Two-day layoff doesn't bother Bruins
By Jason Mackey
First it rained. Then it poured. Several thousands of people lost power. And then it really poured.
Trying yet again to finish Tuesday's Virginia AAA state quarterfinal game with Indian River (18-9), the Lake Braddock baseball team's thunderous offense poured on three pivotal runs in a restarted bottom of the fourth inning as the Bruins cruised to an easy 10-3 win Thursday at Waters Field in Vienna.
Lake Braddock will advance to play Northwest Region champion Colonial Forge tomorrow in a 7 p.m. semifinal contest at Westfield High School.
After a pair of rain delays Tuesday that totaled 81 minutes, a decision was made to postpone the game until Wednesday with Lake Braddock ahead, 6-3, in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sophomore Ryan Lindemuth was at the plate with a 1-1 count, and patiently worked his way to a one-out walk...two days later, thanks to yet another batch of rain.
“He had the longest at-bat in history,” joked senior Shane Halley, who finished 2-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and three runs scored against the Braves. “He was focused.”
A two-day layoff for a high school athlete is about one day shorter than eternity, and with the buckets of rain having been dumped on the Northern Virginia area, Halley and Co. couldn't do much more than focus.
The three and a half innings Tuesday night served as the team's only baseball-related preparation for Thursday, as Lake Braddock's gym -- where the team's batting cage resides -- was set up for the school's athletic banquet.
Batting cages generally don't mesh with prepared gatherings.
But the Lake Braddock bats showed few signs of rust. After Lindemuth's walk, Halley ripped a double down the right-field line and senior left fielder Shannon Mark lofted a two-run home run off the outfield netting in right.
Add these three runs to Halley's solo homer in the sixth, senior first baseman Jim Buckley's grand slam Tuesday and senior second baseman Ryan Buckrop's two-run single the same night, and Lake Braddock was almost on par with its average offensive output of 9.58 runs per game.
“We've swung the bats well all year, and I would've been shocked if we didn't swing them well today,” said Lake Braddock coach Jody Rutherford, whose team won its 20th straight contest to improve to 23-3. “We were able to save some pitching for tomorrow.”
Junior left-hander Brian Derner started Tuesday, allowing three runs and four walks in four innings of work. Senior righty Brenden Daley picked up where Derner left off, tossing two innings of scoreless ball Thursday before giving way to senior Carl Nelson, who pitched a scoreless seventh inning.
Derner threw less than 50 pitches Tuesday, and Lindemuth -- a righty -- hasn't thrown since earning the save during Lake Braddock's 9-6 win over Chantilly in the Northern Region final. And then there's Halley, a hard-throwing righty who has increased his velocity and pitch count in every outing since his return nearly a month ago from a forearm injury.
“I don't think anybody has a bunch of pitching this time of year, but I think everyone is trying to get through and have some guys step up,” said Rutherford, whose team has scored an average of 10.95 runs per game during the 20-game streak. “I have three or four guys that I have total confidence in them going out there and getting outs.”
Rutherford wouldn't commit to a starting pitcher for Friday -- “In-house only,” he said -- but no matter who takes the hill at Westfield, little will change in Lake Braddock's approach.
“We know nothing [of Colonial Forge],” said Halley, whose 2-for-3, three-RBI performance against Chantilly helped spark the Bruins to their sixth region title. “We're just going to hopefully play our game. Keep swinging the sticks, play good defense and hopefully follow our pitching.”