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| photo courtesy of Jonny Graham/Facebook |
RUNS
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HITS
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ERRORS
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LANGLEY
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2
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6
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2
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MADISON
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0
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1
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2
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On a beautiful evening in Vienna, Langley rode the arm and bat of Matt Moser to a 2-0 victory over Madison in a second round Liberty District playoff game. Moser breezed through the first five innings allowing only one base runner and navigated through a bit of trouble in the sixth and seventh in hurling a one hit shutout. He also singled to ignite a two run rally in the third that was all the offense needed to advance the Saxons to the District semifinals and guarantee them a spot in the Northern Region tournament. Coach Mark “Pudge” Gjormand later noted, “Give them the credit. They fielded the ball well and Matt Moser did a wonderful job on the mound. We never had a chance to get any momentum going”
Tim Davis got the starting assignment for Madison He retired the side in order in the top of the first on a grounder to second, a routine fly and a backwards K.
Moser responded with the first of four 1-2-3 innings. Third baseman Cal Jadacki got the first out making a nice play to charge a bunt and get the out at first. After a fly out, a check swing grounder to second ended the inning. Two of the three outs came on the first pitch as Moser used a total of only five to retire the side in a sign of the efficiency that was to come.
Davis began the second with another looking K and with two outs Thomas Dungan reached when a low throw to first wasn’t dug out. AJ Holtberg entered as a courtesy runner and moved to second when Gray Decker lined a single through the right side. The threat ended on a grounder with first baseman Matt Livingston pulling down a high throw to first.
Moser began and ended the second with a pair of strike outs sandwiched around an unassisted ground out to first.
Dan Richardson led off the decisive third by lining a single through the right side. In the pivotal play of the game, he took off for second on a 2-2 pitch. Moser worked a hit and run to perfection slapping a bouncer through the hole vacated by Nate Favero as he covered second. Instead of two outs and no one on, the Saxons had runners at the corners and no one out. The first out came on a shallow foul fly to left that Evan Jacquez captured after a long run with the runners holding. On a Jadacki grounder to first, the first baseman chose not to step on the bag and instead whirled and threw to second without looking at the runner at third. Courtesy runner Jack McSteen was forced at second but Richardson scored and there was no return throw to first. Two pitches later Michael Byrne belted a double to the gap in left to knock in the second run. He advanced to third on an errant throw attempting to pick him off when he took a big turn at second. He was left aboard as the inning ended on a strike out but Langley had all the runs it would need on this night.
With one out in the bottom of the frame, Justin Padgett laid a perfect bunt down the first base line. Moser bolted off the mound and made a magnificent play gloving the ball and flipping it to first for the out without transferring it to his bare hand. The inning ended on another sparkling play as a hard hit bouncer up the middle ticked off the leaping Moser’s glove and shortstop Brandon Bast swooped behind second to gobble it up and fire to first for the out.
Dungan again reached on an error leading off the fourth with Holtberg courtesy running. On a bouncer identical to Moser’s hit and run single the prior inning, Madison turned a second to short to first double play. The inning ended on a fly to left.
With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, the Warhawks got their first runner when the left fielder was unable to make a sliding catch of Favero’s sinking line drive. The inning ended on a line drive back to Moser.
With two outs in the top of the fifth, Bast grounded a single up the middle but Davis ended the inning with a strike out.
Moser once again set Madison down in order in the bottom of the fifth starting with a pair of strike outs.
In the sixth Dungan drew a walk on a 3-2 pitch with two outs but Padgett made a nice backhanded stop at third and threw across the diamond for the final out.
With one out in the Warhawk sixth Henry Brandmark pinch hit and after fouling off a 1-2 pitch ripped a single over the shortstop’s leap for the lone Madison hit of the game. Ben Socher hit a hard grounder to second that took a bounce off the lip of the infield and handcuffed the second baseman to put two men on with one out. Both runners moved up as Jadacki made another nice play at third to charge a slow bouncer and get the out a first. Favero crushed a line drive to center but David Paul played it well backing up a few steps to make the catch.
With two outs in the top of the seventh Moser drilled one to the gap in left with center fielder Jonny Graham hustling to cut the ball off and hold him to a single. Padgett ended the inning charging a slow hopper to third and getting the out at first.
Moser sailed into the seventh having only thrown 66 pitches and with his first three pitches he recorded two outs. Dan Powers patiently worked a five pitch walk to bring up Davis. On a 1-2 pitch, Powers stole second with a headfirst slide. On the next offering a shot down the right field line just missed being fair by inches. Davis battled heroically eventually working the count full by fouling off a whopping five two strike pitches. Moser had retired the side on eleven pitches in three different innings and on the eleventh pitch of the at bat coaxed an unassisted ground out to first ending the game.
For his part, Davis had pitched a fine game giving up six hits while fanning five and walking one. He had also fought valiantly at the plate making Moser throw 22 pitches in his three at bats---more than 25% of the total Moser threw in the game. On the pitches he threw to the other Madison hitters, Moser was brilliant and highly efficient.
The stunned Warhawks could only stand and watch as Langley celebrated on the same field where thirteen days earlier Madison had beaten Moser and the Saxons. In the previous game they had come from behind with two in the fourth and five in the fifth to win 8-2. That night Moser was knocked out with no outs in the fifth having thrown 78 pitches. In the rematch, Moser needed only 85 pitches to toss a complete game. In the earlier game, Madison jumped on Moser’s first pitch five times producing two singles and a pair of doubles. In an astonishing turn around, on this night the Warhawks were hitless in nine one pitch at bats.
Langley lost its next game to Stone Bridge and will play the Concorde District champions in the first round of the Northern Region tournament. A season which began with much fanfare for Madison ended in bitter disappointment. Two years ago they won four straight District and Region playoff games; last year they won five. Both years their run ended in the Region semifinals. Going “one and done” this year was unexpected to say the least. Coach Gjormand summed it up by saying, “I am really going to miss this group of seniors. They played a big part in last year’s District championship and several helped us go back to back. There will be a new Liberty District champion this year.”
