking out Anderson and Stootes and getting Solomon to fly out to Kyle McIntyre who stayed in the game and played left field. We were headed for extra innings as both pitchers and defenses had been sharp all night.
In the top of the eighth, Joey Hayes grounded out for the first out. Jason Farley walked and was caught stealing after getting a late jump. Brian Smith walked but was forced out at second to end the inning on a ground ball hit by Kyle Hughes. The game was still tied at 1-1. Sam Gilbert came in to pitch for Ashcraft who had thrown seven great innings. Gilbert was making his second relief outing of the tournament in consecutive nights. Matt Rose grounded out to Joey Hayes for the first out. Gaston reached on an infield single and Gilbert struck out Derek Smith for the second out. Brian Smith fielded a tough spinning knuckler off the bat of Baur but his throw to first was in the dirt and Arman Moniri made another great pick at first to end the inning and probably keep the winning run from scoring.
Amazingly Anderson took the mound for the ninth straight innings and after 116 pitches. He walked Alex Andrews and Josh Carter came in as Andrew's courtesy runner. In the middle of the count against Mark Riffee, who lined two hard foul balls, Northwood changed pitchers and Anderson left to an ovation from both sides. Thomas Lelander assumed the count with Riffee who fouled another one off hard before he chased a ball out of the zone for the first out. Lelander then faced Brig Tison who hit a ball to the gap and Josh Carter ran the bases beautifully and rounded third as the outfielder came up with it. The play was close as the throw was on the money again but the ball bounced off the catcher and rolled away. Tison who took second on the throw hustled to third as the ball got away from the catcher. Madison had the lead 2-1 and Tison had his second big hit of the game. The infield was in and held Tison at third on a ground out by Sterling Sams. Arman Moniri popped up to shortstop to end the inning. Madison led 2-1. In the bottom of the ninth, Sam Gilbert was tough getting Colson to ground back to himself for the first out. Levander grounded out to Joey Hayes for the second out and then Anderson reentered to bat. Sam Gilbert struck out Anderson to end the game.
Madison won in a different style from the night before. The team looked like it left a lot of energy on the field the night before but the pitching of Kevin Ashcraft and Sam Gilbert was outstanding. Ashcraft scattered 6 hits over seven innings and Gilbert got the win allowing only one hit in two innings. The defense was excellent tonight as well. Special defensive kudos go to Arman Moniri and Alex Andrews. The game was played with a huge distance to the back stop and lots of foul territory. Moniri made several incredible picks to take bad throws out of the dirt to end innings and save runs. Andrews caught brilliantly and had no passed balls. That alone could have been the difference in the game. Brian Smith had another nice night defensively showing range at third and there were several nice catches by Joey Hayes, who was busy in the field tonight, and by the outfielders who made some nice catches. Throws by outfielders Kyle Hughes and Mark Riffee saved runs in the game. Madison had only 4 hits two of which were by Brig Tison. Sterling Sams had an RBI single. The Warhawks ran the bases well again. Sams and Mark Riffee were each on base three times and Riffee had two stolen bases while Sterling Sams and Joey Hayes each had a stolen base. Josh Carter scored the winning run with great base running. Madison plays Ben Lippen tomorrow at 5PM at Wando High School.
"It was a good win that tested our persistence and patience," said coach Mark Gjormand. "After and emotional comeback last night it looked like we couldn't bring our energy tonight. What we did do was pitch well. Kevin and Sammy gave us a great effort tonight and we needed it. We grinded it out tonight and manufactured a couple of runs. We beat a well-coached team coached by a South Carolina legendary coach. They were solid fundamentally and it showed as they made all the plays. It is good to be 2-0 down here in this tough tournament and 8-0 overall."
Madison Defeats Ben Lippen of Columbia, SC and Finishes Bracket Play Undefeated
The Madison Warhawks played the Ben Lippen Falcons from Columbia, SC at Wando, HS in Mt. Pleasant, SC tonight in the last game of HIT Bracket play. The Warhawks Matt Zepp made his varsity debut as a starting pitcher and several regulars rested this evening. Ben Lippen sent Colby Edwards to the mound. Kyle McIntyre led off in his first start and drew a walk after fouling off many pitches. Brig Tison tripled to score McIntyre and the lead was 1-0. Mark Riffee pulled the ball to the right side for an RBI groundout to score Tison and Madison led 2-0. Arman Moniri singled and then Matt Zepp popped up for the first out. Collin Flaherty flied out to right to end the inning. Madison led 2-0. In the bottom of the first, Blaine Walker grounded out to Ryan Mathews. Rob Brigman laid down a bunt for a single and the Falcons had a runner on with one out. Matt Zepp struck out William Buzhardt looking and Greg Dunston grounded out to Ryan Mathews to end the inning. Madison led 2-0 after one inning.
In the second, Ryan Mathews grounded out to start the inning. Todd Crissey was hit by a pitch t start things for the Warhawks. Jimmy McNamara walked to put two runners aboard. Kyle McIntyre beat out a bunt for a hit to load the bases and Brig Tison grounded to first for a fielder's choice but the throw home was dropped for an error and Crissey scored and all the runners were safe. Mark Riffee stepped up with bases loaded but was hit with a pitch for the third time in two nights for an RBI to score Jimmy McNamara. The lead was 4-0. Arman Moniri singled behind the runners to score McIntyre and Tison and Riffee ran to third. Madison led 6-0. Matt Zepp popped up to second for the second out and Collin Flaherty reached first on an error by the third baseman which also allowed Riffee to score the 7th run. Ryan Mathews flied out to end the inning. The Warhawks were flying with a 7-0 lead. Colby Edwards grounded towards third and reached on an error to start the bottom of the second for Ben Lippen. Matt Zepp struck out Jon Mollohan looking for the first out. Zepp balked Edward to second and then Justin Norris singled to move Edwards to third. Matt Zepp struck out Rich Davis looking for the second out and walked Mobley Jeter to load the bases. Zepp booted a little chopper near the line close to home plate and the unearned run scored on the second error. The lead was 7-1. Brigman grounded to Arman Moniri who made the unassisted out to end the inning. Madison led 7-1.
In the third, Todd Crissey drove a deep ball to the fence that was caught for the first out. Jimmy McNamara was called out on strikes on what appeared to be wide pitch for the second out. Kyle McIntyre flied out to end the inning. In the bottom of the third, Buzhardt singled for the Falcons but was erased on a nice play by Arman Moniri who cut the lead runner down on a Dunston groundball. Dunston was at first with one out on the fielder's choice. Edwards hit a ball that Arman Moniri deflected on a dive to Pat Powers who stayed with the play and threw back to Moniri who hustled back to the bag for the second out. Dunston took second. Mollohan grounded out to Pat Powers to end the inning. Madison led 7-1 after three innings.
In the fourth, Brig Tison led off with a double and was balked to third. Mark Riffee lined a rope that was hit directly at the fielder who elevated to snag the shot for the first out. Arman Moniri hit a deep sacrifice fly to score Tison and the lead was 8-1 with two outs. Matt Zepp flied out to end the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Norris singled for the Falcons and then Pat Powers made a fantastic over head catch while diving to rob a hit from Davis for the first out. Mobley Jeter flied out to Mark Riffee for the second out and then Walker singled to move Norris to second. Brigman grounded to Brig Tison who threw wide to first but Moniri made the tag down the line to end the inning. Madison led 8-1 after four innings.
In the fifth, Collin Flaherty flied out for the first out. Ryan Mathews singled through the middle and took second on a passed ball. Todd Crissey drew a walk but Edwards picked off Ryan Mathews for the second out. Josh Carter popped up to end the inning. in the bottom of the fifth, Buzhardt beat out an infield single to short and took second on a wild pitch. Dunston grounded out to Brig Tison for the first out with Buzhardt taking third. Edwards also grounded out to Tison for an RBI as Buzhardt scored with two outs. matt Zepp struck out Mollohan to end the inning. Madison led 8-2 after five innings.
Madison went down 1-2-3 in the top of the sixth as Kyle McIntyre, Brig Tison and Kyle Hughes each flied out. In the bottom of the sixth, Brad Wimmer made his first appearance on the mound in relief of Zepp. Wimmer came in throwing strikes and the tall righty struck out Norris and Davis each on three straight pitches for the first two outs. Mobley Jeter reached first on an error and then Ryan Mathews made a nice play on a ground ball to throw out Walker to end the inning. Madison led 8-2.
In he top of the seventh, Arman Moniri crushed a leadoff double to start the inning and went o third on a passed ball. Brad Wimmer made his first plate appearance and scored Moniri with an RBI ground out. The lead was 9-2. Collin Flaherty dropped in a hit but Ryan Mathews grounded to the shortstop who stepped on second to retire Flaherty and threw to first to complete the double play and end the inning. Madison led 9-2. In the bottom of the seventh, Brad Wimmer continued to throw strikes and struck out Brigman for the first out. Buzhardt flied out to Kyle McIntyre who gave us a little slide for flair and recorded the second out. Wimmer struck out pinch hitter Brent Brazzell to end the game.
Madison improved to 9-0 and finished Bracket play of the tournament undefeated. Matt Zepp went five innings for the win allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out 4 batters and walked 1 hitter. Brad Wimmer came in and threw strikes in a strong two innings. Wimmer allowed no runs or hits and struck out 3 batters and walked no one. Arman Moniri was 3 for 3 with a sacrifice fly and 3 RBIs. Brig Tison had a double and triple.
"This was the fifth time over the years that we played in this tournament and it is good to go undefeated in Bracket play for the fifth time," said coach Mark Gjormand. "Matt Zepp did a nice job to get the win in his first outing. It was nice that the guys who started helped us get a win and we were able to rest a few guys tonight so it was successful. I thought Kyle McIntyre did a nice job laying down the bunt and drawing a walk after fouling off a lot of pitches. Brad came in doing what we wanted and that was to throw strikes. He was tough out of the pen and drove in a run. He will help us. Our pitching is deep. We look forward to a playoff game tomorrow night."
