Game reports:

May 5: B-CC 7, Rockville 4

The B-CC JV baseball team ended the season on a high note with a solid 7-4 victory over Rockville on Monday. Freshman Ben Kohm allowed only three hits, struck out 11 and walked five to notch the win, which halted a two-game losing streak.

The Barons took the lead in the top of the first when shortstop Ben Trebach reached on an error, then stole second, third and home on an overthrow to third. B-CC scored again in the second, when left fielder Adam Levine singled, stole second, advanced to third on designated hitter Covey Willkens’ sacrifice, then made it home on an error.

Meanwhile, Kohm was mowing down the Rams’ batters. He struck out three in the first after walking the first two batters. In the second, he struck out two. The third batter reached on an error, but center fielder Casey Fitzgerald threw him out with a perfect throw to third. Fitzgerald has proved time and again he is the wrong guy to run on.

In the top of the third, the Barons’ bats really went to work. Fitzgerald singled but was out at second on first baseman Daniel Rossett’s fielder’s choice. Right fielder Jules Bodie singled and stole second as Rossett stole third. Levine’s triple knocked in both base runners. Then Willkens hit a single that brought Levine home. After second baseman Paul Hogan’s single, Willkens was thrown out trying to steal third to end the top of the inning with a 5-0 B-CC lead.

The Barons failed to score in the 4th and 5th, while the Rams managed to eke out only one hit. In the 4th, the Barons did pose a threat, though. With one out, shortstop Ben Trebach doubled, but was thrown out trying to steal third. Then third baseman Ollie Macklin singled, but resourceful Rockville used the old hide-the-ball-in-the-glove trick. Thinking the pitcher had the ball, Macklin took a lead off first, but the first baseman had the ball and tagged Macklin out.

In the 6th, B-CC picked up some insurance runs. Levine was hit by a pitch, then stole second and third. Willkens walked and stole second. Hogan’s sacrifice fly to center scored Levine. Catcher Zack Coen’s sacrifice to center scored Willkens and boosted the Barons’ lead to 7-0.

Rockville tried to climb back into the game in the bottom of the sixth. A hit batter, a walk and a triple brought in two runs. Coach Joseph put in substitutes for the 7th, and after B-CC failed to score, the game Rams started yet another rally. A walk, some steals and a single brought in one run. A sacrifice brought in another. But the next batter flied to Hogan for the last out--and a great ending to a satisfying 9-4 season.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E	BB	K
B-CC	1	1	3	0	0	2	0	7	10	2	2	5
Rockville	0	0	0	0	0	2	2	4	3	3	5	11

Final stats will be posted shortly on the team's web site.

- Reported by Stan Crock

May 3: Richard Montgomery 4, B-CC 3

The B-CC JV baseball team lost its second game in a row, 4-3, to a tough Richard Montgomery team Saturday. The well-played game was a scoreless tie into the bottom of the third, partly because of a diving catch by B-CC center fielder Casey Fitzgerald for the third out with two men on in the bottom of the first. In the third, though, the home team Rockets parlayed two errors, a double and a sacrifice into three runs.

But the Barons roared back in the top of the fourth with three runs of their own. Shortstop Ben Trebach led off with a walk, and then stole second. Third baseman Ollie Macklin sacrificed Trebach to third. Fitzgerald singled Trebach in. Then first baseman Daniel Rossett singled. Left fielder Jules Bodie’s double brought in Fitzgerald and Rossett, to tie the game. Pitcher Adam Levine’s sacrifice put Bodie on third. Speedy designated hitter Russell Crock then hit a grounder to third and was called out at first in, shall we say, a close call. If the call had gone the other way, Bodie would have scored to give the Barons the lead, and the rally might have continued.

Instead, in the bottom of the fourth, Richard Montgomery scored again on a single, a stolen base, another single and a sacrifice. That was the last run scored by either team, with Levine’s pitching growing stronger as the game went on. He threw only 36 pitches in the last three innings as he allowed just six hits in six innings, striking out one and walking three.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E	BB	K
B-CC	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	3	4	3	4	6
RM	0	0	3	1	0	0	X	4	6	1	3	1

- Reported by Stan Crock

May 1: Walter Johnson 8, B-CC 5

The B-CC JV baseball team’s five-game winning streak came to an end Thursday as the Barons fell to Walter Johnson 8-5.

