Stone Bridge’s record-breaking 2008 season finally came to an end on Monday as the Bulldogs were knocked off by Oakton, 7-2 in the Northern Region Quarterfinals at South County High School.

The Bulldogs stormed out of the gates in March, winning their first eight games and cruising to the Alexandria City Baseball Tournament title. Their hot start carried over into the Liberty District regular season as the team went undefeated through the first half of the schedule, building a lead in the league standings they would never relinquish.

Led by six seniors and twelve juniors, Sam Plank’s experienced squad relied on stellar pitching and defense and clutch hitting to grind out numerous one and two-run ballgames. The Bulldogs finished the district regular season with a 12-2 mark, winning the Liberty District for the first time in three seasons at the AAA level and earning the top spot in the league tournament. In the tournament final, Stone Bridge came up with another first, defeating Madison – the team that had knocked them out in the tournament final in back-to-back seasons – to take home their first league tournament crown.

The top-seeded Bulldogs took out first round Northern Region opponent T.C. Williams on Friday before falling to senior sidearmer Bart Reese and the Cougars yesterday. Stone Bridge finished the season with a 20-4 mark, setting a school record for wins in a season.

Despite the early exit, it was a tremendous season for Plank’s squad, and the team’s individual efforts were recognized with multiple district and region honors. Junior first baseman Patrick Thompson, senior shortstop Mike Stancik, junior outfielder Johnny Bladel and senior pitchers Tyler Basso and Tyler Weaver were all named to the all-district team. Bladel earned Co-Player of the Year honors and Basso was named the Liberty District Pitcher of the Year. Plank was also recognized for his efforts with the Coach of the Year award.

The hardware continued to pile up at the regional level where Weaver and Bladel were both named to First Team all-Region. Plank was voted Northern Region Coach of the Year and Basso added Northern Region Pitcher of the Year honors to his list of accomplishments.

Congratulations to the Bulldogs on a banner season – and one that was particularly enjoyable to cover for this reporter – and best of luck to those who will be moving on to play collegiate baseball in the fall.