Baseball outgunned by Poolesville in scoring shootout

In an offensive explosion, the Blazers' nine run total matched the combined scores of the team's three previous games. But, lack of a similar response on the defensive end cost the Blazer's another game, 19-9 to the Poolesville Falcons.

Pitcher Zach Hall's second start on the mound got off rocky as the Falcons scored five runs in the first. With one out, Falcons' first baseman Pat Zapata led the team's offense with a pop to the infield which was dropped for a double. Zapata was batted in by second baseman Jason Kramek's one-run double, which was followed by third baseman Tommy Hughes with a double into left field. The Falcons stayed hot as shortstop Nick Loftus and catcher Dave Johnson collected 1 and 2 RBI respectively. The Blazers' defense showed for the last two batters of the inning, but not before pitcher Cory Wyne batted in one more on a sacrifice bunt. The bombardment finally ended with a pop into shallow right field gloved by first baseman Adam Kopp.

Not finding it defensively, the Blazers sought to exact revenge on offense. Hall led off with a single to left field. After shortstop Chris Kidwell struck out, right fielder Gabe Sartor grounded a single to right field, which set up Kopp's two run double to into deep left field with two outs. Right fielder Gabe Fonte's short infield hit took a Blair bounce and kept the inning alive with a single, followed by catcher David Fegley's single which brought Kopp home, leaving the score at 5-3 after one inning of play.

The Blazers and Falcons would match each other step for step in the second, third and fourth innings, coming out of the second with one run apiece, scoreless in the third and the fourth with one each again, upping the score to 7-5.

Not until reliever Gabe Sartor stepped up in the fifth did the Blazers lose control of the tight game. The Blazers gave up nine runs in the inning, two of which were scored on walks, a performance that manager John MacDonald would simply refer to as "not at the varsity level."

Although the showing on defense was nothing short of embarrassing, the Blazers recovered and were able to put up three runs of their own in the fifth. With two outs, third baseman Keith Ingram advanced to first after being hit by a pitch. Infielder Carlos Mesa responded with a single, and Hall loaded the bases with another walk. Kidwell batted in Ingram with another single, but it was Sartor who cleaned up the bases with a thunderous three run slam into deep right field, setting the tally at 16-9, Poolesville.

The Falcons would add to the advantage with three more runs in the sixth off of pitcher Eli Simon-Mishel, the last a grounder to right field that turned into a definitive one-run triple.

Thursday's performance drew more attention to the Blazers' weak pitching staff, requiring the use of three or four pitchers per game. "A lot of these guys aren't real pitchers," comments MacDonald, "and they don't have the arm strength," he says of the frequent replacements.

The result of more than just a merry-go-round of pitchers, the loss highlighted a number of recurring breakdowns on the team, especially on defense. "We just need to stay tight in pressure situations," says MacDonald. "Some plays aren't being made out there that aren't errors but need to be caught," he puts simply.