After Walter Johnson put down the visiting Barons in order in the top of the first, the Wildcats jumped on B-CC starter Daniel Rossett for three runs on two doubles and two singles in the bottom of the first. The Barons scored in the top of the second when first baseman Jules Bodie reached first on an error, moved to second on right fielder Covey Willkens’ grounder to the pitcher, and then scored on left fielder Ben Kohm’s single. That left the score at 3-1. Walter Johnson scored two more in the bottom of the second on a couple of hits and a couple of errors for a 5-1 lead.

In the top of the third, B-CC came back. Catcher Zach Coen started it off when he got hit by a pitch. Centerfielder Casey Fitzgerald knocked Coen in with a double and moved to third on shortstop Ollie Macklin’s sacrifice to the pitcher. Then Rossett’s double brought Fitzgerald home. The inning ended with B-CC down by only 5-3.

In the fifth, the Wildcats scored one more run on good, fundamental baseball: a single, a steal, a sacrifice and another single. In the sixth, Walter Johnson added two more on three singles.

In the top of the seventh, down 8-3, the Barons started to rally. With one out, third baseman Adam Levine doubled. After a strikeout, Fitzgerald doubled again, knocking in Levine and making it 8-4. Then Macklin singled in Fitzgerald, boosting the score to 8-5, and took second on the throw to home. Then Macklin stole third. Rossett was hit by a pitch, and Bodie walked, loading the bases and putting the go-ahead run at the plate. Stepping up to the plate was Willkens, the leading batter all season. He hit a sharp line drive—unfortunately right at the right fielder, who caught the ball to squelch the rally and end the game.

Rossett ended up allowing 12 hits, striking out three and walking none. The loss brought the Barons’ record to 8-3

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E	BB	K
B-CC	0	1	2	0	0	0	2	5	7	5	4	4
Walter Johnson	3	2	0	0	1	2	X	8	12	2	0	3

- Reported by Stan Crock

Apr. 26: B-CC 11, Damascus 8

The Damascus JV baseball team came to play. Fortunately, so did B-CC. The result was a tense and thrilling battle of heavy-hitters that ended with the Barons edging the Swarmin’ Hornets 11-8 in a home game Saturday. The Barons’ record now stands at 8-2.

It was a game of power and defense. The two teams combined for 8 extra-base hits, including an over-the-fence home run. And while both teams were aggressive on the base paths, both defenses executed well when a base runner got too aggressive.

The heroes of the game were numerous and include left fielder Jules Bodie, whose leadoff homer over the fence in the second was the first run of the game; Covey Willkens, whose pinch-hit triple with two outs in the sixth knocked in two runs; a new Tinkers-to-Evers-to-Chance combo (though it involves an outfielder) – center fielder Casey Fitzgerald, cutoff man and shortstop Ben Trebach, and third baseman Ollie Macklin; and first baseman Daniel Rossett, whose pickups of throws in the dirt for outs helped seal the Swarmin’ Hornets’ fate.

Starting pitcher Ben Kohm pitched a strong game, allowing only three hits and four runs and striking out four in five innings. In the first, he struck out two of the three batters he faced. In the bottom of the first, Macklin singled, but was left stranded, and the inning ended tied 0-0. It was clear both teams were at the top of their games – and this would not be the kind of monster blowout B-CC has enjoyed in the last few games.

In the top of the second, Damascus’ leadoff batter singled, and the next batter got on on an error. When the ball went into left, the first batter tried to make it to third, but Bodie threw a perfect strike to Macklin, who tagged the runner out. Then Kohm made a beautiful pickoff move, which caught the runner at second off guard. The infield executed a perfect rundown, with Macklin tagging out the runner.

Bodie’s lead-off homer in the bottom of the second gave B-CC the lead. B-CC might have scored more but for an alert Damascus defense. Right fielder Adam Levine singled and stole second. Then Ben Kohm walked. Levine got picked off at second when he moved toward third, expecting a sacrifice bunt. The bunt attempt failed, leaving Levine too far from the bag. Then Kohm got thrown out trying to steal second. Second baseman Paul Hogan walked, and then got picked off at first. The inning ended with the Barons up 1-0.

Damascus tied it up in the top of the third with a double, a hit batter, and a single as Kohm struck out two more batters.