Madison Shuts Out Nationally Ranked Wando HS
Wando was Ranked 13th Nationally in USA Today
Wando was 24-0 and the top ranked team in South Carolina
The USA Today was delivered to the hotel doors of the Madison families this morning in South Carolina with all the hype about tonight's opponent the Wando Warriors of Mt. Pleasant, SC. Wando entered tonight's game with a record of 24-0 and were the top ranked team in South Carolina, the ninth ranked team in the South and the 13th ranked team in the nation per USA Today. The Warhawks came into tonight's playoff game with a 9-0 record and were excited about having the opportunity to prove what they can do. The two teams met at Hanahan HS in an HIT Playoff game. The Local TV crews were interviewing the Wando coach about their national ranking before the game while the Warhawks were calmly preparing to go to work. The result was Madison played outstanding baseball and out hit, pitched and fielded and outplayed Wando for a 4-0 win. The Warhawks out hit Wando 9-3 led by Alex Andrews, Mark Riffee and Josh Carter each with two hits. Andrews had a solo home run and Riffee a double and stolen base that led to a run. Jason Farley picked up his fifth win and pitched 7 innings of shutout baseball allowing 3 hits and 3 walks while striking out 5. The Madison defense was flawless and made all the plays behind Farley tonight. The Warhawks continued to manufacture runs as Riffee, Arman Moniri and Joey Hayes joined Alex Andrews with RBIs. Carter stole a base and took third on a throw that bounded into centerfield to set up another run. It was a great team win tonight. And now the normal game summary:
The Madison Warhawks played the Wando Warriors in an HIT playoff game at Hanahan HS. Jason Farley was the starting pitcher for Madison and Cole Rakar (7-0) started for Wando. In the top of the first, Mark hit the ball hard at the shortstop for the first out. Brig Tison walked and then Rakar struck out Sterling Sams for the second out. Arman Moniri grounded out to end the inning. Rakar led off for the Warriors and tried a bunt but Alex Andrews was all over it and threw him out at first. Brett Thomas hit a hard grounder at Arman Moniri who fielded it cleanly for the unassisted out. Nick Sprawls grounded out to Brian Smith to end the inning. The score was 0-0 after one inning.
In the second, Josh Carter grounded out for the first out, Joey Hayes grounded out for the second out and Jason Farley also grounded out as the Warhawks were still looking for their first hit. In the bottom of the second, Madison returned the favor and set Wando down in order. Jason Farley struck out Jamie Childers for the first out. Brig Tison cut a ball off that was headed up the middle and threw to Arman Moniri for the second out and Lonnie Ferguson also grounded out to Tison to end the inning. Still no one had a hit or run after two innings.
In the top of the third, the Madison bats started to come alive. Brian Smith flied out deep to right field. Alex Andrews singled for the first Madison hit. Kyle McIntyre then came in to serve as a courtesy runner for Andrews. Mark Riffee then singled McIntyre to second with one out. Brig Tison grounded to second and the Warriors forced the out at second but Riffee broke up the double play getting in there quickly and preventing a throw to first. Tison was at first on the fielder's choice and McIntyre at third with two outs. Rakar struck out Sterling Sams to escape the threat. In the bottom of the third, Brian Smith continued to show what a great defensive third baseman he has become. Smith ranged to his left, cutoff a ball headed for the hole and threw out Grayson King for the first out. Clarke Hinson crushed a ball down the line but Sterling Sams made a nice play to hold him to a single. Jim Johnson then executed a sacrifice bunt that Farley fielded cleanly and threw him out at first for the second out. Hinson took second on the bunt. Rakar, Wando's best hitter, then grounded a ball hard down the line that Brian Smith fielded behind the bag. Smith's momentum took him into foul territory but he set his feet and fired across the diamond to retire Rakar and end the inning. The game was still 0-0 after three innings.
In the top of the fourth, Arman Moniri flied out down the line for the first out. Josh Carter singled and Madison had a runner aboard. Carter stole second and Wando's catcher Ferguson's throw was off target and skidded into the outfield while Carter hustled to third. Joey Hayes then hit an RBI groundout to score Carter with the game's first run. Madison led 1-0 with the manufactured run. Jason Farley then reached first on an infield single. Pat Powers came into courtesy run for Farley and stole second base. Brian Smith grounded back to Rakar to end the inning. Madison led 1-0. In the bottom of the fourth, Jason Farley continued to look sharp as Thomas grounded back to him for the first out. Jason Farley walked Sprawls and Wando put in Drew Sheridan to try to still second as a pinch runner. Farley caught him leaning and picked him off with Moniri making the tag for the second out. Childers struck out for the second time to end the inning. Madison led 1-0 after four innings.
Alex Andrews lined a solo home run to start the fifth inning and Madison led 2-0. Mark Riffee followed Andrews by crushing a double. Riffee stole third base as Brig Tison struck out to put a runner at third with just one out. Sterling Sams struck out for the second out and then Arman Moniri lined a single to score Mark Riffee with the third run, another manufactured run. The score was 3-0. Josh Carter dropped in a single and Arman Moniri hustled to third. Carter stole second without a throw and Madison had two runners in scoring position with two outs. Joey Hayes grounded out to end the inning. Madison now had a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the fifth, Sam Mahoney flied out to centerfielder Mark Riffee for the first out. Jason Farley then walked Ferguson. King then grounded to Arman Moniri who cut down the lead runner Ferguson for the second out and Brig Tison made a nice return throw but King was safe on the fielder's choice. Clarke Hinson then lined his second hard hit to left field and Wando had two runners aboard with two out. The defense continued to pull the Warhawks out as Joey Hayes cut off a ground ball that was headed up the middle while sliding he flipped to Brig Tison covering second to end the inning and the Wando threat. Madison led 3-0 after five innings.
In the sixth, Jason Farley reached first on an error as the Warrior first baseman dropped the ball. Collin Flaherty came in as a courtesy runner for Farley. Alex Andrews walked and Kyle Hughes ran for him. Collin Flaherty stole third base and the Warhawks had Flaherty at third and Hughes at first. Mark Riffee lined a ball back at Rakar who knocked it down and threw to second to force Hughes. Riffee hustled down the line and beat the throw to first for the RBI as Collin Flaherty scored on the play. Madison led 4-0 with yet another manufactured run. Riffee stole second and then Brig Tison grounded back to Rakar to end the inning. Madison led 4-0. In the bottom of the sixth, Cole Rakar singled for Wando. Brett Thomas flied out to Kyle McIntyre who took over left field in the inning. Farley walked Sprawls to put two runners aboard but then recorded the second out by striking out Childers for the third time in the game and the second out of the inning. Sam Mahoney then hit a little roller in front of the plate and Alex Andrews threw him out to end the inning. Madison led 4-0 heading into the seventh inning.
In the top of the seventh, Kyle McIntyre singled to start the inning but he was erased at second as Arman Moniri grounded nto a 4-6-3 double play. Josh Carter flied out and we were headed into the bottom of the seventh with Madison leading 4-0. Jason Farley closed Wando out by striking out Ferguson and King for the first two outs. Madison retired Hinson for the first time in the game as he grounded out to Brig Tison to end the game.
The Warhawks defeated the Wando Warriors who were ranked nationally in USA Today. Madison improved to 10-0 while Wando recorded their first loss but still sport an impressive 24-1 record. Jason Farley picked up his fifth win of record as he pitched seven shut out innings. Madison out hit Wando 9-3 with Alex Andrews, Mark Riffee and Josh Carter leading the offense with two hits each. Andrews' home run and Riffee's double were the only extra base hits in the game. Farley was outstanding tonight striking out 5, walking 3 and allowing 3 hits. He was aided by outstanding defensive play as the Warhawks were flawless in the field. Brian Smith led the way defensively with 3 great plays. Hayes, Moniri, Tison and Andrews all made good plays in the infield. The outfield also made every play that came their way including holding Wando to singles on two well hit balls. It was a great team win and Madison brought the kind of intensity to the field tonight that we have seen in past Warhawks teams that went on to win many championships. The Warhawks showed that they plan to keep working hard to maintain that effort.
"I am proud of our guys," said coach Mark Gjormand. When we woke up today we knew it was going to be a great day. Our guys were excited to have the opportunity to play Wando as they became nationally ranked. You could sense in BP today that we were ready to take on the challenge and opportunity that was in front of us. Tonight everyone did a great job. You have to give Jason credit for pitching so well against an opponent of that caliber. Our defense was the best it has been this season. We made all the plays and I saw us come with a great defensive intensity and the infield footwork was excellent. The play Brian Smith made behind the third base bag was outstanding and you could tell kind of took the wind out of Wando's sails. Offensively, we had some guys lead us with quality at bats and hits tonight. I continue to like our approach and the way this team finds ways to manufacture runs. Out hitting them 9-3 was excellent also. It was a huge win number 10 tonight. We will face another quality opponent in the tournament playoffs as we try to get win 11."
Madison Defeats James Island SC
One night after defeating South Carolina's top ranked team in the state, the Madison Warhawks played and defeated the number two ranked team in the Charleston area, James Island Trojans, by the score of 17-7. Madison improved its record to 11-0 and pounded 17 hits and four home runs in the win. Josh Carter had three hits including a grand slam. Joey Hayes had three hits including a home run and two doubles. Arman Moniri had three hits including a double. Brian Smith had two hits including a solo home run. Mark Riffee had two hits including a double. Jason Farley had two hits tonight. Ryan Mathews hit a pinch hit home run in the seventh inning.
Sam Gilbert pitched six innings to record the win. Gilbert allowed three runs on four hits. All three runs were scored after an error that should have been the third out in the third inning so none were earned. Gilbert struck out three batters, walked no one and hit one batter with a pitch. One night after playing a flawless game defensively especially in the infield, the Warhawks made 4 errors including three early infield errors. One error allowed the third inning to continue and 3 unearned runs to score. Madison's Mark Riffee made a terrific outfield catch as he tracked a hard sinking and hooking line drive and made the catch with a dive. Arman Moniri had another good defensive night for Madison as well. Jesse Jeter pitched the seventh and allowed 3 runs on three hits. The last two runs occurred on a home run after he should have been awarded a strikeout but did not get the called strike.
"We came out as the visiting team and got after it at the plate tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. " we worked on the inside baseball and we squared several of them up tonight. Sam Gilbert gave us an excellent outing in his first start after several good relief appearances. It was a good win number 11 tonight. we beat their top two teams here in South Carolina the last two nights so that says a lot about Virginia baseball. Tomorrow we get Florida when we play Miami. We hope to get win number 12 in that one and make it special."
Madison Defeats Miami Senior HS, Miami FL 10-3 to Win HIT Championship!
