Prior to South Lakes’ baseball game versus visiting Madison on Tuesday, May 1, Dr. Alli Guleria of Guleria Orthodontics, a grand slam sponsor of the Seahawks’ baseball program, threw out the first pitch. (It was a called strike). Photo/Courtesy South Lakes Baseball
Reston — In a hard-fought road contest for the South Lakes High baseball team, the Seahawks were defeated last Tuesday night, May 8 by the Fairfax Rebels, who came from behind in the bottom of the seventh inning to win the Liberty District game 8-7.
The Seahawks, playing at Fairfax, opened the scoring with some power in the second inning. First baseman Kyle King led off that frame with a solo home run over the left field fence. South Lakes pitcher Bobby Rae Allen (3-for-3 batting on the night) followed with a double to center and was promptly plated by first-pitch swinging designated hitter Austin Gibbons, who sent an offering to the trees beyond the center field fence for a home run to put the Seahawks up 3-0.
South Lakes scored another run in the top of the third as King (4 RBI for the game) singled home Ryan Forrest, who had led off the inning with a walk. That four-run lead was short-lived, however, as the Rebels stormed back for three runs of their own in the bottom of the third. They added two more in the fifth and one in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead into the final inning.
The Seahawks answered with three runs of their own in the top of the seventh to take a 7-6 lead. JoJo Lear led off with a walk and moved to second when Hayden Hall legged out an infield single. Moving to the top of the order, Forrest executed a sacrifice to move the runners to second and third.
A fielder’s choice struck by Jared Abelson followed and resulted in a close call at the plate, but Lear was called out. Senior Billy McLaughlin was hit by a pitch, moving Abelson to second and Hall to third. King then singled to score both runners. McLaughlin was brought around by Allen’s subsequent single (his third hit of the contest), making the score 7-6 Seahawks.
The Rebels, however, rallied for two runs in their final at-bats to win the game.
A WEEK EARLIER saw the Seahawks drop two games against elite Liberty District teams Madison and Stone Bridge.
The highlight from Tuesday’s game (May 1) against Madison (13-5) was the first pitch being thrown out by Dr. Alli Guleria, of Seahawk baseball Grand Slam sponsor Guleria Orthodontics.
As for the game, after a nice sliding catch by freshman catcher Jared Abelson on a failed Madison sacrifice bunt in the first inning, the Seahawks defense, with junior pitcher Bobby Rae Allen on the mound, struggled with several errors en route to a 13-0 loss.
Friday’s game against the Stone Bridge Bulldogs (13-4) on May 4 saw a much stronger defensive effort by the Seahawks. But the offense could only muster four hits in a 6-0 loss. Sophomore Justin Cosing led the South Lakes offense with two hits with Abelson and junior Austin Gibbons adding singles. Senior pitcher Billy McLaughlin pitched a complete game and got some defensive help by a diving catch in left field by junior Hayden Hall.
South Lakes Loses Tough One to Langley
For the second time this season, the South Lakes Seahawks baseball team battled the Langley Saxons (9-7 record) but came up just short in a 5-3 loss. The Liberty District game took place April 27 at Langley.
Despite knocking out eight hits, the Seahawks couldn’t get enough timely hits to pull the game out. It was a gritty effort by Seahawks pitcher Billy McLaughlin, who pitched a complete game. Offensively, South Lakes was led by Ryan Forrest, who had three hits, including a double to lead off the game. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, they couldn’t move him around as they ended the inning leaving a runner in scoring position - the first of six for the night.
After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, South Lakes broke through with an RBI single by McLaughlin in the third inning. The Seahawks’ defense kept the game close – thanks to a diving catch by Hayden Hall at the wall in left field, and a leaping grab of a line drive by second baseman Matt Wojciechowski.
After the Saxons tacked on another run in the fifth to take a 4-1 lead, the Seahawks responded with two runs in the sixth inning. The inning started with a leadoff double off the left field wall by Kyle King, who eventually scored on an errant throw by the pitcher. Austin Gibbons’ RBI groundout got South Lakes back within one run.
After an insurance run by Langley in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Seahawks had two men reach base in the top of the seventh but stranded them to end the game.
But earlier in the week, a King home run led the Seahawks in a 9-5 district road win over the Thomas Jefferson Colonials on Tuesday, April 24. The Seahawks got off to a fast start on a two-run home run by King, his second homer in as many games.
Bobby Rae Allen worked around two first inning hits by the Colonials (2-11), thanks to a double play started and completed by senior third baseman Austin Schweppe, and a caught-stealing throw by freshman catcher Jared Abelson. Allen pitched four solid innings and helped his own cause by picking off two runners at first base.
The Seahawks scored in each of the first six innings and took a 4-2 lead in the third inning on an RBI single by Schweppe that scored Lear.
South Lakes extended the lead to 6-3 in the fourth inning thanks to doubles by Austin Gibbons and Ryan Forrest and an RBI by Lear. Allen gave up two earned runs in four innings and was relieved by Lear in the fifth inning. After the first two Colonials reached base, catcher Abelson picked off the runner straying too far from second base to halt the rally.
The Seahawks tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning, thanks to a two-run RBI double by Allen. In the seventh inning, South Lakes brought in senior Billy McLaughlin to preserve the win for Allen and the Seahawks.