But B-CC stormed back, scoring four runs in the bottom of the third. Catcher Zack Coen singled, and then Trebach laid a perfect bunt down the first-base line. Fitzgerald knocked them both in, but got thrown out trying to get to second. Macklin kept the rally going with a single, and then Rossett doubled him in. Levine’s grounder brought Rossett in for the final run of the inning and a 5-1 Barons lead.

But Damascus wasn’t done. In the top of the fourth, a walk, a hit batter, two fielder’s choices and a double put three runs on the scoreboard and narrowed the B-CC lead to 5-4.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Barons widened the margin when Hogan walked, stole second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on Coen’s beautiful bunt, and came home on Trebach’s slow dribbler to first. That gave B-CC a two-run cushion, 6-4.

Damascus cut the margin again in the top of the fifth. Two singles and a sacrifice fly led to the run. But the Fitzgerald-Trebach-Macklin combo caught the second base runner at third. After a walk, the Damascus right fielder tried to stretch his hit into a triple. But another perfect Fitzgerald-Trebach-Macklin relay nailed the runner – split seconds before the other base runner scored. So the run did not count. That left B-CC with a nail-biting 6-5 lead.

In the bottom of the fifth, the Barons’ bats went to work again in another two-out rally. Levine started it off with a double, and then Kohm walked. In came Willkens to pinch-hit for Hogan. Why Willkens, a sidearm pitcher? He has made the most of his few trips to the plate all season and had stunning stats: 8 hits, including a double and a triple, in nine at-bats, plus two walks, an .889 batting average, a .909 on-base percentage, and a 1.222 slugging percentage. He didn’t disappoint, stroking a triple to right, which brought in both base runners. That brought the score to 8-5.

In the top of the sixth, Coach Joseph brought in Fitzgerald as a reliever after Kohm had thrown nearly 100 pitches. A walk, a triple, another walk, a steal, and infield grounders enabled Damascus to notch two runs. First baseman Rossett’s two great picks of balls in the dirt kept the score down, and the inning ended with B-CC holding on to a slim 8-7 lead.

By the bottom of the sixth, the Damascus pitcher had thrown nearly 100 pitches as well, but unlike Coach Joseph, the Damascus coach kept his pitcher in. That may have been a mistake. Trebach and Fitzgerald walked, and then Macklin singled, bringing in Trebach. A double by Rossett brought in Fitzgerald and Macklin. That boosted the Barons’ lead to 11-7.

Damascus had one more chance at bat, but Fitzgerald bore down. The first batter flied out to right on the first pitch. The next batter singled. A couple of errors allowed one run in and put two runners on base. But a fielder’s choice from Trebach to Hogan made it two outs. The final batter also grounded to Trebach, who flipped the ball to Hogan for the final out – and a brilliant victory.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E	BB	K
Damascus	0	0	1	3	1	2	1	8	9	0	6	5
B-CC	0	1	4	1	2	3	X	11	14	3	6	5

- Reported by Stan Crock

Apr. 23: B-CC 25, Watkins Mill 9

The B-CC JV baseball team continued its offensive onslaught, whipping Watkins Mill 25-9 in a home game Wednesday. The 13-hit attack, including 5 extra-base hits, enabled the Barons to exploit eight Watkins Mill errors, four walks and two hit batters. The win raised B-CC’s record to 7-2.

B-CC didn’t waste any time, scoring 12 runs in the first inning. The first eight batters all reached based on three hits, two walks, two errors, and a hit batter. The Barons scored eight more in the second inning, after which Coach Joseph substituted freely. B-CC scored five more in the third, but Watkins Mill’s second reliever put the Barons down in order in the fourth. The Barons didn’t bat in the fifth because the lead of more than 10 runs prompted the umps to invoke the mercy rule and end the game. First baseman Daniel Rossett led the offensive charge with a single, double and triple. Adam Levine also had multiple hits, with two singles.

In the field, B-CC, like Watkins Mill, had its share of woes. While Barons starting pitcher Spencer Carle and reliever Covey Willkens limited Watkins Mill to five hits, they combined for nine walks and hit two batters, while fielders committed three errors.

But the Barons could stanch the tide when it counted. In the first inning, for example, after an error, strikeout and walk, B-CC pulled off the first of two double plays. Shortstop Ben Trebach fielded a grounder, stepped on second, and threw to Rossett for the out at first. In the top of the fifth inning, after a leadoff single, second baseman Paul Hogan dropped a fly ball, then quickly threw the ball to shortstop Mike Jest for the out at second. Jest then rifled the ball to Russell Crock at first for the second double play.

