Bulldogs Pull Ahead Early and Coast to First-Round Win

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Saturday, May 24, 2008

All season long, Stone Bridge's game plan has been simple: Get at least three runs on the board and let its stellar starting pitchers and defense take care of the rest.

The Bulldogs needed only one inning to jump out to a three-run lead in Friday's Virginia AAA Northern Region first-round matchup with T.C. Williams in Ashburn, and that was enough as senior pitcher Tyler Basso led Stone Bridge to a 5-2 victory.

Basso - who was named the Liberty District Pitcher of the Year and recently received all-Northern Region and All-Met honors - needed only 74 pitches to take care of the Titans, mixing it up with fastballs and a devastating curveball. The right-hander allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk in seven innings while striking out three to improve his season record to 8-1.

"I know we can hold them to less than three runs," Basso said. "To get three runs in the first inning, that gives me a lot of confidence. I can make them try to hit it and put it in play to let my defense make plays behind because I know I've got those runs as a cushion."

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Stone Bridge vs. T.C. Williams

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Stone Bridge's #1 Collin Pearson slides safely back to first base during the fourth inning of Friday's Northern Region Playoff game. T. C. Williams #4 Sam Alexander can't hold onto the ball while making the tag. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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During the fourth inning of Friday's Northern Region Playoff game, Stone Bridge's #1 Collin Pearson steals second base, slides in safe and jumps up to see if he can continue to third. T. C. Williams #23 Adam Forrer fell while trying to catch a wild toss to second. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Stone Bridge's winning pitcher #7 Tyler Basso in action during the second inning of the Northern Region Playoff game Friday. Stone Bridge beat T. C. Williams 5-2. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Stone Bridge's #2 Mike Stanick makes the tag at second base on T. C. Williams #4 Sam Alexander during the second inning of Friday's Northern Region Playoff game. Stanick gets up-ended by Alexander as he throws to first. Stone Bridge won the game 5-2. (Tracy A. Woodward)

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Stone Bridge moves on to the region quarterfinals for the second straight season and will face Oakton, the No. 2 seed in the Concorde District, tomorrow at South County.

The Bulldogs wasted no time getting on the board in their first appearance at the plate. Senior catcher Brian Wheaton led off with a single up the middle off Titans senior Tim Mannel, and after a foul-out, junior left fielder John Bladel drove him in with an opposite-field triple into the right-field corner. Senior shortstop Mike Stancik followed with a walk and promptly stole second to put runners on second and third with one-out.

Mannel appeared to have the second out when Patrick Thompson swung ahead of an off-speed pitch for strike three, but the pitch got away from catcher Robert Mannel, and his throw to first pulled Sam Alexander off the bag, loading the bases. Basso then drew a walk to bring in Bladel, following a strikeout, Mannel hit freshman J.J. White with a pitch to score Stancik for the third run of the inning.

"We were just trying to get hits, get on base and make things happen," Bladel said. "We only had two hits in the inning, but got a hit by a pitch, took walks and scored runs."

Stone Bridge added two more runs in the fourth inning with the help of two T.C. Williams errors and back-to-back singles by junior right fielder Michael Prince and Bladel.

The Bulldogs finished with only six hits off Tim Mannel, but they got on base and drove in runs in clutch situations. Basso cruised the rest of the way, retiring the final 11 batters he faced.

Bladel - the Liberty District Co-Player of the Year - led the way with three hits and two RBIs in four plate appearances, and Prince finished with two infield singles and one RBI for the Bulldogs.

For tomorrow's game, Stone Bridge is scheduled to start the other half of its dominant starting pitching duo, 6-foot-8 senior Tyler Weaver.

"The great thing about us is we have two number ones," Stone Bridge Coach Sam Plank said. "Weaver is going to compete like he always does, and we're going to play defense behind him. It's going to be a fun matchup against Oakton, and I think it has the potential to be a great game."

Tagged: baseball, Stone Bridge High School, T.C. Williams, tournament

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