The Madison Warhawks defeated the Stingrays of Miami Senior High School to win the Championship of the Hanahan Invitational Tournament in Charleston, SC. Madison improved its record to 12-0 and won its sixth game in six days in the tournament. Madison started lefthander Kevin Ashcraft on the mound after two days rest. Madison was the visiting team for the third straight playoff game.
In the top of the first, Mark Riffee led off the game with a single and moved to second on a single by Brig Tison. Sterling Sams was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Arman Moniri grounded into an RBI fielders choice that forced out Sams at second base to score Riffee with the first run. Josh Carter grounded into another RBI fielders choice forcing Moniri at second to score Tison. Madison led 2-0. Joey Hayes singled and then Jason Farley flied out to shortstop to end the inning. Madison led 2-0. In the bottom of the first, Felix Martinez bunted back to Kevin Ashcraft who threw him out for the first out. Ken Socorro walked but he broke for second and Ashcraft threw to Arman Moniri who relayed to Brig Tison who tagged him out for the pick off. Kevin Ashcraft struck out Victor Ramos to end the first. After one inning, Madison led 2-0.
In the top of the second, Brian Smith led off with a double Alex Andrews bunted for a single to move Smith to third and then stole second as he kept running with no one covering for Miami. Mark Riffee then hit a two run double to put Madison up 4-0 as Smith and Kyle McIntyre, who was running for Andrews, scored on the double. Brig Tison hit to the right grounding out but moved Riffee to third with one out. Sterling Sams then drove a deep Sacrifice fly to score Mark Riffee, and Madison had manufactured its fifth run. Jonathan Linarnes struck out Arman Moniri to end the inning. Madison led 5-0. In the bottom of the second, Denny Almante singled for Miami. Danny Avita flied out to Mark Riffee for the first out. Rodolfo Soto flied out to Mark Riffee for the second out. Hector Santos grounded out to Brian Smith to end the inning. Madison led 5-0 after two innings.
Miami brought in Victor Ramos to pitch in the top of the third. Josh Carter singled to start the third and stole second base. Joey Hayes walked and then Jason Farley moved the runners to third and second with a sacrifice bunt. Brian Smith scored Carter with a sacrifice fly for another manufactured run. Madison led 6-0. Alex Andrews singled to score Joey Hayes and the lead was 7-0. Mark Riffee grounded out on a close call at first to end the inning. Madison led 7-0. In the bottom of the third Danny Vazquez flied out to Josh Carter for the first out. Francisco Suarez grounded to third and was safe at first on an overthrow error. Suarez rounded first and took off for second but Josh Carter hustled to back up the play, caught Suarez in a run-down and threw to Brig Tison who tagged him out for the second out. Martinez walked and then Josh Carter made a great running catch into the fence for the third out. Madison led 7-0 after three innings.
Brig Tison walked to start the fourth and moved to second on a bad pick-off attempt. Sterling Sams lined out hard for the first out and Arman Moniri grounded back to Ramos for the second out. Josh Carter walked but was forced at second on a ground ball by Joey Hayes to end the inning. Madison still led 7-0. Ramos and Almonte walked to put two runners on to start the bottom of the fourth for Miami. Kevin Ashcraft struck out Avita for the first out and then Soto flied out to Sterling Sams. Hector Santos homered as Mark Riffee reached over the fence to try to rob him but could not quite pull in the home run. The lead was 7-3. Vazquez doubled and then Jesse Jeter came in to relief Kevin Ashcraft who had done yeoman's work pitching 10 innings in 3 days. Suarez flied out to Josh Carter to end the inning. Madison led 7-3 after four innings.
In the top of the fifth, Miami brought in Ken Socorro to pitch. Socorro struck out Jason Farley and Brian Smith to start the inning. With two outs Alex Andrews singled and McIntyre ran for him. Mark Riffee walked and then Brig Tison stroked a single to score Alex Andrews. Mark Riffee hustled to third. Tison decided to break for second but the cutoff man had the ball and threw to second. Tison stopped and started to retreat. Riffee saw his teammate hung up and broke for home to steal the base. Miami's shortstop Ramos fired the ball to the plate but could not get Riffee who slid in head first with the ninth run. Tison then took second to complete the double steal. Madison led 9-3. Sterling Sams hit an RBI single to score Tison with the 10th run and Madison had the 3 runs back from the prior inning. Arman Moniri flied out to end the inning. Madison led 10-3. in the bottom of the fifth, Jesse Jeter struck out Martinez for the first out. Socorro grounded out to Joey Hayes for the second out then Jeter struck out Ramos to end the inning. Madison led 10-3 after five innings.
In the sixth inning, Josh Carter walked and moved to second on a single by Joey Hayes. Carter and Hayes took third and second on a double steal. Jason Farley struck out for the first out. Brian Smith was hit by a pitch to load the bases and then Alex Andrews grounded into a double play as Ramos stepped on second and fired to first to end the inning. Madison led 10-3. Jesse Jeter continued to look strong on the mound and struck out Almante for the first out. Danny Avita hit a foul ball down the right field line and Arman Moniri made a great catch against the fence for the second out. Jesse Jeter made an athletic fielding play to grab a ball headed up the middle and throw out Soto to end the inning. Madison led 10-3 after six innings.
In the top of the seventh, Mark Riffee beat out a single to start the inning. Brig Tison then hit a hard line drive right at the outfielder for the first out. Pat Powers entered the game and ran for Mark Riffee. Sterling Sams reached first on an infield single and Powers took second base. Arman Moniri hit into a fielders choice as Powers was forced at third base for the second out. Sams took second and Moniri was at first with two outs. Josh Carter popped up to second base to end the inning. Madison led 10-3 heading into the bottom of the seventh. Jesse Jeter struck out Santos to start the inning. Bryan Dominguez walked and then Royfe Rodriguez grounded into a Brig Tison to Joey Hayes to Arman Moniri double play to end the game. Madison improved to 12-0 and won its sixth game in six days to capture the 2006 HIT championship.
Kevin Ashcraft recorded the win going four innings after having pitched 7 three days before. Jesse Jeter pitched three great innings in relief. Offensively Alex Andrews and Mark Riffee led with 3 hits each. Riffee had a double, 2 RBIs, a walk and scored 3 runs. Brig Tison, Joey Hayes and Sterling Sams each had 2 hits. Tison scored two runs and added a walk and an RBI. Sams also had a sacrifice fly and 2 RBIs. Hayes also added a walk and scored a run. Brian Smith doubled, was hit by a pitch and had a sacrifice fly RBI. Madison returns to Liberty District play Tuesday when they host second place Langley.
"That was a tremendous win today," said coach Mark Gjormand. "We won three straight playoff games as the visitors and beat a great team today. Kevin kept them off balance today to get the win and Jesse pitched great in relief. It was a fun win for number 12. We want to always win as many championships as possible."
Madison Defeats Langley in Liberty District Game
The Madison Warhawks defeated the second place Langley Saxons 3-0 in an important Liberty District Game. The Warhawks improved their record to 13-0 and 7-0 in the Liberty District with the win. Jason Farley picked up his sixth win as he pitched seven innings and allowed only one hit. The Madison defense was outstanding as Madison outfielders Mark Riffee and Josh Carter ran down several line drives to take away potential Saxon hits. Offensively Mark Riffee, Sterling Sams and Alex Andrews led the attack as each had 2 hits and an RBI. Andrews' triple plated the first run and then Riffee drove in Pat Powers who ran for Andrews with the second run. Sams' RBI single scored Riffee with the third Warhawks run.
In the top of the first, Danny Brown flied out to Josh Carter who made a nice running catch. Brandon Berry grounded back to Farley who snagged the ball over his head and threw him out at first for the second out. Foster Dunigan singled for the Saxons and then Kevin Corey grounded to shortstop Brig Tison who threw to Joey Hayes at second for the force out to end the inning. In the bottom of the first, Langley's Chaz Ayoub pitched for the Saxons. Mark Riffee grounded out for the first out and then Ayoub struck out Brig Tison for out number two. Sterling Sams grounded to third for the last out and the Warhawks were out in order. The score was 0-0 after one inning.
In the top of the second, Ayoub hit a sharp line drive that could have been trouble but Mark Riffee ran it down for the first out. Alex Dadisman grounded to Brig Tison who made a nice play on the short hop for the second out. Bryce Morrison flied out to Josh Carter to send the Saxons down in order. Ayoub struck out the side in the bottom of the second for the Saxons retiring Arman Moniri, Josh Carter and Joey Hayes. No runs had been scored after two innings.
Langley went down in order again in the third as Matt Leitch flied out to Joey Hayes for the first out. Tommy Tysse flied out to Josh Carter who made a nice catch on a hooking ball for the second out. Jason Farley struck out Danny Brown to end the inning. Jason Farley led off the bottom of the third with a single. Kyle McIntyre courtesy ran for him and stole second base. Ayoub struck out Brian Smith and then Alex Andrews crushed a triple to score McIntyre and Madison led 1-0. Mark Riffee then singled to drive in Alex Andrews and the lead was 2-0. Riffee stole second base and then stole third base. Brig Tison grounded out for the second out. Sterling Sams then lined a single to score Mark Riffee and the Warhawks led 3-0. Arman Moniri then drove a deep ball down the line but Langley's Matt Leitch made a nice running catch for the Saxons and ended the inning. Madison led 3-0 after three innings.
In the top of the fourth, Berry flied out to Josh Carter for the first out. Dunigan hit a weak roller that Jason Farley fielded and made the unassisted tag for the second out. Farley struck out Corey for the third out. Farley appeared to continue to get sharper at this point of the game and was pitching very well. In the bottom of the fourth, Josh Carter flied out deep and then Joey Hayes was hit by a pitch. Jason Farley grounded into a 6-4-3 double play and after four innings the score was still 3-0 Madison.
In the Langley fifth, Ayoub grounded back to Jason Farley for the first out. Farley then struck out both Dadisman and Morrison and the Saxons were out in order again. In the bottom of the fifth, Brian Smith walked but Ayoub picked him off first base for the out. Alex Andrews beat out an infield single and Pat Powers ran for him. Mark Riffee singled again to move Powers to second base and then Brig Tison grounded into what was ruled a double play on a very questionable call. The score was 3-0 in favor of Madison after five innings.
