Playoff loss stings baseball

MAY 12, DAMASCUS HIGH SCHOOL—

Damascus High School dominated Blair, winning 12-1 and eliminating the Blazers in the first round of the playoffs following a 7-10 record in the regular season.

The Blazers allowed a seven run Hornet second inning and a five run third while the Blazer bats remained silent, producing only three singles. The game was halted after four and a half innings because of Montgomery County's mercy rule.

The Blazers had won three out of their last four games coming into the Damascus game, including key victories against Rockville and Churchill high schools. This game came only five days after a 7-0 Blair victory against the same 11-3 Damascus squad. It came as a shock for the Blazers to receive their worst loss of the season against a team that they had proven was beatable.

In the first inning, junior pitcher Grant Staking allowed the bases to be loaded with one out until a textbook 6-4-3 double play ended the threat. Unfortunately, he couldn't get out of another jam unscathed. In the second inning, the Hornets recorded seven runs off of seven hits, including two off-the-wall doubles.

Junior pitcher Jonas Wilson replaced Staking and was also unsuccessful. Three out of the five runs that he allowed in the third inning came off of a crushing home run blast.

The Blazers couldn't muster much offensive production, as they struck out six times and didn't have a base runner in the second and fourth innings. Throughout the season, the team's Achilles' heel was hitting in the clutch, a weakness shown in the Damascus game.

Blair's lone run came when junior outfielder Thomas Foley singled home junior outfielder Raymond Anderson, who reached base on a single in the third inning. Freshman Thomas Dugan's single and senior Josh Richardson's HBP produced the only other Blazer base runners.

The team's season had started off well, as Blair had an early 3-1 record before losing eight out of its next nine games. The team's most successful outing came on Apr 2 against Kennedy High School, in which they crushed the Cavaliers 33-1. Although the Blazers finished four games below .500, they outscored their opponents by 25 runs.

Richardson, who leads the team in most statistical categories, believes that the team had a positive season but will be even more successful next spring. "It was a good season because everyone improved as a player," he said. "It's a shame it had to end like that. They are going to be a good team next year."