“It was another total team win,” Coach Joseph said. “We had all 17 guys contribute. We’re hitting the ball well and trying to get better each day. It was another impressive offensive output. We’re trying to bring the momentum into the Damascus game Saturday.”

That home game at 10 a.m. is expected to test just how good a team the Baron JVs have become. The JVs have lost two of three competitive games—the rest have been blowouts. Saturday will show if they can fare better against stiffer competition.

	1	2	3	4	5	R	H	E	BB	K
Watkins Mill	0	2	6	1	0	9	5	8	9	4
B-CC	12	8	5	0	X	25	13	3	4	1

- Reported by Stan Crock

Apr. 19: B-CC 16, Northwood 0

Led by Daniel Rossett’s impeccable one-hit, 11-strikeout performance, the B-CC JV baseball team battered Northwood 16-0 at B-CC on Saturday. Rossett showed a devastating mixture of curveballs, off-speed pitches and fastballs plus remarkable control, as he didn’t walk a single batter. He threw only 65 pitches in a mercy-rule shortened six-inning game, just four more than the Einstein pitcher threw in just the first inning the previous day. The Barons raised their record to 6-2.

Rossett had sterling support in the field. The Barons not only were error-free, but they also made two acrobatic defensive plays that belonged on 11 o’clock sports news highlights. In the first inning, a foul ball looked like it would be out of play behind or on top of the backstop. But when it came down inches from the top of the backstop and still in play, catcher Zack Coen dove for it and caught it at the fence. Later, Casey Fitzgerald, who had moved to shortstop from center field, dove to his left, caught a grounder, rolled over, got up and threw a perfect strike to Russell Crock at first for the final out.

B-CC’s scoring machine started slowly. Shortstop Ben Trebach led off with a triple and came home on Fitzgerald’s double. Second baseman Ollie Macklin’s sacrifice moved Fitzgerald to third. Rossett then hit a grounder to short, and the resulting error enabled Fitzgerald to score. The inning ended with B-CC up 2-0. The Barons picked up another run in the third on first baseman Jules Bodie’s homer, and it looked as if this could be another close game.

But in the fourth, the JVs got going. A pair of singles by right fielder Ben Kohm and Coen and a double by Trebach led to three runs. In the fifth, B-CC scored three more on three walks and singles by first baseman Russell Crock and Fitzgerald. A 9-run lead was not enough to shorten the game under the mercy rule, so B-CC, which was playing as the visiting team, got up again in the 6th.

That’s when the scoring machine went into high gear, pushing across 7 runs. Bodie singled, then third baseman Adam Levine doubled, as did Kohm. Crock singled, then catcher Douglas Pierce tripled down the right field line. Later Fitzgerald singled and Rossett drew a walk. Two errors and a couple of fielder’s choices enabled the last of the base runners to cross home plate.

In a sign of the team’s increasing sophistication, batters are coming back to the dugout with information about how the plate ump is calling strikes. One ump who has called a couple of recent games seems more interested in the height of the pitch than whether it actually is over the plate and calls pitches that are both outside and inside strikes. That is critical information for both batters and pitchers.

It shows the truth of the story about three umps who meet for a beer one day. The rookie ump says, “I’ve got it all figured out. I call ‘em as I see ‘em.” The veteran ump chuckles and says, “Not even close. I call ‘em as they are.” The retired ump doubles over in laughter and says, “You guys, you guys. You don’t have a clue. It ain’t nuthin’ ‘til you call it.”

In another exclusive interview with the B-CC website, Coach Joseph said: “It was another good team effort. Rossett pitched a great ballgame—only 65 pitches for a complete ball game. Everybody’s hitting the ball well. I’m looking for bigger and better things to come.”

	1	2	3	4	5	6	R	H	E	BB	K
B-CC	2	0	1	3	3	7	16	13	0	0	11
Northwood	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	6	5	5

- Reported by Stan Crock

Apr. 18: B-CC 35, Einstein 6

In another mismatch, the B-CC JV baseball team eviscerated Einstein 35-6 in a Friday home game. The Barons, who raised their record to 5-2, began the barrage in the first inning with 10 runs. They added 4 in the second, 13 in the third, and 8 in the fourth. The umps invoked the mercy rule to end the game in the fifth.

