With clear skies and country music blaring on the speakers, Spartan Baseball settled back into its home turf to step up and shut out its most formidable adversary, Lake Braddock.
The Spartans prevailed in a pitcher’s duel between the long- time rivals with senior Brandon Padgett representing the team on the mound. Padgett pitched a complete game, only allowing 2 hits and 1 walk while serving up 10 strikeouts in the process.
“I felt it was a good performance as far as pitching, but it was a team win,” said senior Brandon Padgett.
The Spartans struck first blood in the bottom of the first inning with senior Matt Meinhoffer scoring on a rundown.
The scoreboard remained identical for a majority of the game until the bottom of the sixth when Meinhoffer knocked a lead-off triple into the left field gap and eventually scored off of a passed ball.
“[Scoring first] was really important because they are a good hitting team and getting up puts them in a tough spot,” said Padgett.
Despite the major shift of momentum instilled by Meinhoffer’s triple, after the sixth inning the Spartans found themselves in a precarious position due to multiple fielding errors that opened the door for the Bruins to possibly tie up the game. The pressure began to mount for the team with the thought of victory within striking distance and a chance to take down their rivals for the first time since the 2012 Regional Tournament.
“There was a fair amount of pressure because we hadn’t beaten Lake Braddock since 2012 and we really wanted to get Brandon the win,” said senior Blake Bird.
The Spartans maintained their composure and while Lake Braddock had runners in scoring position, the players found opportunities to ensure the victory. The Bruins attempted to bunt in order to advance their runners, but their plans were thwarted after Padgett threw a crucial strikeout to help the Spartans regain their control of the game.
“[The strikeout] was very important because it turned the momentum towards us in that inning,” said senior Joey Basse.
For WS, the win was a statement game to convey to the rest of the region that they are a renewed force to be reckoned with and there are plenty of more wins to come. The Spartans have a chip on their shoulder after a disappointing 2013 season and think of the game as more than just another win.
“We wanted to prove everyone wrong who doubted us,” said Padgett.