Softball Round-up: April 16-17 - Briar Woods Doubles Up on Park View to Sit Alone in First in Dulles District

(Apr. 20, 2010) - The Briar Woods High School softball team made its first ever regional playoff appearance last year after winning the Dulles District tournament and this year the Falcons want to take the regular season title as well. The Falcons took a big step towards that goal by doubling up on Park View, 6-3, on Friday.

The Patriots, previously unbeaten in district, fall to 2-1 in the Dulles and 7-2 overall, while the Falcons now sit at 4-0 and 7-1. Briar Woods faces 4-time district regular-season champ Broad Run, 2-1 and 7-2, tonight in Ashburn at 6 p.m. in another key match-up.

In Friday's win, Briar Woods sophomore Macy Jones snapped a 3-3 tie with a two-run double in the fourth inning and struck out 10 in four innings of relief as the Falcons won on the road.

The Falcons struck first when senior Holly Dominguez opened the game with a single and later scored on a double by Jones.

However, the Patriots (7-2, 2-1) answered in the home half of the first on a two-out RBI-double by Rebecca Patton.

Briar Woods took a 3-1 lead by scoring twice on passed ball in the third, but Park View countered again with two unearned runs in the bottom of the frame on a pair of errors and three singles.

The Falcons wasted no time regaining the lead for good in the top of the fourth. Junior Alex Fierszt drew a one-out walk, and Dominguez followed with a single. Fierszt was erased at third on a fielder’s choice off the bat of junior Kristina Karagiorgis, and, after a passed ball allowed Dominguez and Karagiorgis to advance, Jones followed with another double to plate both runners.

Briar Woods added its final run in the top of the sixth when freshman Lynn Brantley was hit by a pitch and later scored on another passed ball.

Jones, who finished 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs, was equally as impressive in the circle and earned the victory after striking out 10 of the 13 batters she faced in four innings of relief. She allowed a two-out triple in the bottom of the seventh but fanned the final Patriot hitter to seal the victory.

The loss for the Patriots went to Robin Heironimus, who fell to 7-2 for the season. Heironimus had six strikeouts and walked three. Hitting stars for the Patriots were Sam Thomas with three hits including a triple in the seventh and Patton with two hits, including a double and two RBIs. Ally Rupard also doubled for the Patriots and drove in the other run.

Briar Woods 1 0 2 2 0 1 0 - 6 5 0
Park View    1 0 2 0 0 0 0 - 3 7 3

Tuesday, April 20 Softball Schedule
Park View at Freedom, 6
The Skinny: Eagles still looking for first win of 2010. Patriots looking for a Spartan win over Falcons.
Briar Woods at Broad Run, 6
The Skinny: A win by Spartans would throw Dulles District into essentially a 3-way tie with three teams with one loss apiece.
Loudoun County at Potomac Falls, 6
The Skinny: Panthers another team rooting for BR tonight as they sit with two district losses.
Loudoun Valley at Heritage, 6
The Skinny: First time teams meet as Cedar Run District opponents. Both teams fell 1-0 in district games on Friday.
Stone Bridge at McLean, 6:30
The Skinny: Bulldogs have out-scored Liberty opponents, 25-3, in last two games.
See the jump for the round-up from Saturday and Friday

April 16-17 Softball Round-up
Saturday, April 17
South County 2, Loudoun Valley 1
The Skinny: The young Vikings were able to hold South County to two runs, including a first inning home run, in a non-district game on played in very cold temperatures and high winds. Some great defensive plays by Valley, including Jamie Crisp making a diving catch in left field in the first inning; right fielder Danni Psimas throwing to catcher Karli Johnson in the third inning to cut down a runner at the plate; and shortstop Shelby Wassman starting a sixth inning double play by fielding a ball, tagging the lead runner out and then hurling it to first basemen Jeanne Cahan for the second out. The only run scored by the Vikes was by Katie Sholl, who was pinch running for Christy Haney in the fifth inning after a slap by Courtney Bogan bounded into left field. Great Valley pitching by both Allie Reid (5 strikeouts) and reliever Kelsey Richardson (5 strikeouts).