Ben Kohm pitched the first two innings before Coach Joseph substituted heavily. The freshman fireballer, who mixed up his fastball and some tough-to-hit breaking balls, struck out three, walked one, and allowed no hits or runs. Covey Willkens relieved him and struck out one, walked four and allowed one hit. Errors and walks led to the Titans’ runs.

While B-CC had 11 hits, the Einstein pitcher accounted for most of the B-CC runs. He threw an astonishing 205 pitches (double what the pros usually throw), walked 21 batters and hit two batters. Leadoff batter Ben Trebach alone had 6 walks in seven at-bats. Fans in the stands questioned the wisdom of leaving in the Einstein pitcher, given the number of pitches thrown, but he was left to pitch the entire game.

Among the hitting stars for the Barons, Douglas Pierce had two doubles, Russell Crock had a single and a double, and Willkens had two singles and a triple.

“It was great weather out. Our boys came to play,” said Coach Joseph. “Ben Kohm threw a great ballgame. It was tough to take him out. But Covey Willkens came in and pitched well. I am looking forward to continuing the momentum.”

	1	2	3	4	5	R	H	E	BB	K
Einstein	0	0	0	2	4	6	1	7	5	4
B-CC	10	4	13	8	X	35	11	4	21	4

- Reported by Stan Crock

Apr. 17: B-CC 4, Poolesville 2

Catcher Zack Coen’s two-out double in the bottom of the sixth knocked in pitcher Adam Levine and right fielder Ben Kohm, providing the winning margin in B-CC’s 4-2 victory over Poolesville in a home game Thursday. Levine notched the victory, which brought the Barons JV’s record to 4-2. Casey Fitzgerald relieved Levine and set Poolesville down in order, with two strikeouts, in the seventh.

Poolesville scored first in the second inning after a couple of walks, steals and a sacrifice fly. The Falcons scratched out another run in the third when the pitcher reached second on a throwing error, took third on a passed ball, and scored on another sacrifice fly. But the Barons scored in the bottom of the third on second baseman Ollie Macklin’s sharp hit to third, which the third baseman couldn’t handle.

Poolesville picked up its first and only hit in the fourth, but couldn’t score. The Barons evened the game in the bottom of the fifth, when shortstop Ben Trebach reached first on an error, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on third baseman Fitzgerald’s sacrifice fly to center, and scored on Macklin’s sacrifice fly to center.

B-CC survived hitting into two double-plays and yet another botched rundown, which should have erased a Poolesville runner. But the Barons generally fielded well, making only two errors, and made the most of their four hits and Poolesville’s six errors in this pitchers’ duel.

“We finally won a close one,” said Coach Joseph. “It was well-played in all aspects. Levine and Fitzgerald combined to pitch a great ballgame. Trebach had a great game at short, anchoring our defense. And Coen’s two-out base hit proved to be the difference.”

The rescheduled game against Einstein is Friday at home at 3:30.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E	BB	K
Poolesville	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	2	1	6	3	9
B-CC	0	0	1	0	1	2	0	4	4	2	3	1

- Reported by Stan Crock

Apr. 14: Paint Branch 10, B-CC 7

Several costly B-CC errors enabled a solid Paint Branch JV baseball team to eke out a 10-7 win at home Monday. The defeat brought the Barons’ record to 3-2.

B-CC drew first blood in the top of the first inning. Centerfielder Casey Fitzgerald singled, then stole second. Pitcher Daniel Rossett’s two-out single brought Fitzgerald home, and that ended the Barons’ scoring in the first. But the Paint Branch Panthers struck back quickly. After a diving catch by catcher Zack Coen for the first out, a double, an error, a single and a sacrifice fly to centerfield enabled Paint Branch to take a 3-1 lead.

Not to be outdone, the Barons scored four runs in the top of the second to roar back into a 5-3 lead. First baseman Jules Bodie and right fielder Adam Levine both reached base on errors. Then designated hitter Russell Crock walked. A single by left fielder Spencer Carle brought in Bodie, and another single by Coen brought in Levine and a speedy Crock. After a leadoff walk in the bottom of the second, Rossett put the Panthers down in order.

