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Sports

Westfield Baseball Season Comes to a Close with Regional Loss

Bulldogs fall 11-1 to South County, area's top-ranked team

Baseball teams around Fairfax County are finding out they must play a perfect game in order to beat top-ranked South County (24-0).

Unfortunately for Westfield, the Bulldogs were far from perfect on Monday with an 11-1 loss in the Northern Region Class AAA quarterfinals at Lake Braddock.

Westfield (16-7) fell behind early and could only muster one hit in seven innings against the Stallions and the pitching combination of Evan Beal (six innings, one run on one hit with seven strikeouts) and Jake Josephs.

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The Bulldogs started Concorde District pitcher of the year Aaron Hoover in an effort to subdue the strong-hitting Stallions, but a couple of defensive lapses and some well-placed balls in the bottom of the first resulted in a 5-0 deficit.

“We knew with Beal coming in that we had to keep it close,” said Hoover, who allowed seven runs on seven hits in two innings. “They got stuff to fall in and they did hit the ball solidly. … We had some mess-ups in the field that led to the big innings.”

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“This was just an old-fashioned a-- -whipping,” said Westfield coach Chuck Welch. “You can say a lot of different things, but you just got you’re a-- kicked.”

Welch said he would have liked to see his defense support Hoover better than it did. 

South County junior centerfielder Drew Rector opened the bottom of the first with a single and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Alex Carrington that neither Westfield catcher Matt Stromecki nor Hoover could make a play on. The next ball in play was a double by Bondurant down the third-base line that Hayden Ferington couldn’t get to. Perez followed that with another hard grounder past third that scored Carrington to make it 2-0.

“We should pick up the bunt and get that out there,” Welch said, recounting the opening frame. “We should be fielding ground balls at third base. That part of the lineup should have never come up. Those are all unearned runs.”

Hoover, who will continue his baseball career next year at James Madison University, said he knew he needed a good game against South County.

“I came out giving it my all. It was a hot ballgame, but I just didn’t have the stuff I needed to have to beat that ball team,” he said.

The six and seven batters, Kyle Fairbanks and Cameron Thompson, combined to go 4-for-6 with six RBIs while catcher Mike Perez, the Patriot District co-player of the year, went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a solo homer.

“Everybody hit today,” said Perez. “It’s a confidence-booster and it’s nice that you don’t have to worry about them coming back in the last inning.”

The Bulldogs scored their first run in the sixth and recorded their only hit on a bloop single in the fifth by Wade Arduini.

Welch said he had hoped for a bit more from his squad on Monday, but he’s looking forward to the 2012 campaign. The Bulldogs will have all-district players Arduini and Kyle Corwin back along with three other seniors who started on Westfield’s district champion team in 2010.

“They’ll be seniors next year. I have five kids who have been in the program and been solid players for us for three years,” he said. “We anticipate them being great leaders for us and we’re very much looking forward to next year.”

Hoover was disappointed to see his Westfield career come to a close.

“I have fond memories with the guys,” he said. “The relationships you make are what make playing for the program so memorable. It’s going to be rough. I’m going to miss it.”

South County will face the winner of the Yorktown/Madison quarterfinal at Robinson Secondary on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. The winner of the regional semifinal will be guaranteed a spot in the state playoffs.

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