Orange 4, Broad Run 2
The Skinny: The Spartans dropped their second contest of the season, a non-district loss to a strong Orange team. BR sophomore Kate Sims pitched five innings, yielding four runs (three earned) on seven hits while striking out three. The Spartans had difficulty solving the pitching of Orange freshman Aysha Richardson, who registered 11 strikeouts. Broad Run took a 1-0 lead into the fourth inning, but several mishaps on defense helped Orange surge ahead 3-1. Freshman McKall Miller had two hits and scored the Spartans two runs. BR senior Jenn Soroka added an RBI double, and freshman Dani Cook reached base safely in all three at-bats with a hit and two walks.

Friday, April 16
Battlefield 1, Loudoun Valley 0
The Skinny: The Bobcats scored the game's lone run in the third inning as Allie Reid went the distance for the Vikes in the circle. Valley started the game strong with Reid striking out the first batter, LV catcher Karli Johnson picking off the next runner on second base and Courtney Bogan with a nice fielding play for the third out. Valley had a golden opportunity in the bottom of the fourth as Bogan reached on a slap single, Johnson drew a walk and Shelby Wassman walked to load the bases with no outs. Battlefield, however, got the the next three hitters to strike out to end the threat. In the bottom of the fifth, LV threatened again with Danni Psimas reaching on a single. She was moved over by Jamie Crisp hit advancing Danni. Bogan singled and stole second to put two in scoring position but Battlefield got out of the jam. Just as they started, Valley was still fielding strong in the seventh with Shelby Gibson making a catch in right, Reid with a strikeout and Bogan with a fielding play to retire the Bobcats. Fighting the rain and dirt kicked up by a swirling wind, the Vikes went down on three strikeouts in the seventh to finish the contest.

Broad Run 14, Freedom 1 (6)
The Skinny: This game went six innings, including a 30-minute lightning delay in the fourth inning. Spartan senior Anna Blessing got the win, pitching five innings of shutout ball, surrendering two hits and striking out five. Sophomore Ashley Ferrara, making her first varsity level appearance on the mound, pitched the sixth inning, giving up one unearned run on one hit while striking out two. The Spartans offense started early as they scored three runs in the top of the first inning, highlighted by Blessing’s one-out RBI triple to right center. Three more runs were added in the third inning as Blessing sent another RBI triple to the wall which was followed by an RBI double by sophomore Kate Sims, who later scored on a single off the bat of junior Angela Rush. Two more runs in the fourth inning made the score 8-0. In the sixth inning the bats came alive again with junior Maggie Betz, Ferrara, and Soroka hitting consecutive singles to start things. After Blessing walked and Sims reached on an error, sophomore Jordan Small hit a two-RBI single to center field. Freshman Erika D’Argenio followed with a grounder to shortstop that brought home the sixth run of the inning and final run of the game.

Briar Woods 6, Park View 3
The Skinny: See above.

Osbourn 1, Heritage 0
The Skinny: The Pride opened district play with a tough loss to Osbourn, which scored the lone run in the bottom of the first inning. With one out, the Eagles No. 2 batter worked a 9-pitch at-bat and drew a walk. She stole second. The next batter hit a routine pop up in the infield that was misplayed. After a strikeout by Heritage starter Ashley Crouch, Osbourn's No. 5 hitter singled and Heritage catcher Carly Schmidt just barely missed tagging the runner out at the plate Highlights for the Pride: Crouch - 6 IP, 4 hits, 5 K's, 2BB, 0 earned runs; Kayla Whoolery - 2 hits; Brooke Tickle - 1 hit.

Leesburg Christian 7, Roanoke Valley Christian 0
The Skinny: The Lady Lions traveled to the Roanoke Valley Christian School and recorded their second shutout of the season. The Lady Lions started strong with Macy Mashaw scoring in the first and she later doubled in the fifth and sixth inning for a total of three runs scored. The Lions had a big fifth inning with additional runs scored by Connie Lambert, Claressa Mees and Hannah Davis. The 6th inning saw a final run by Sarah Mozeyko. Coach John McHale said “We are pleased with our offense today. Several girls had key hits that when combined with our pitching, lead to our win.” Pitcher Claressa Mees retired 11 players on strikeouts in five innings and had 2 RBIs at the plate. First baseman Danielle Mees lead the team with 3 RBIs for the game. Pitcher Sarah Mozeyko struck out one in two innings for her pitching debut.