The Barons were scoreless in the top of the third, but Paint Branch came back in the bottom of the inning with four runs on two singles, two walks and an error to take a 7-5 lead. The Panthers added another run in the 4th and two more in the sixth, for their 10 runs. B-CC didn’t score again until the top of the seventh, when Fitzgerald led off with a double, then came home after Rossett reached base on an error. After Bodie walked, Levine’s single knocked in the Barons’ final run.

One irony about the game is that the Barons made the hard catches, but botched some of the easy ones. Along with Coen’s dive, Jules Bodie made a diving catch of a foul ball, and third baseman Ollie Macklin made a great stab to end the sixth inning. On the other hand, the ball squirted out of gloves on what seemed to be a certain rundown at third and an out at home. An overthrow at third also enabled Paint Branch to keep a rally alive.

“We faced a tough pitcher,” said Coach Joseph. “We hit him around pretty well. If we execute a few plays differently, we win the ball game. Macklin had a great day at third [with some long throws for putouts at first]. We’re swinging the bats well.”

The next game is Thursday at 3:30 at B-CC against Poolesville.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E	BB	K
B-CC	1	4	0	0	0	0	3	7	7	3	3	3
Paint Branch	3	0	4	1	0	2	0	10	7	4	4	0

- Reported by Stan Crock

Apr. 11: B-CC 25, Kennedy 0

The JV Barons baseball team clobbered an overmatched Kennedy High School team 25-0 at Kennedy on Friday, raising its record to 3-1. Starter Ben Kohm pitched three innings, allowing one hit and four walks and striking out the side in each inning. Ollie Macklin finished up with two innings of no-hit ball, striking out five, walking three, and finally providing a fielding chance on the last batter, who grounded to third baseman Adam Levine for an easy out. Besides the pitchers, the only other player with any action, catcher Ben Bialek, made numerous good stops.

The run total would have been much lower but for 11 Kennedy errors, many of them on what could have been easy plays to cut off B-CC rallies. But the Barons would have scored a significant number of runs in any event with their barrage of 18 hits. Covey Willkens had three singles and a double, Levine added a single and a double. Daniel Rossett, Ben Kohm, Mike Jest and Ben Bialek had two singles each. And Russell Crock, Jules Bodie, Spencer Carle and Macklin had one single each. Every Baron scored at least one run. “We were swinging the bats, and we put up a bunch of runs,” said Coach Joseph. “Bialek had a great day behind the plate. We completed all our chances in the field. We’re looking to improve every game.” The ump stopped the game after five innings, invoking the mercy rule because of B-CC’s huge lead for the third time in four games.

The JVs have a busy week coming up, with a game at Paint Branch on Monday at 3:30, then consecutive 3:30 home games on Thursday against Poolesville and Friday against Einstein (postponed because of last week’s lockdown at Einstein). On Saturday, the Barons play a 10 a.m. away game at Northwood.

	1	2	3	4	5	R	H	E	K	BB
B-CC	2	1	3	12	7	25	18	0	2	5
Kennedy	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	11	14	7

- Reported by Stan Crock

Apr. 8: B-CC 13, Seneca Valley 2

For the second time in three games, the umps invoked the mercy rule to stop short a Barons JV Baseball blowout as B-CC cruised to a 13-2 victory over Seneca Valley April 8. Behind the three-hit pitching of Daniel Rossett, the Barons jumped to an 8-2 lead after three innings. That prompted Coach Joseph to put in substitutes, and eventually everyone played but Covey Willkens, who was scheduled to pitch the next day.

Spencer Carle, who started in left, relieved Rossett and blanked Seneca Valley, which also substituted liberally. “Daniel Rossett pitched a gem,” says Coach Joseph in another exclusive interview with the B-CC web page. “It was a whole team win. Everyone contributed.”

B-CC, which raised its record to 2-1, struck for two runs in the top of the first on an error, a walk, a Rossett single, another error, and a Carle single. The Barons struck for four more in the second when catcher Zack Coen singled, shortstop Ben Trebach walked, and centerfielder Casey Fitzgerald singled in Coen. Then third baseman Oliver Macklin singled in Trebach, and Rossett’s second single brought in both Fitzgerald and Macklin. Rossett was out on a fielder’s choice, and a well-executed double-play ended the Barons rally.

