<b>Episcopal Edges Mount Vernon</b>
The Episcopal baseball team held a two-run lead entering the bottom of the seventh when freshman pitcher Will Thomas took the mound for his third inning of relief.
Facing Mount Vernon during the Alexandria City Championship tournament, Thomas had held the Majors without an earned run and needed three more outs to close the contest. But then Mount Vernon’s Justin Boutin led off the inning with a double. And then Thomas walked the next batter. And the next.
Bases loaded and nobody out: Thomas had placed himself in a pressure cooker. But the freshman didn’t wilt as Thomas retired the next three batters, allowing just one run to score and Episcopal won 7-6 on April 1 at West Potomac High School.
Thomas said his curve ball wasn’t working well, so he relied on his fastball.
"As a freshman, I’m pretty nervous the first couple games pitching," the right-hander said. "The heart was racing pretty fast."
Thomas picked up the save, allowing one earned run and three hits while walking three, hitting a batter and striking out three over three innings.
After Mount Vernon tied the game at 3 in the bottom of the fourth, Episcopal answered with four runs in the top of the fifth. The Maroon had only one hit in the frame and benefited from three Mount Vernon errors. The hit was a big one, however, as catcher Woody Dewing connected for a two-run double into right field.
"It was a great game," Dewing said. "We’ve had trouble at the beginning of our season starting off solid and ending solid. We had our little bump in the road but we managed to pull it out."
The sophomore said he was just trying to fight off a 3-2 pitch when he delivered his double.
"I was like, ‘Just drop, just drop,’" Dewing said, "and it did."
Episcopal starting pitcher George Reefer worked four-plus innings for the victory.
"We’re starting to blend," Reefer said, "and we’re starting to figure out how each player plays."
The victory moved Episcopal’s record to 3-2. The Maroon host Georgetown Prep at 4:30 p.m. April 8.
— Jon Roetman
<b>TC Baseball Battling Injuries</b>
The T.C. Williams baseball team lost all-region second baseman Adam Forrer to a knee injury prior to the season. That was only the beginning.
The Titans return to Patriot District competition without the services of three other players, including staff ace Steve Weidman. The junior is out indefinitely with an ankle injury, according to head coach Andrew Simpson.
Junior Desmond Coursey, who was expected to compete for the starting left-field position, is out two weeks with hip flexor injury and sophomore Jack Delaney, who was expected to compete for Forrer’s spot at second, is out due to surgery on this throwing arm.
"We are handling these injuries the best way we know how and that is to simply work hard in practice and then go out there and fight for seven innings," Simpson wrote in an e-mail. "Injuries are a part of the game and thankfully we had guys waiting for a chance to prove themselves and they’re making the most of the opportunities they’ve been given."
Simpson wrote that seniors Rob Mannel and Chris Cattaneo have stepped up on the mound in Weidman’s absence. Cattaneo is 2-0 with a sub-1.00 ERA.
"Chris has been huge for us," Simpson wrote. "He has really stepped up and pitched extremely well."
The Titans improved to 4-2 after defeating Liberty (Sykesville, Md.) 11-6 on Monday. Mannel, Marshall Cook and Matt Kilby hit home runs.
T.C. Williams won two of three games during a spring break trip to Vero Beach, Fla., losing to D’Evelyn (Colo.) 6-5 on March 30 and beating Penn Trafford (Penn.) 5-3 and Abington Friends (Penn.) 14-4 on March 31. The team stayed at the former Dodgertown, home to the Dodgers from 1953-2008. Coaches found out at the end of the trip the Titans had stayed in former Dodger manager Tommy Lasorda’s suite.
T.C. Williams travels to face West Springfield at 6:30 p.m. April 9.
<b>SSSAS Baseball Slumping</b>
After beating Bishop Ireton in its season opener, the St. Stephen’s/St. Agnes baseball team dropped four straight. The Saints lost two games in the Alexandria City Championship tournament at West Potomac — 14-3 to Hayfield on March 31 and 10-0 to West Potomac on April 1 — and lost two during the D.C. Sports Fan tournament — 15-1 to Paul VI and 12-2 to Flint Hill on April 3.
Against West Potomac, the Saints were plagued by errors. SSSAS trailed 3-0 entering the bottom of the fifth, but the Saints committed four errors and surrendered seven runs in the frame.
Saints starter Jay Sheffer allowed four earned runs in 4 2/3 innings.
"The way it’s been going, it’s been one inning for us," SSSAS head coach James Suppler said after the West Potomac loss. "One inning where we [have a] miscue here and there and it snowballs a little bit. … Jay Sheffer out there on the mound for us, he really showed us something today. That was a huge character game for him today."
SSSAS hosts Bullis at 4:30 p.m. April 8.
<b>Awards Banquet</b>
The Alexandria Sportsman’s Club will hold its 55th annual awards banquet May 18 at the Westin Hotel at 400 Courthouse Square. The silent auction and cocktail hour will begin at 6 p.m. and dinner will be served at 7 p.m. The awards program will begin at 8 p.m. Sal Sunseri, assistant head coach of the national champion University of Alabama football team, will be the guest speaker.
Tickets are $60 per person. To purchase tickets or for more information call Richard Downs at 703-647-1205 or 703-677-1266 or e-mail him at RDowns@lindsaycollision.com.
<b>T.C. Baseball Fundraiser</b>
The T.C. Williams varsity and JV baseball teams will be holding their annual fundraising baseball hit-a-thon from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. April 10 at Simpson Field.
<b>Cheerleading Competition</b>
There will be an invitational cheerleading competition at 11 a.m. April 10 at T.C. Williams High School. This year’s event includes teams from around the Washington D.C. metro area. Tickets are on sale in advance at all neighborhood recreation centers and the Recreation Services Division Office, located at the Lee center, 1108 Jefferson St., through April 8. For more information call the Youth Sports Office at 703-746-5402 or visit www.alexandriava.gov/recreation.