In the Langley sixth, Matt Leitch hit a ball towards the gap but Mark Riffee ran it down for the first out. Jason Farley struck out Tommy Tysse for the second out and then Mark Riffee made another excellent running catch to take away a hit from Brown to end the inning. Sterling Sams led off the bottom of the sixth with a single. Sams stole second base and then Arman Moniri did a nice job of moving Sams to third as he grounded behind the runner for the first out. Langley pulled their infield in to try to keep the runner from scoring and it worked as Sams ran into the tag at home on a ground ball fielder's choice to shortstop by Josh Carter. Ayoub struck out Joey Hayes on a called strike to end the inning. Madison led 3-0 heading into the seventh inning.
In the top of the seventh, Brig Tison made a nice charging play to throw out Berry for the first out. Jason Farley walked Dunigan and then struck out Corey for the second. Ayoub grounded to Brig Tison who threw to second base where Joey Hayes made a fantastic catch and stretch to end the game.
Madison won 3-0. Jason Farley picked up his sixth win and still has a 0.00 ERA for the season. Farley struck out six and walked one batter. The Madison defense was excellent and took a few potential hits away with running catches by outfielders Mark Riffee and Josh Carter. Offensively, Mark Riffee, Sterling Sams and Alex Andrews each had 2 hits and an RBI. Andrews added a triple while Riffee had three stolen bases and Sams also had a stolen base. Jason Farley started the third inning with a single for Madison.
"It was a big win tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. "We beat a very good Langley baseball team that does a lot of things well. Their hitters stay inside the ball very well. I thought we played good defense tonight. I love to see them hit it towards Mark because it is fun to watch him go get it and run it down. Josh made nice catches tonight as well. Our outfield defense was tremendous. Offensively, we hit the ball when we needed to and moved the runners along. I think we had to adjust to the strike zone tonight which was different from the zone we have been seeing. We made that adjustment the second time through the order. We have a tough road trip playing six of the next seven away from home but we know that South Carolina prepared us for that. Next we are going out to play a good Stone Bridge team."
Madison Shuts Out Stone Bridge 12-0
The Madison Warhawks traveled to Ashburn on Monday night to play the Stone Bridge Bulldogs after a rainout Friday evening. The Bulldogs sent their senior ace pitcher Ryan Shugars, who the Warhawks defeated in the season opener, to the mound. The Warhawks countered with sophomore Jesse Jeter. In the top of the first Mark Riffee grounded out after an 11 pitch at bat. Brig Tison walked and moved to second as Rich Conlon grounded out behind the runner. Arman Moniri then lined an RBI single to score Brig Tison and Madison led 1-0. Sterling Sams grounded out to end the inning and the Warhawks had the early 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, Jeron Gouveia flied out to Sterling Sams for the first out. Mike Stancik grounded out to Brian Smith for the second out. Nick Bonacquista walked and then Jesse Jeter struck out David Ball to end the inning. Madison led 1-0 after one inning.
Joey Hayes lined a single to the fence to start the top of the second inning. Hayes moved to second on a ground out by Josh Carter and to third as Brian Smith grounded out. Alex Andrews crushed a two out triple to score Hayes and Madison led 2-0. Kyle McIntyre courtesy ran for Andrews and then Mark Riffee lined a single to score Alex Andrews and Madison led 3-0 with two outs. Shugars drilled Brig Tison in the back and Madison had Riffee at second and Tison and third. Riffee stole third base and Tison followed to second for a double steal. Rich Conlon grounded out to end the inning. The Warhawks led 3-0. In the bottom of the second Jesse Jeter he struck out the side sending Chris Dzurilla, Niko Kolocuris and Ryan Lewis down on strikes. Madison led 3-0.
Shugars retired the Warhawks in order in the third. Arman Moniri grounded out for the first out and then Shugars struck out Sterling Sams and Joey Hayes to end the inning. In the bottom of the third, Jesse Jeter recorded his fifth straight struck out to start the inning as he sent Collin Pearson down on strikes. After Gouveia walked. Alex Andrews caught him stealing throwing to Joey Hayes who threw to Arman Moniri for the tag out. Stancik lined a double that was lost in the sun and then Jesse Jeter ended the inning by striking out Tony Mazur. After three innings the Warhawks led 3-0.
The Warhawks kept attacking in the fourth as Josh Carter lined a single and took second on a Shugars wild pitch. Bran Smith lined a single and the Warhawks had runners at first and third with no outs. Shugars kept throwing to first base to hold Smith but he eventually threw one past the first baseman to allow Carter to score and Smith to go to second. Madison led 4-0 on the error. Alex Andrews grounded out and Brian Smith moved to third. Mark Riffee grounded out for the second out and Brian Smith scored on a Shugars wild pitch. Madison led 5-0. Brig Tison walked but was caught stealing to end the inning. Madison led 5-0. In the bottom of the fourth, Jesse Jeter continued to out-duel his veteran counter part. Bonacquista lined out to Joey Hayes to start the inning and then Jeter struck out Ball and Dzurilla to end the inning. Madison led 5-0 and Jeter had 8 strikeouts after four innings.
In the top of the fifth, Stone Bridge pulled Shugars and Gouveia pitched in relief. Rich Conlon led off the inning with a double off the wall. Arman Moniri then singled through the infield to score Conlon from second base and Madison led 6-0. Sterling Sams singled Moniri to second base. Joey Hayes flied out for the first out. Gouveia tried to pick off Sams but the first baseman missed the ball and the runners advanced to third and second. Josh Carter grounded out to score Moniri and Madison led 7-0. Brian Smith singled to score Sams from third base and Madison led 8-0. Gouveia struck out Alex Andrews to end the inning. In the bottom of the fifth, Brian Smith made a nice pick up to his left and threw out Kolocuris for the first out. Ryan Lewis grounded out to Joey Hayes for the second out. Pearson walked but was forced out at second as Gouveia grounded to Rich Conlon who threw to Joey Hayes. Madison led 8-0 after five innings.
Mark Riffee led of the sixth with a single and Brig Tison walked. Rich Conlon flied out deep to centerfield and then Arman Moniri lined his third RBI single of the game to score Mark Riffee from second base and Madison led 9-0. Tison hustled to third. Stone Bridge brought in Collin Koppens to relieve Gouveia and Sterling Sams walked to load the bases. Ryan Mathews drew an RBI walk to score Tison with the 10th run. Nick Crocoll then relieved Koppens on the mound and he walked Josh Carter to force in Arman Moniri. Madison led 11-0. Sterling Sams scored on a passed ball and the lead was 12-0. Jimmy McNamara grounded out and the runners held rather than score. Collin Flaherty walked and Matt Zepp grounded out to end the inning. Madison led 12-0. Sam Gilbert pitched the sixth for Madison. Stancik grounded out to Rich Conlon for the first out. Tony Mazur beat out an infield single and then Gilbert struck out Chris Martinez and David Ball to end the game.
The Warhawks came to play and won the game in six innings. Jesse Jeter struck out 8 batters and allowed only one hit in five innings for the shut out win. Jeter walked 3 batters and hit 1 batter. Sam Gilbert pitched a scoreless sixth to hold the shutout. Gilbert struck out 2 Bulldogs, gave up 1 hit and walked no one. Arman Moniri led the offense that had contributions from everyone. Moniri had 3 hits and 3 RBIs. Brian Smith and Mark Riffee each had 2 hits and an RBI. Alex Andrews had an RBI triple and Rich Conlon doubled. Joey Hayes, Sterling Sams and Josh Carter added hits to the attack. Carter had 2 RBIs. Brig Tison walked 3 times and was hit by a pitch. Madison improved to 14-0 and travels to McLean tomorrow night.
"We were real aggressive tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. "We came out playing Warhawks baseball from the start. Last Friday, none of us were ready to play including me and it showed before the rainout. We talked about it and then the leaders of the team had a players only meeting. It was taken care of and we came ready to play. That is what good leadership does. Tonight they sent their senior number one out and we sent our sophomore to face them. Jesse had great stuff tonight and controlled the game. He fell behind hitters a little too much but pitched very well. We have a tough game tomorrow night against McLean. They were tough the first time and we will have to be ready for them tomorrow."
The Madison Warhawks road trip continued the night after a great win at Stone Bridge with a visit to McLean. The McLean Highlanders were fired up and ready to play and caught the Warhawks not playing sharp early in the game and jumped to a 4-0 lead. Madison had many opportunities to overcome the deficit but did not come through in customary fashion as McLean's pitchers did a great job. The Highlanders won and stopped the Madison winning streak at 14 games. In the top of the first Danny Bell pitched for McLean and Mark Riffee grounded out. Bell struck out Brig Tison and Rich Conlon to retire the side in order. Jason Farley took the hill for Madison and he met a McLean order that was hot. Kyle Meagher singled to start the game for McLean and stole second base. Bird Sweeney singled Meagher to third with no outs and Sweeney stole second base. Frankie Cavanaugh reached on an infield error and Meagher scored. McLean led 1-0. Shane Mills lined a sacrifice fly to score Sweeney and the lead was 2-0. Tyler Thompson then homered and McLean led 4-0. Quinn Pippin grounded out to Brian Smith for the second out and then Drew Morgan lined a single to the gap and moved to second base on a passed ball. Jason Farley struck out Danny Bell to end the inning but McLean had jumped to a 4-0 lead and hit the ball very hard.
In the top of the second Arman Moniri singled to lead off for Madison. Sterling Sams flied out. Joey Hayes grounded into a fielders choice to force Moniri at second base with the second out. Josh Carter grounded out to end the inning. In the bottom of the second Mike McCollough lined a hard single to the gap and then stole second base. Jason Farley then settled in and struck out Meagher, Sweeney and Cavanaugh in order to end the inning. McLean led 4-0.
In the top of the third Brian Smith doubled to lead off and Jason Farley flied out for the first out. Mark Riffee walked and advanced to second on a groundball hit by Brig Tison that the shortstop bobbled. Bases were loaded with one out. Rich Conlon crushed a line drive right at the third baseman for the second out. Arman Moniri lined out on a ball that the McLean first baseman found a way to elevate and catch on the top of his glove to save two runs and end the inning. Shane Mills led off the McLean third with a single and took second on a wild pitch. Jason Farley struck out Thompson and Pippin grounded out to Brian Smith with Mills holding at second. Drew Morgan hit a ground ball that hit Mills to end the inning. McLean led 4-0.