B-CC scored one in the third and four more in the fourth on two errors, a player hit by a pitch, and consecutive singles by second baseman Paul Hogan and Carle. Once again, B-CC batters hit the ball in the gaps between fielders, producing 11 hits in the ump-shortened five-inning game. B-CC also fielded well, with two errors compared with seven by Seneca Valley.

	1	2	3	4	5	R	H	E	K	BB
B-CC	3	4	1	4	1	13	11	2	2	7
Seneca Valley	0	0	2	0	0	2	5	7	3	3

- Reported by Stan Crock

Apr. 5: Churchill 11, B-CC 5

For six of seven innings, the JV baseball team outscored Churchill 5-1 in a home game April 5. Unfortunately, there was another inning, the second inning. The Bulldogs’ blistering bats, a muddy, slippery outfield, and costly errors enabled Churchill to score 10 runs on seven hits, three walks and an error.

The poor footing meant that it was hard for the outfielders to get a good jump on short flies, and center fielder Casey Fitzgerald slipped and fell trying to get one fly ball. Despite the Barons’ valiant effort to come back from an 11-2 deficit, Churchill emerged with an 11-5 victory. That evened the Barons’ record at 1-1.

Churchill did what B-CC did in its first game—it hit the ball in the gaps between fielders. B-CC, in contrast, often put good wood on the ball, but hit it right at fielders for easy outs. Some B-CC base running gaffes helped cut short some potential rallies.

Churchill scored one run on two hits—a leadoff double and a single—in the first inning off freshman fastball pitcher Ben Kohm. In the second inning, a succession of singles, a double, an error and three walks led to the rest of Churchill’s runs. Freshman side-arm pitcher Covey Willkens relieved Kohm in the second and held the Bulldogs scoreless. Sophomore pitcher Adam Levine pitched the last two innings and held Churchill hitless.

B-CC scored its four runs in the first two innings with help from seven walks. B-CC’s leadoff batter, shortstop Ben Trebach, continued his remarkable streak with two more walks and now has five walks in eight plate appearances. Sophomore right fielder Jules Bodie was 2-for-3 and freshman first baseman Daniel Rossett was 2-for-4. One defensive Barons bright spot: in another instance of bad footing, Bodie slipped and fell in right field but miraculously reached up and still caught the ball for an out.

The next game is Monday, April 7, at Seneca Valley at 3:30.

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	R	H	E	K	BB/HBP
Churchill	1	10	0	0	0	0	0	11	13	0	3	5
B-CC	2	2	0	0	1	0	0	5	5	2	6	9

- Reported by Stan Crock

Apr. 1: B-CC 12, Clarksburg 2

The JV baseball team crushed Clarksburg 12-2 in its season opener at B-CC April 1. Sophomore pitcher Dan Rossett scattered four hits, with one strikeout, one walk and one earned run in five innings. The umps enforced the “mercy rule” and stopped what would normally be a seven-inning game in the bottom of the fifth when B-CC built its lead to 10 runs.

The Barons’ defense was little short of spectacular. Sophomore shortstop Ben Trebach made a couple of acrobatic catches. Freshman catcher Zack Coen caught a foul ball at the fence. Aside from one throwing error, the team fielded flawlessly on defense. That was critical because Rossett was throwing strikes but had few strikeouts. Clarksburg was no slouch at bat, but B-CC made the plays.

On offense, B-CC was equally impressive. The Barons unleashed a barrage of extra-base hits, including four doubles and a triple. Typical of the Barons’ power was sophomore center fielder Casey Fitzgerald’s second at-bat. He creamed a pitch to deep center field. Clarksburg’s speedy center fielder caught up to the ball but dropped it for an error. That long hit brought in two runs, though. Fitzgerald followed up with a double and then a triple. Sophomore third baseman Adam Levine, sophomore first baseman Jules Bodie, and freshman second baseman Oliver Macklin also doubled.

The JV team was adept at the basics as well, with Coen laying down two perfect bunts and Trebach working the Clarksburg pitchers for three walks in four at-bats. “We swung the bats well and played good defense,” Coach Joseph said in an exclusive interview with the B-CC website. That sums up well a stellar performance in the team’s home opener.

	1	2	3	4	5	R	H	E	K	BB
Clarksburg	1	0	1	0	0	2	4	2	1	1
B-CC	0	5	0	3	4	12	11	1	5	7

- Reported by Stan Crock