Briar Woods Drops Opener

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

It started with Briar Woods senior Ian Hickman drawing a patient six-pitch walk to lead off the seventh inning. Then Austin Frattali, a strikeout victim in his two previous at-bats, drove a fastball into shallow right field for a single. After a strikeout, Victor Rizzardi was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Then Kyle Haufler singled to right field to bring home Hickman, and the Falcons had their first run of the game.

After another strikeout, Chris Wade's two-run single brought Briar Woods within two runs at 5-3 and brought Clayton Sylvester to the plate as the potential go-ahead run. Sylvester struck out looking to end the game and the Falcons lost their season opener to Fairfax High School on a brisk Tuesday night in Fairfax. But in that seventh inning, they came alive at the plate and flashed the kind of aggressiveness and patience that produces runs. The trick will be bringing that approach in each and every plate appearance in order to keep pace with the talented offenses in the Dulles District.

"Tonight we really showed that it's early in the year," Briar Woods Coach Josh Mosser said. "There were some plays that we made, and some that we didn't. I made a bone-headed base-coaching error myself. So I guess we're all kind of early in the season."

Prior to the seventh inning, the Falcons (0-1) had mustered very little in the way of offense. They loaded the bases against Rebels starter Jordan Kuchel with two outs in the fourth inning but the junior right-hander got Frattali swinging to end the threat. In five scoreless innings he allowed only three hits, striking out five and walking one.

"We didn't come out with our best tonight," said Hickman, one of the team's three seniors. "We started out slow and then we pulled it together toward the end. I hope that carries over to our next game."

Sylvester was just as effective on the mound in the early going, allowing only a walk the first two innings. The lefty senior transfer from Notre Dame Academy effectively mixed his breaking ball in with his fastball and managed to work around trouble through the first four frames. He allowed a solo home run to Fairfax freshman catcher Zack Hoeth in the third that opened the scoring, but escaped a risky situation in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a great play by his infielders.

With one out and runners on second and third, Daniel Fernandes grounded to Wade at short. He looked the runner back at third and gunned the ball to first for the force out, but Danny Broyles broke back toward home on the throw. Hickman made the play at first and then alertly threw to Logan Harris behind the plate. He put the tag down to get Broyles and end the inning.

The Rebels (2-0) broke the game open in the fifth inning, plating three runs on four hits and an error while sending eight men to the plate. They got an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth on Joseph Riley-Ryan's RBI single. Hoeth had two hits and the home run to lead Fairfax and Riley-Ryan finished with two RBI.

Sylvester pitched five innings in a losing effort, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits with one walk and one strikeout. Hickman gave up a run on one hit and two walks in one inning of relief. He struck out one.

"As much as Clayton battled there toward the end, over his five innings he only threw 72 pitches," Mosser said. "He was able to keep the ball down and induce ground-ball outs."

Wade had two hits and two RBIs and Haufler had two hits and an RBI for the Falcons who had five hits on the night – four coming off Broyles in the final two innings – and left eight men on base. Briar Woods returns to action on Friday night in their Virginia AA Dulles District opener at Broad Run, a team they've never beaten.

"It's nice that the kids didn't give up," Mosser said. "We talk about playing through to the end and you find yourself down five runs going into the top half of the seventh. To be able to battle back, string some hits together, score some runs and be in a position to either tie the ballgame up or take the lead when you've got your number four and number five hitters up, it says a lot that these guys continued to battle."

Note: Tuesday’s game was called "Battle for the Cure" and was a played as a fundraiser for Breast Cancer awareness. Mosser and Fairfax Coach Kevin Simonds were teammates on the 1991 West Springfield AAA Virginia state champion baseball team and decided to collaborate for the event. Over the last two years, Mosser has raised just under $10,000 to support research and treatment through the Breast Cancer 3-Day walk which he will participate in again this year in Washington, D.C. Just under $100 was donated during the game.

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks