If you're looking for the blog post that Dave Facinoli referred to in his Sun Gazette article about the Madison-Oakton baseball game last weekend - scroll down below this post.
And now, please welcome back Guest Blogger Dave Graham. Dave's son Jonny plays first base for the Madison Warhawks and Dave can do a game write-up like no one else we know. So if you missed the game (or even if you were there) - sit back & enjoy the show. You'll feel like you had a front row seat!
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MADISON 6 runs 10 hits 1 error
OAKTON 2 runs 6 hits 0 errors
On a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Oakton the Madison Warhawks opened their 2011 campaign by defeating the Cougars in a game that was much closer than the final score indicates. Madison starter Eli Facenda spun five innings of three hit shutout ball and the Warhawks scored five runs in the fifth to break open a 1-0 game. The Madison attack was led by Nate Favero who went four for four and Andy McGuire and Jay Kenyon who each collected two hits and drove in a pair of runs. Coach Mark “Pudge” Gjormand later noted that, “Eli did a nice job today with no walks. This was a team win. We had a good approach at the plate with two outs and two strikes and protected the ball well on defense.”
Oakton had opened its season Tuesday by trouncing Yorktown. R.J. Garcia started on the mound for the Cougars, a sidearming right hander who always works from a stretch and relies on control and keeping the ball down. He needed only nine pitches to set the side down in order in the first inning. The Oakton defense featured three Carroll brothers starting in the infield: senior Chad at shortstop, junior Tyler at second and sophomore Mitchell at third. Their dad, Carson, coached almost every Madison player at one time or another on the Vienna Mustangs. Congratulations Carson and (mom) April!
The Warhawks countered by sending their senior staff leader to the mound. Facenda, a crafty lefty, gave up a two out bloop single to right by Luke Willis in the bottom of the first but second baseman Favero ended the inning by ranging far to his left to snag a grounder that appeared headed to right field.
Senior catcher Jay Kenyon got aboard to lead off the second when he was hit by a 1-2 pitch. Austin Chute pinch ran and scooted to third as Favero lined a single to right. With no outs and runners at the corners, Garcia bore down to get a swinging strike out. Third baseman Mitchell Carroll made a nice play on a grounder to hold the runner at third and get the second out at first. Garcia escaped the jam when Tyler Carroll scooped an inning ending grounder to second base.
After a strike out in the bottom of the second, Ty Carroll reached second when his fly ball to center was misplayed. He was promptly doubled off when shortstop McGuire made a splendid diving catch of a half swing line drive then shoveled the ball to Favero covering second to end the inning.
With two outs in the top of the third, McGuire drilled a line drive single to right. Before the next pitch was thrown, Garcia picked him off on a well executed run down involving first baseman Taio Francis twice sandwiched around a pair of Carrolls.
With two outs in the bottom of the third, speedy Chad Carroll short hopped the base of the fence in right center and hustled into third with a triple. Facenda coaxed a grounder to first to end the threat.
With two outs in the Madison fourth, Favero shattered the scoreless tie launching a towering drive to right through a crosswind blowing in from left to collect his first varsity round tripper. By the time the ball landed well beyond the fence it had been blown into foul territory but it was clearly fair and seemed to still be climbing when it left the field.
In the bottom half of the frame, the Cougars Chris Hanson doubled on a sinking liner to left despite a valiant diving attempt by Ben Socher. Facenda helped himself out making a nice play on a one hopper back to the mound to record the out at first after holding the runner at second. The threat expired on a grounder to second.
Garcia started the fifth having given up three hits and thrown 54 pitches. He began the inning recording a strike out on a full count pitch before what may have been the pivotal play of the game. On a 1-1 pitch, Dan Powers scorched a grounder off Garcia’s foot. Garcia recovered quickly enough to get the second out at first and appeared to be OK. However, he hit Alex Tyroler with a 1-2 pitch. Sophomore Socher collected his first varsity hit drilling an opposite field double just fair down the third base line to put runners on second and third. On a 2-2 count, McGuire followed with another opposite field rocket, this one to right, for a two run double to finish Garcia’s afternoon. Fatigue may have affected him as he had thrown 20 pitches in what turned out to be his longest inning of the day.
Oakton brought in Andy Gross to relieve. He may not have had enough time to warm up and Jonny Graham jumped on his first pitch and smacked a hard grounder off the glove of the diving second baseman into right for an RBI single. Three pitches later, Kenyon blasted a two run dinger over the fence in right. Favero poked a pop up down the left field line for a double, Madison’s fifth straight hit, four of them opposite field. Gross ended the inning on a strike out but Madison had sent nine men to the plate and seized a 6-0 lead.
In the bottom of the fifth, the savvy Facenda knew the importance of not letting the Cougars respond with a rally of their own. Facing the bottom third of their line up, he got a ground out to third on a 3-2 pitch, then recorded a strike out on a nasty 2-2 curve that Kenyon nicely blocked then tagged the batter for the out. The inning ended on a 3-2 strike out. Having thrown 64 pitches with two tough Liberty District games in the next six days, Facenda’s afternoon was finished.
Francis moved over from first to pitch for Oakton in the top of the sixth. With two outs he hit Tyroler with a pitch then retired pinch hitter Ben Powers on a fly to right to end the inning. The Warhawks opted to send McGuire to the mound in the bottom of the sixth with Tim Davis taking over the duties at shortstop. With two outs, the fleet Willis reached on an infield chopper down the third base line. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and took third on a passed ball as Hanson walked. Joey Bartosic pinch ran with runners at the corners. Dennis Cooney grounded a single past first baseman Graham’s dive to plate one run.
Another run scored when Ty Carroll’s grounder hit first base and took a high bounce. Graham still gloved the ball but the startled McGuire, thinking Graham would tag the bag himself if not for the fluke bounce, was late covering first allowing Bartosic to score. Perhaps the play rattled McGuire a bit as he walked Brian Burns on four pitches to load the bases and bring the tying run to the plate. After getting ahead in the count 0-2, the count ran full as he narrowly missed on a pair of breaking balls. McGuire ended the seven pitch at bat with a called strike on a fastball on the outside corner.
With two outs in the top of the seventh, Kenyon stroked a single to right and Favero followed by rolling a single through the right side. The inning ended with pinch hitter Matt Livingston lining out to center. McGuire responded by retiring Oakton in order in the bottom of the seventh on a pair of fly outs and a grounder to short.
The score may have looked decisive but it was a close, hard fought game. Coach Gjormand summed it up by saying, “We beat a good team today in a big rivalry game. These guys have played with and against each other since Vienna Little League and sometimes it is tough to play against your friends. We can enjoy it now but we need to get back to work to get ready for a tough Fairfax team on Tuesday.”
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