In the top of the fourth, Sterling Sams led off with a double. Bell hit Joey Hayes with a pitch to put two men on. Josh Carter forced out Joey Hayes at second on a fielders choice with Sams taking third. Carter sole second base and McLean threw the ball into centerfield allowing Sams to score on the error and Carter took third. Brian Smith singled to score Carter and the score was cut to 4-2. Jason Farley singled and then Mills balked the runners to third and second. Mark Riffee struck out and Brig Tison flied out. The score was Mclean 4 and Madison 2. In the bottom of the fourth, Bell grounded back to Jason Farley and McCollough grounded out to Joey Hayes for the first two outs. Meagher was hit by a pitch and stole second base. Jason Farley struck out Sweeney to end the inning. McLean led 4-2.
In the top of the fifth, Rich Conlon grounded out. Arman Moniri singled and Sterling Sams was hit by a pitch. Shane Mills relieved Bell on the mound. Joey Hayes bunted for a single to load the bases with one out. Mills struck out Josh Carter and Brian Smith with the bases loaded to keep the lead for McLean. In the bottom of the fifth, Cavanaugh singled and Mills grounded into a Joey Hayes to Rich Conlon to Arman Moniri double play. Thompson was hit by a pitch and Pippin grounded out to Brian Smith to end the inning. McLean led 4-2.
In the sixth, Jason Farley struck out and Mark Riffee reached on an error. Riffee was caught stealing for the second out and Brig Tison flied out to end the inning. In the bottom of the sixth, Jason Farley struck out the side sending Morgan, Sam Kaiser and McCollough down on strikes.
In the seventh, Rich Colon struck out. Arman Moniri reached out and stroked a nice two-strike single. Kyle McIntyre pinch ran for Moniri but was forced out at second on a fielder's choice ground ball by Sterling Sams. Joey Hayes struck out for the last out.
Madison dropped to 14-1. McLean played inspired baseball and deserved the win while the Warhawks were playing a little tight and may have found themselves playing not to lose. Arman Moniri had a great night at the plate with three singles. In his first two at bats Brian Smith had hits and he drove in a run. Most of the Warhawks order had chances to drive in runs with runners in scoring position later in the game and just could not get the runs across. McLean's line up hit the ball hard the first time through the order to jump to the early 4-0 lead. The Highlanders Bell and Mills pitched well after that to escape Warhawks scoring chances and stranded Warhawks runners at third and second three times. Madison actually out hit Mclean 9-7 but could not get their customary clutch hits as McLean's pitchers did a great job. Jason Farley took the loss for Madison surrendering 4 runs (3 earned) on 7 hits. He struck out 9 batters, walked no one and hit one batter.
"I tip my hat to Coach Thomas and give all the credit in the world to them. They played well and really came to play tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. "We were not sharp early and they hit us hard and squared up one ball to get that 4-0 lead. We could not come back from that 4-0 deficit tonight although we have done it a couple of times before this season. We had three opportunities with all the guys up that we wanted - the guys who have come through for us all season - and we could not get the big clutch hit tonight. At the same time we kept giving ourselves opportunities by battling to get the runners in scoring position. Maybe if anything, tonight we may have tried too hard to make it happen. All that said, you have to give McLean credit for doing many thing well tonight and winning the game. We will be back in action Friday night at Jefferson and look forward to continuing what is a very good season."
Madison Shuts Out Jefferson 8-0
The Madison Warhawks continued this long road stretch with a visit to Thomas Jefferson to play the Colonials. Junior Sam Gilbert pitched for Madison and Junior Mike Mensing hurled for the Colonials. In the top of the first, Mark Riffee grounded out and then Brig Tison walked. Tison advanced to third as Mensing's pick off throw bounced into foul territory. Arman Moniri popped up to Mensing and then Mensing struck out Sterling Sams to end the inning. In the bottom of the first, Jefferson's Daniel Bergamesca grounded to Arman Moniri unassisted for the first out. John Labarge grounded out to Joey Hayes for the second out and Sam Gilbert struck out Nathan Sonoskey to end the inning. After one inning the score was 0-0.
In the second, Rich Conlon and Joey Hayes grounded out back to back and then Josh Carter lined a single. Brian Smith grounded to second and Fried flipped to Labarge covering to force Carter and end the inning. In the bottom of the first, Patrick Yaroch reached first on an error. Mike Mensing grounded to Arman Moniri who threw to Rich Conlon to force out Yaroch. Mensing beat the return throw to avoid the double play. Jefferson tried a hit-and-run and Alex Radcliffee lined out to left fielder Sterling Sams who made a nice play and throw to double off Mensing before he could get back. The score was 0-0 after two innings.
In the third, Alex Andrews flied out for the first out. Mark Riffee crushed a line drive that was headed for extra bases but Jefferson's Alex Radcliffe made a nice overhead catch to take away the hit. Brig Tison also flied out and the hits just were not falling at this point. In the bottom of the third, Sam Gilbert struck out the side setting down J.B. Vondesand, Jonathan Seidman and Ryan Sullivan in order. The score was still 0-0.
Arman Moniri drew a walk to start the fourth inning. Sterling Sams popped up for the first out and Madison finally got on he board when Rich Conlon blasted a home run. Madison led 2-0. Joey Hayes reached first safely on an error but was caught off the base after the overthrow for the second out. Josh Carter lined a two-strike double and scored when Brian Smith lined a two-run home run. Madison led 4-0. Alex Andrews kept the attack going with a single up the middle. Pat Powers ran for Andrews and took second on a balk. Mark Riffee crushed a double off the wall to score Powers and Madison led 5-0. Riffee advanced to third on a passed ball. Brig Tison grounded out to end the inning. Madison led 5-0. In the bottom of the fourth, Sam Gilbert recorded his fourth straight strikeout as he retired Bergamesca for the first out. LaBarge grounded out to Brian Smith for the second out and then Smith made a nice pick up and throw to retire Sonoskey on another ground ball to end the inning. Madison led 5-0 after four innings.
In the top of the fifth, Arman Moniri and Sterling Sams hit back-to-Back solo home runs to start the inning. Both balls were well hit and the Warhawks led 7-0. Tom Warner then took the mound for Jefferson in relief of Mensing. Rich Conlon grounded out for the first out. Joey Hayes walked and then Josh Carter lined into a shortstop to first double play to end the inning. Madison led 7-0. Patrick Yaroch led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to break-up Gilbert's no hit bid. Sam Gilbert struck out Mensing for the first out. Radcliffe grounded into a Joey Hayes-to-Rich Conlon-to-Arman Moniri double play to end the inning. Giber was pitching great and with the two double plays had faced the minimum 15 batters after 5 innings.
In the top of the sixth, Brian Smith led off with a double and then Warner hit Alex Andrews with a pitch. Pat Powers came in as the courtesy runner for catcher Andrews. Smith moved u to third and Powers to second on a passed ball. Mark Riffee lined a sacrifice fly to score Brian Smith and Madison led 8-0. Warner struck out Ryan Mathews for the second out and walked Jason Farley on four pitches. Warner struck out Kyle Hughes to end the inning. Madison led 8-0. In the bottom of the sixth, Vandesand singled and then Warner grounded into a Rich-Conlon-to-Pat Powers-to Jason Farley double play to erase the runner. Brian Stewart beat out an infield single for Jefferson before Bergamesca grounded back to Gilbert who threw to Jason Farley to end the inning. Sam Gilbert was finished for the inning. He had surrendered no runs, allowed only 3 hits and struck out 6 batters. One runner reached on an error. With three double plays, Gilbert only had to face on batter more than the minimum 18 in six innings.
In the top of the seventh, Patrick Yaroch pitched for Jefferson. Rich Conlon singled on a ball lost in the light. Jimmy McNamara grounded into a 6u-3 double play. Yaroch struck out Todd Crissey to end the inning. In the bottom of the seventh, sophomore Matt Zepp took the mound in relief of Gilbert. Zepp struck out Labarge for the first out. Nathan Sonoskey singled for Jefferson but was forced at second as Yaroch grounded to Rich Conlon who threw to Pat Powers covering second. Mensing grounded out to Jason Farley unassisted to end the game.
Madison improved to 15-1 tonight. Sam Gilbert pitched a great game and combined with Matt Zepp for the shut out. The Warhawks hits did not fall early in the game but the long ball opened up the attack. Four Warhawks hit home runs tonight as Rich Conlon, Brian Smith, Arman Moniri and Sterling Sams all went long. Mark Riffee, Josh Carter and Brian Smith added extra base doubles to the attack as well. The RBIs came from Rich Conlon, Brian Smith and Mark Riffee each with 2 and from Arman Moniri and Sterling Sams. Josh Carter, Rich Conlon and Alex Andrews also singled tonight. Madison continues this long road trip at South Lakes Tuesday night.
"It was good to get the win tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. "Whenever you get that first loss you lose a little of that edge. We stayed relaxed tonight until we got it going. At first, the hits were not falling for us like the ball Mark crushed that they made that overhead catch to take away. By staying relaxed in our approach at the plate they eventually started to fall for us. We played long ball tonight and squared some balls up. Sam Gilbert did a great job pitching tonight. He stayed ahead of hitters kept the ball down and hit his spots. Sterling made a great play tonight to get the double play on the hit-and-run. That kind of defense discourages an opponent from risking the hit-and-run again. I was pleased with our approach all night. Jefferson played us tough and then the long ball got us over the hump. Coach Lightle is doing a good job with his team as they obviously played good baseball and have continued to improve since we faced them last time. He is developing a young club that keeps getting better."
Madison Shuts Out South Lakes 13-0
The Madison Warhawks, who are ranked 23rd in the Nation by USA Today, shut out the South Lakes Seahawks 13-0 in six innings for a Liberty District road win. The Warhawks offense pounded out 20 hits and 13 runs led by Mark Riffee, Sterling Sams and Arman Moniri who each had 3 hits. Joey Hayes, Josh Carter, Rich Conlon and Jason Farley each had 2 hits for Madison. Brig Tison, Alex Andrews and Ryan Mathews had the other Madison hits. Joey Hayes, Josh Carter, Sterling Sams, Jason Farley and Brig Tison all had 2 RBIs. Rich Conlon and Ryan Mathews added RBIs while the other run scored on an error. Sams and Hayes doubled tonight while Mark Riffee (2) and Kyle McIntyre had Madison's stolen bases.
Jason Farley scattered 4 hits over 5 innings for the win. Farley struck out 7 Seahawks and walked one batter. Brad Wimmer pitched a scoreless 6th inning to combine with Farley for the shut out. Brian Crawford took the loss for South Lakes allowing 8 runs in 5 innings. Jake Ferrell relieved Crawford in the sixth and allowed 5 runs plus 2 runs inherited. Michael Boyle had 2 hits for South Lakes. Nick Andraise and John Huppi each had a hit for the Seahawks.
Madison jumped to a 4 run lead in the first. The Warhawks added 2 more runs in the second and broke the game open with 7 runs in the sixth. Madison played excellent defense tonight committing only one error on a failed pick-off attempt by Farley. South Lakes committed 3 errors in the game. Madison returns to action at home Friday night versus the Marshall Statesmen. The Warhawks are now 16-1 and lead the Liberty District Regular Season Title race by 3 games with 3 games left to play.
"It was a good to win tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. "I didn't really think we looked as sharp as we like to be tonight but we did have a nice approach at the plate. We used the whole field tonight to get 20 hits. It was a fast track and we used the entire field including ground ball hits as well. I thought Jason did a nice job pitching tonight coming off his last outing at McLean last week. This was the second time he faced South Lakes this season. It is always good to get a win and we will keep working hard to stay sharp."
Madison Wins Liberty District Regular Season Championship
The Madison Warhawks, who are ranked 23rd in the Nation by USA Today, won their fifth Liberty District Championship in six years with a 6-0 shut out win at home over the Marshall Statesmen. The Warhawks improved their record to 17-1. It was Coach Mark Gjormand's seventh regular season title in eleven years. Madison used the combination of excellent pitching and defense along with timely hitting to win tonight. Sophomore Jesse Jeter pitched 6 shut out innings for the win. He combined with Junior Sam Gilbert, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning, for the shut out.
Madison scored first as Rich Conlon hit a first inning home run. The Warhawks scored two more in the first with two outs as Sterling Sams and Josh Carter singled to put two runners aboard. Joey Hayes singled to score Sams and then the Marshall centerfielder booted the ball to allow Carter score the third run while Hayes took second.
Madison scored again in the second with two outs as Mark Riffee stole second base and then stole third base and scored as the third baseman could not handle the throw. Madison led 4-0 after two innings.
Madison's fifth run came again with two outs in the third as Josh Carter singled for his second hit and then stole second base. Joey Hayes tripled for his second hit and scored Carter with the fifth run.
Madison's final run came again with two outs after Rich Conlon walked and stole second base and scored on Josh Carter's ground rule double.
Jesse Jeter meanwhile allowed only four Statesmen hits over six innings and struck out six. He walked only one batter. Defensively Brian Smith, Mark Riffee and Sterling Sams made plays in the first inning and Rich Conlon made nice plays on balls headed up the middle in the second and third innings. Brian Smith ranged to his left in the fourth inning to grab a ground ball and throw out DeLean. The Warhawks turned a Rich Conlon to Joey Hayes to Arman Moniri double play to end the fourth. The highlight of the fifth was a combined excellent play by Alex Andrews and Arman Moniri after a third strike skidded to the back stop. Smith and Hayes came close to turning another double play in the sixth on a nice around the horn fielder's choice in the sixth. In the seventh, Pat Powers recorded the first out with a nice pick by Arman Moniri. Brig Tison fielded the last out of the game.
Josh Carter was 3 for 3 tonight with an RBI. Joey Hayes had two hits including a triple and had 2 RBIs. Rich Conlon plated the first run of the game with his second home run of the season. Justin Britt took the loss for Marshall allowing 6 runs. Jake Orndorff pitched one inning of relief for Marshall. Marshall's four hits came from Jordan Culbreath, two hits, and Jeff Miller and Alan Stoupa.
"It's awesome to lock it up tonight (The Liberty District Regular Season Championship)," said coach Mark Gjormand. "It was nice to take care of it here on our home field in front of this great crowd. The town of Vienna and all the Little Leaguers were out here tonight. There is no better place to coach and it was fun to have all these kids here watching the Warhawks. It was another shut out and we always like to get those. We had good pitching and defense again tonight. On offense, we made the most out of our hits and ran the bases well to score our runs. It was also good to jump out early in the game tonight. I am proud of what this team has accomplished so far. There is more out there for these guys to achieve."
Madison Shuts Out Woodson 13-0 in Five Innings
The Madison Warhawks traveled to play the Woodson Cavaliers in a Liberty District contest in Fairfax. The Warhawks recorded their fourth consecutive shut out and improved their record to 18-1 with a 13-0 five inning victory. Jason Farley and Brad Wimmer combined on the hill and allowed only 3 hits for the Cavaliers in five innings. The defense turned two double plays while the offense scored 13 runs on 10 hits and 4 Woodson errors. Woodson lefty Matt Coleman started on the mound and took the loss. Kyle Schmitt and Curtis Diesselhorst also pitched for Woodson.
Madison jumped to a five-run lead in the first inning as Mark Riffee led off the game with a double and stole third base. Rich Conlon walked and then Arman Moniri singled to drive in Riffee and Conlon took second base. Conlon stole third and scored as the throw went into left field for an error. After Sterling Sams walked, Josh Carter hit a three-run homer to give the Warhawks a 5-0 lead.
Madison added another run in the second inning as Alex Andrews singled and took second on an error. Kyle McIntyre ran for him and stole third base. After Mark Riffee walked and stole second base, Arman Moniri scored McIntyre with a sacrifice fly.
Josh Carter led off the third inning with a double and scored from second on a bad pick off throw and another error. Madison led 7-0 after three innings.
Madison scored another run in the fourth when Rich Conlon walked, took second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single by Arman Moniri. Madison led 8-0 after four innings.
Madison continued the scoring in the fifth inning. Josh Carter walked and scored on a double by Joey Hayes. Hayes took third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brian Smith. With two outs Alex Andrews singled. Pat Powers came in as a courtesy runner for Andrews. Mark Riffee singled Powers to third and then Rich Conlon hit a three run homerun to score Powers and Riffee. The lead was 13-0.
Jason Farley pitched four innings for Madison and allowed 2 hits, walked 2 batters and hit 1 batter. Farley recorded 4 strikeouts. Brad Wimmer allowed 1 hit and pitched a scoreless fifth inning.
Madison's defense was excellent again tonight. Defensive highlights included a nice running catch by Josh Carter on a line drive in the first inning and Brig Tison also snagged a line drive in the first. Jason Farley, Brian Smith and Brig Tison combined to pick off Matt Noble trying to steal third in the second inning. In the fourth inning, Woodson had Morley and Clement on second and third with no outs but Arman Moniri threw out Morley at home with Alex Andrews making the tag. The Warhawks ended that inning by turning a Rich Conlon to Brig Tison to Arman Moniri double play. Brad Wimmer was able to get Woodson to ground into a Pat Powers to Brig Tison to Arman Moniri double play in the fifth inning.
The Warhawks, who clinched the top seed in the Liberty District Tournament last week by winning their fifth Regular Season Championship in six years, banged out 10 hits tonight. Josh Carter had two hits including a home run and double, a walk and 3 RBIs . Mark Riffee had two hits including a double and added a walk and 2 stolen bases. Arman Moniri had 2 hits, 3 RBIs and a sacrifice fly. Alex Andrews also had 2 hits. Rich Conlon had a home run, 3RBIs and two walks while Joey Hayes had an RBI double for Madison. Brian Smith added a sacrifice fly RBI to the attack.
For the WT Woodson Cavaliers, Matt Coleman allowed 7 runs in two innings on 5 hits. Kevin Schmitt allowed 6 runs on 5 hits in two and 2/3 innings. Curtis Diesselhorst came in to record the last out in the fifth inning. Woodson's three hits came from Jacob Morley, Jackson Clement and Joey Cafleton.
Madison is ranked 23rd in the nation by the USA Today and closes its regular season Friday night at Langley. The Warhawks, 18-1, will advance to the semifinals of the Liberty District Tournament as the top seed and have qualified for the Northern Region Tournament as well.
"It's great to get the win tonight," said coach Mark Gjormand. "We keep working hard to improve every day and I see guys keep improving. After Jason came out and did his job, it is nice to see Brad keep getting better and do a great job for us on the hill tonight. We have played good defense all season and it was nice to see the two double plays help us this evening. I continue to like our approach at the plate. We continue to keep seeing lefties on the hill and the guys have worked hard to keep improving their approach each time we see one. I thought we did a great job at that again. As for tonight, we know this is a tough place to play and we are obviously excited to get the win in five innings."
Madison Closes Out Regular Season with Extra Inning Win at Langley
The Madison Warhawks visited the Langley Saxons to close out the regular Season. Madison sophomore Jesse Jeter started on the mound for the Warhawks versus Langley's senior ace Bryce Morrison.
In the top of the first Madison's Mark Riffee led the game off with a single and then stole second and third base but Morrison pitched out of trouble to strand him at third. Madison did not threaten again until the fourth inning when Sterling Sams was hit by a Morrison pitch and stole second base. Joey Hayes singled to drive in Sams with the first run of the game and then Hayes advanced to third as the Langley outfielder misplayed the ball for an error. Hayes scored on a wild pitch and Madison led 2-0 after four innings.
Langley scored a run in the fifth inning when Foster Dunnigan and Danny Brown hit back-to-back singles and moved into scoring position on a passed ball. With two outs, Tommy Tysse beat out an infield single to score Dunnigan and cut the lead to 2-1. Jesse Jeter recorded his seventh of eight strikeouts to retire Matt Leitch and end the inning. Madison led 2-1 after five innings.
Jesse Jeter, meanwhile had been brilliant on the mound for Madison and the game was a pitchers' duel between Jeter and Morrison who also pitched well. Jeter pitched the first 6 innings for Madison and struck out 8 Saxons and walked no one. He allowed 1 run on 5 hits.
Sam Gilbert took over in relief for Madison in the bottom of the seventh for the save opportunity. Dunnigan led off the bottom of the seventh with his second single for Langley. Brown sacrificed Dunnigan to second base with the first out. John Dammer grounded out to Arman Moniri unassisted for the second out with Dunnigan moving to third. Tysse delivered his second RBI single to tie the game. Matt Leitch flied out to Rich Conlon to end the bottom of the seventh and the game headed to extra innings.
