The baseball season swung into action with their first game on Mar. 19, and the Patriots have hope for a successful year. Despite their best efforts, the team was knocked out in the first round of playoffs for the 2022-2023 season by rival Churchill. However, the boys are back and are starting the season with a 2-4 record.
So far the team has played Quince Orchard, Whitman, Poosville, Sherwood, Magruder and Damascus.
On Mar. 25 the team played a doubleheader against Whitman and Poolsville. The Patriots came out strong but fell short to Whitman, resulting in a 10-6 loss. However, they were able to get their momentum back up and pull out a 1-0 win over Poolesville. “The double header was a good learning experience. Despite losing to Whitman, we proved to ourselves that we were able to compete with the high ranked teams in the county. After that loss we were able to settle in and win the next game,” sophomore captain Kai Schmelzer said.
The following game took place on Apr. 5 against Sherwood. Prior to the game, the Patriots anticipated a challenging matchup. The team put up a good fight, but defensive errors resulted in an 8-4 loss. “The Sherwood game was competitive. Our team beat ourselves and was a large reason we lost. We made too many errors in the field, which cost us some runs. However, similarly to the Whitman game, we showed our offense could compete with any team in the county, “ Schmelzer said.
The Patriots then played Magruder on Apr. 6 where they took an 11-0 loss. The boys started off strong with high energy, however they later lost it and handed Magruder the game. On Apr. 8 the Patriots played Damascus where they lost 6-2. “As a team we need to build up our energy and chemistry. Based on our last few games, those are key things we have been lacking and are hoping to see a change with as the season progresses,” junior Luke Brunner said.
The junior varsity team has also had a rocky start to the season. Despite their remarkable 4-0 record for pre-season scrimmages, the team has lost momentum. They began on Mar. 21 against Quince Orchard where they fell just short, resulting in a 7-6 loss. On Mar. 25 the Patriots played a double header. They first took on Walter Johnson, where sophomore Cyrus Kaz hit a deep shot to left field giving the team a lead in the game, which they would eventually win 7-6. The next game of the doubleheader was played against Whitman where the boys lost 16-8. Kaz led the day going 4-4 with other strong performances by sophomores Blake Graham and Hunter Sullivan. The next two games were both losses, 11-6 against Magruder on Apr. 6, and 3-2 against Damascus on Apr. 8.
The JV team is putting in the work and practicing every day with the intent to develop better chemistry and skills in hope to turn the season around. “Coming in as a team who is new to each other is kind of a struggle since we lack chemistry. In an effort to grow as a team we need to work more on communication and overall team bonding such as team dinners and hangouts,” freshman Luca Phillips said.
