Baseball suffers another heartbreaking loss

APR 28, BLAZER STADIUM--

Victory was within the Blazers' grasps as they lost 2-1 against a tough, 9-1 Paint Branch team, their fourth one-run defeat of the season.

The Blazers are leading their opponents in nearly every statistical category, but several meltdowns late in games have brought recent hard luck to the team.

This latest heartbreaking defeat came after near perfect pitching and fielding in the first six innings when the Panthers were shut out. With one out in the top of the seventh, a near double-play ball found its way through the infield for a Panther single. A two-run double off of junior Kent Anderson then was all the offense that Paint Branch needed to win.

The Blazers had many opportunities to score but, as a team, went only 1-9 with runners in scoring position. They had runners on second and third base in the first inning, the bases loaded with one out in the second inning and runners on first and second base with one out in the third, but could not muster a run.

Blair's starting pitcher Jonas Wilson, a junior, pitched six and one third quality innings, allowing just five hits, while striking out six panthers. Although Paint Branch had been shut out when he left the game, he was credited with both runs. Wilson has a stellar 2.56 earned run average, but has an 0-3 record because of his lack of run support.

Senior shortstop Josh Richardson's sacrifice fly in the fourth inning scored junior second baseman Sam Boone for Blair's only run of the game. Richardson leads the team in runs, hits, RBIs, home runs, walks and batting average, while playing excellent defensively.

Coach John Macdonald is disappointed with the Blazers' late inning collapses. "We take leads late into the game and something happens where the other team generally steps it up and we don't. In close games, it always seems like it is the other teams who rise to the occasion," he said.

The Blazers next play Watkins Mill High School, at home, on Apr 29 at 7:00pm.