In the top of the eighth, Mark Riffee singled again and was sacrificed to second by Rich Conlon with the second out. Riffee stole third base and scored the go ahead run on an RBI single by Arman Moniri. Moniri was stranded at first but had delivered the final punch for the manufactured Warhawks run. Madison led 3-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. After Morrison doubled for Langley, Sam Gilbert struck out Brandon Berry and Chaz Ayoub for the first two outs. Kevin Corey grounded to Arman Moniri who threw to Gilbert covering to end the game. Madison won the game and finished its regular season with a 19-1 record heading into the Liberty District Post Season Tournament.
Jesse Jeter pitched six great innings but did not get a decision. Sam Gilbert picked up the win in relief after the game moved into extra innings. Gilbert struck out 2 Saxons and walked no one. He allowed 1 run on 3 hits. Combined, the two Warhawks pitchers struck out 10 batters and allowed no walks.
Offensively Mark Riffee led the attack with two hits and three stolen bases. He and his teammates manufactured the winning run with a hit, a Rich Conlon sacrifice, a stolen base and an RBI single by Arman Moniri. Joey Hayes added an RBI single and then scored on a wild pitch in the fourth. Madison won its 5th Liberty District Regular Season Championship in 6 seasons and enters post season play ranked 22nd in the Nation by the USA Today and also in Student Sports.
"What a great way to finish the regular season," said coach Mark Gjormand. "We needed a game like that to get us ready for the post season and it was a great game and good win. I am proud of Jesse tonight. He pitched an excellent ball game and it was too bad he did not get the win tonight. Sam did a nice job keeping his composure so we could get the win. We needed to manufacture a run and we always feel we can do that when we get Mark aboard to put pressure on the other team. The guys came through to get it done. We are very proud of this team. We have had a great regular season and are looking forward to post season play. It has been a great year so far."
Madison Advances Convincingly Past Langley 11-2
The top seeded Madison Warhawks eliminated the Langley Saxons at Langley's own field in the Liberty District Semifinals by an 11-2 score. The Madison offense pounded 11 hits to plate the 11 runs. Home runs by Sterling Sams, Josh Carter and Arman Moniri were the big blows tonight. Moniri (HR and double), Sams, Carter and Rich Conlon (double) each had two hits to lead the offense. Jason Farley scattered six hits over six innings to record the win. Sam Gilbert pitched a scoreless seventh inning for Madison.
Madison's first two runs came in the first off of Langley pitcher Jody Davis. Rich Conlon singled, took second on a passed ball and third on a ground out by Arman Moniri. Sterling Sams hit an infield single to score Conlon and then stole second base. Sams scored as Josh Carter reached on an error by Langley's shortstop. Madison led 2-0 after one inning.
Langley scored a run on three consecutive singles by Chaz Ayoub, Dadisman and Brown in the second inning. The Saxons tied the game in the top of third as Matt Leitch singled, was balked to second moved to third on a fielder's choice bunt and scored on a sacrifice fly. Madison came back in the bottom of the third and scored 4 runs on 5 pitches. Rich Conlon doubled and scored on an Arman Moniri double. Sterling Sams blasted a towering two-run homer to score Moniri and Madison led 5-2. Brandon Dibari relieved Davis for Langley and Josh Carter hit his first pitch for a home run. Madison led 6-2 after 3 innings.
Arman Moniri's 2 run home run scored David McIntyre, who had walked in the fourth to increase Madison's lead to 8-2. Madison added 3 more runs in the 5th inning when Josh Carter scored, stole second base and took third as Ayoub's throw went into centerfield. Jason Farley singled to score Carter and then Brig Tison courtesy ran for Farley. Langley sent Daniel Hochberg to the mound to relieve Dibari. Brig Tison reached third as the Langley shortstop Dunnigan made another error on a ball hit by Brian Smith. David McIntyre singled to score Tison and Madison led 10-2 Langley walked Mark Riffee to load the bases and then Rich Conlon grounded into an RBI fielder's choice force play that also scored Smith. Madison led 11-2.
Langley failed to score in the sixth when Dunnigan reached on an error and moved to third on a single by Berry. Ayoub flied to left and Dunnigan tried to turn it into a sacrifice fly but left early and was called out for the third out but not without extreme protests from the Langley coaching staff that resulted in an ejection. Madison still led 11-2.
Sam Gilbert pitched the seventh for Madison. Brig Tison caught a line drive with an athletic leap and converted it into a double play for the Warhawks. Gilbert recorded a strikeout as well.
Madison will play Stone Bridge in the District Tournament Championship. The game will be played at South Lakes HS at 7PM. The Warhawks are now 20-1 and are ranked number one in the State and are ranked Nationally 22nd by the USA Today. The Warhawks have outscored their opponents 170 to 41 this season.
"It is great to win tonight after a great week of practice," said coach Mark Gjormand. " We overcame a little adversity early tonight and advanced with a good offensive attack. This is the second time in a week that we had to come in and beat these guys at their field. They are a good team and swing the bat as well as anyone we face in the District. The win puts us in a position to go out to win another Championship Monday."
Madison Wins Fourth Liberty District Championship in Five Years
Warhawks Defeat Stone Bridge 6-3!
The Madison Warhawks faced the Stone Bridge Bulldogs in the Liberty District Championship tonight at South Lakes HS. For the third time Stone Bridge started their ace Ryan Shugars and for the third time Madison defeated the Bulldogs to capture their fourth Tournament Title in five years after having already won their fifth regular season title in six years.
In the top of the first Stone Bridge faced Madison sophomore Jesse Jeter. Jeron Gouveia led off with a single but was forced at second when Brian Smith made a great play fielding a sacrifice bunt attempt by Mike Stancik. Tony Mazur doubled and the relay throw to the plate was on time but the ball was dropped and Stanick scored the first run. Mazur tried to steal third base but was thrown out by Alex Andrews with Brian Smith making the tag. Nick Bonacquista grounded out to Joey Hayes to end the inning. Stone Bridge led 1-0.
In the bottom of the first, Mark Riffee singled and then stole second base. Rich Conlon walked and then Mark Riffee stole third base. Conlon stole second base to put two runners in scoring position and then Arman Moniri grounded out to score Riffee and the game was tied. Conlon took third on the play. Sterling Sams then hit a sacrifice fly to score Rich Conlon and Madison took the lead 2-1. Josh Carter grounded out hard to end the inning. The Warhawks led after one inning.
In the second both teams went down in order as Jeter struck out Chris Dzurilla, David Ball grounded back to Jeter and Niko Kolocuris grounded out to Arman Moniri who threw to Jeter covering. In the bottom of the second, Shugars recorded a strikeout, fielded David McIntyre's ground ball and then Brian Smith lined out hard to end the inning. Madison led 2-1 after two innings.
In the third, Niko Kolocuris popped out to catcher Alex Andrews who made a great play to record the out. Brian Wheeler grounded out to Joey Hayes who threw to Arman Moniri. Moniri made an excellent play to get back on the bag for the out. Jeron Gouveia walked but was promptly picked off by Jesse Jeter to end the inning. In the bottom of the third Alex Andrews walked and Brig Tison courtesy ran for him. Mark Riffee executed a beautiful drag bunt single to move Tison to second. Rich Conlon walked to load the bases and then Arman Moniri grounded into a 6-4-3 double play that scored Tison and moved Riffee to third. Madison led 3-1. Shugars was pitching to Sterling Sams when Mark Riffee stole home to stun the Bulldogs and Madison led 4-1 after three innings.
In the fourth, Stancik walked for Stone Bridge and advanced to second on errant pick off attempt. Mazur flied out to Mark Riffee for the first out. Bonacquista walked to put two runners aboard. Jesse Jeter struck out Dzurilla and then David Ball flied out to Sterling Sams who tracked the ball down to end the inning. In the bottom of the fourth, Joey Hayes singled with one out and was sacrificed to second by David McIntyre. Brian Smith flied out to end the inning. Madison led 4-1 after four innings.
Stone Bridge rallied in the fifth as Niko Kolocuris beat out an infield single. Seb Saracenco doubled Kolocuris to third with no outs. Tyler Basco pinch ran for Saracenco and then Brian Wheaton hit an RBI single to score Kolocuris and move Basco to third. Wheaton took second on a wild pitch to put two runners in scoring position with no outs. Sam Gilbert took the hill in relief for Madison. Gouveia hit a sacrifice fly to plate Basco and the lead was cut to 4-3. With one out and Wheaton at third Stancik hit a ground ball that Brian Smith fielded and fired home to Alex Andrews who made a great tag to cut down Wheaton with the second out. Mazur then hit a deep shot to the fence in the gap but Mark Riffee made a tremendous running catch across the outfield and made the catch crashing into the wall to end the inning. Madison led 4-3.
In the bottom of the fifth, the Warhawks applied the pressure again as Mark Riffee lined a single for his third hit and took second on a Shugars wild pitch. Arman Moniri singled to shallow left and the Stone Bridge fielder came up throwing but Riffee raced around third and slid in safely ahead of the throw at the plate. Moniri took second on the throw and Madison led 5-3. Pat Powers pinch ran for Moniri and was safe at third on an attempted steal when the third baseman dropped the ball. Sterling Sams beat out an infield hit allowing Powers to score. Madison led 6-3 and regained the runs from the top of the inning.
Sam Gilbert took the hill again in the sixth. After Bonacquista was hit by a pitch, Gilbert got Dzurilla to ground into a Rich Conlon-to-Joey Hayes-to-Arman Moniri double play. David Ball flied out to Mark Riffee to end the top of the sixth and Madison led 6-3. After Josh Carter singled in the bottom of the sixth, he stole second base but was caught stealing third. Shugars pitched out of the inning with a strikeout and fly out.
Jason Farley took the hill in the top of the seventh, Farley recorded the save by striking out Kolocuris and Saracenco before Wheaton grounded out to Joey Hayes to end the game. Madison won its fourth Liberty District Tournament Championship in five years tonight. Mark Riffee led the Warhawks going 3 for 3, stealing 3 bases including stealing home and scored 3 runs. He also made a great catch to end the Bulldogs biggest inning. Jesse Jeter was the winning pitcher in the Championship and recorded his second win over the Bulldogs. Sam Gilbert pitched excellent middle relief and Jason Farley completely shut the door in the seventh for the save. Arman Moniri and Sterling Sams had big RBI singles, 2RBIs for the game and Sams added a key sacrifice fly. Seniors Joey Hayes and Josh Carter had the other Warhawks hits. Catcher Alex Andrews made two key stellar plays that were big in the win. Shugars pitched well for Stone Bridge but took the loss for the third time in three starts against Madison.
Madison is ranked Number 1 in Virginia, 18th Nationally by Student Sports and 20th Nationally by USA Today. They will host West Springfield Friday night at Madison High School at 7 PM in the first round of the Northern Region Tournament. Madison is now 21-1 and has outscored its opponents 176 to 44 this season.
"We are really proud of our guys," said coach Mark Gjormand. "Our guys work hard over the whole year to have a great season but we especially work for nights like this. Tonight we beat the team that at the beginning of the season we expected to see here tonight. We beat their number one pitcher three times and I am proud of our guys. Jesse is just a sophomore and he did a great job taking the mound in the championship. He has been good all season and he was again tonight. Mark was outstanding in the lead-off spot again tonight and he had another great catch that was very big in this game. That is why he is all-everything. I am proud of all the guys tonight as it was a great win. It is still a fun ride and we have to get back to work and get ready for West Springfield Friday night."
2006 Northern Region Tournament
Madison Advances Past West Springfield 10-1
The Madison Warhawks hosted the West Springfield Spartans in the first round of the Northern Region Tournament. The Warhawks sent the Northern Region Player of the Year Jason Farley to the mound versus the Spartans. In the top of the first inning, Spencer Askin grounded out to Rich Conlon for the first out. Josh Brown singled for the Spartans and then Jason Farley struck out Brad Bunch for the second out. Jon Greg doubled down the line and Brown tried to score from first and the relay throw from Sterling Sams to Rich Conlon to Alex Andrews cut Brown down at the plate trying to score. Brad Bunch took the mound for West Springfield. In the bottom of the first, Mark Riffee beat out a ground ball hit to the hole and took second on a rushed throw that skipped by the firstbaseman. Rich Conlon advanced Riffee to third as he grounded out behind the runner. Arman Moniri walked and then Sterling Sams lined an RBI double to score Riffee and advance Moniri to third. Madison led 1-0. Josh Carter reached first on the Spartans second error and Moniri scored while Sams took third. Madison led 2-0. Josh Carter stole second base and Sterling Sams came home on the throw to second. Madison led 3-0. Joey Hayes singled Carter to third and then David McIntyre sacrificed to score Carter and move Hayes to second. Brian Smith singled Hayes to third and then Alex Andrews lined out hard to end the inning. Madison led 4-0 after on inning.
In the top of the second, Jason Farley struck out Scott Shoemaker and then Brian Smith made a nice back handed play to throw out JT McCreary for the second out. Matt Weaver singled for West Springfield before Josh Carter made an excellent running catch to retire Darron Lattomos and end the inning. In the bottom of the second, Brad Bunch hit Mark Riffee with a pitch to start the inning. With one out, Bunch hit Arman Moniri also. With two outs Riffee broke for third and Josh Carter singled to score Riffee. Arman Moniri hustled to third and the throw bounded into the dugout. Moniri was awarded home and Carter third on the error. Madison led 6-0. Joey Hayes singled home Carter and Madison led 7-0. David McIntyre singled Hayes to second but both runners were stranded. Madison led 7-0 after two innings.
In the third Jason Farley struck out Cameron O'Berry and Askin for the first two outs. Brian Smith made an excellent charging play and threw on the run with Arman Moniri making a great pick to retire Brown and ended the top of the third in order. Matt Weaver relieved Bunch for the Spartans and the Warhawks went down in order also in the bottom of the third.
In the top of the fourth, Josh Carter made another excellent catch to retire Bunch with the first out. Jon Greg singled and then Rich Conlon made an athletic overhead tumbling catch to retire Shoemaker for the second out. McCreary and Weaver were hit by pitches to load the bases and Darron Lattomos legged out an RBI infield single to score Shoemaker with the Spartans first run. O'Berry grounded back to Farley to end the inning. Pederson relieved Weaver for the Spartans and Arman Moniri led off the bottom of the fourth with a single and scored all the way from first on a Joey Hayes double to increase the lead to 8-1 which was the score as David McIntyre flied out to end the inning.
After Farley retired Askin in the top of the fifth, Brown singled for the Spartans. Bunch grounded to Conlon who stepped on second to force Brown and Bunch beat the throw to first on the fielder's choice. Greg flied out to Josh Carter to end the inning. With one out Alex Andrews hit a home run in the bottom of the fifth and Madison led 9-1. Mark Riffee then hit a stand-up triple. With two outs, Arman Moniri singled Riffee home and Madison led 10-1 which was the score after five innings.
Sterling Sams pitched the sixth for the Warhawks. Brian Smith made a great catch in foul territory down the line to retire Shoemaker. Joey Hayes ranged nicely into the hole to make the play and throw out McCreary with the second out. Sterling Sams struck out Erhard to end the sixth. Josh Brown became the Spartans fourth pitcher of the game and he walked Josh Carter who was then forced at second on a Joey Hayes fielder's choice. Hayes was stranded when Brown struck out Ryan Mathews and Brian Smith flied out. Madison led 10-1 after six innings.
Brad Wimmer pitched the seventh inning for Madison. Lattomos singled and stole second base for the Spartans. Clayton Butler grounded out to Arman Moniri unassisted and then Brig Tison showed nice range to retire Askin on a ground ball to second with Lattomos taking third. Richie McMahon singled home Lattomos and the score was 10-2. Brad Wimmer struck out Brad Bunch to end the game. Madison advances to the second round. While Madison is hosting the rest of the Regional Tournament, they are being sent to play their quarterfinal game at Robinson HS at 4PM on Monday afternoon.
Jason Farley recorded the win and improved his record to 9-1. The Warhawks improved to 22-1 with the win and will play Oakton who defeated Wakefield 8-1 tonight. The defense was excellent as it has been all season. Offensively, Alex Andrews homered, Joey Hayes went 3 for 4 with 2 RBIs, Arman Moniri was 2 for 2 with a walk, was hit by a pitch scored 3 runs and had an RBI. Mark Riffee was 2 for 3 with a triple, was hit by a pitch and scored 3 runs. Sterling Sams had an RBI double and Brian Smith and David McIntyre had the other Madison hits. Madison is ranked number 1 in the State AP poll, 18th nationally by Student Sports and 20th Nationally by the USA Today.
"I thought the players did a great job tonight with all the Regional distractions going on all week," said coach Mark Gjormand. "We are playing our best baseball at the right time of the year. We practiced well this week and I thought we drove the ball well tonight. Our defense was spectacular tonight. Jason did his usual good job tonight and we are in the time of the year when the defense has to keep making plays to win games. We have been doing it all year and we did it again tonight. We play a good Oakton team Monday and we need to get ready to play."
Madison's Great Season Ends in One Run Loss in Regional Play to Rival Cougars
The Warhawks traveled to Robinson High School to face the Oakton Cougars in the Northern Region tournament. Sophomore Jesse Jeter pitched for Madison and senior Benji Kagan for Oakton.
Madison scored first in the bottom of the first when Mark Riffee lined a lead-off triple and scored on a single by Arman Moniri. Moniri scored all the way from first base on a double in the gap by Josh Carter. Madison led 2-0 after one inning.
Oakton scored in the top of the second on a solo home run by Mark Stier and took the lead in the third when Alfredo Rodriguez reached on an error and went to third on a double by Brandon Padula. Both runners scored on a double by Chris Despins. Oakton led 3-2 after three innings.
With two outs in the fourth Oakton loaded the bases on two hit batters and a walk by reliever Sam Gilbert who took over from Jeter. Connor Madden beat out an infield single to score Rodriguez and then Carmine Cofiero singled home Padula and Despins to increase the lead to 6-2.
The Warhawks rallied in the bottom of the sixth as Rich Conlon singled, Sterling Sams walked and Josh Carter walked to load the bases. Joey Hayes grounded to third but the Oakton third baseman threw the ball into right field allowing Conlon and Sams to score and Carter hustled to third. The lead was cut to 6-4 with one out. David McIntyre hit a sacrifice fly to score Carter and the lead was cut to 6-5. Brian Smith doubled Kyle McIntyre who pinch ran for Joey Hayes to third but the tying and go ahead runs were stranded in scoring position. Oakton's closer Collin Michael retired the Warhawks in order in the seventh to save the one run game for the Cougars. The final score was 6-5 Oakton.
Keys in the game for the Cougars were plays by shortstop Alfredo Rodriguez who took away three hits and recorded three outs with incredible plays from the hole and second baseman Connor Madden who somehow robbed a hit up the middle with a diving stop and turned it into a double play. Those plays took away potential Warhawks runs and cut rallies off. Oakton was able to stage a two-out rally that plated 3 runs in the fourth. Benji Kagan recorded the win for the Cougars and Collin Michael the save.
Joey Hayes had Madison's defensive play of the day with a diving play to the hole. The Warhawks outfield made several fine catches as well. Brian Smith and Arman Moniri teamed up for two nice plays during the game. Jesse Jeter took the loss allowing 3 runs in three innings of work. Sam Gilbert allowed 3 runs in two innings and Jason Farley closed the game and kept it close and allowed no runs in the final two innings.
Madison's key offensive plays were Mark Riffee's triple, Arman Moniri's RBI single, Josh Carter's RBI double, Rich Conlon's sixth inning lead-off single, David McIntyre's sacrifice fly and Brian Smith's double. The Warhawks came up one run short in the end and lost to a good and well coached Oakton baseball team.
The Warhawks lost a heart breaker that ends a special season at 22-2. Madison entered today's game as the favorites and were ranked #1 in Virginia and as high as #18 and #20 nationally by Student Sports and USA Today. The Warhawks played the game wearing the name and number of coach Bobby Robeson who was hospitalized during their win over West Springfield. The players stopped to pray for their coach during pre-game warm-ups and wanted to do their best for him. His serious situation assured that the players kept the loss in perspective. Their hearts were heavy but more out of concern for Coach Robeson and his family than the season ending loss. We all are hoping and praying for Bobby's full recovery.
The Madison seniors proved to be great leaders that helped restore the program to the top level. The underclassmen were outstanding this season and will have a great season next year. The website will feature a wrap up article at the end of the week of what was a great Madison team and season.
2006 Schedule & Scores
2006 Game Summaries
2006 Warhawks Photo Gallery
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