The varsity baseball team has had a rollercoaster start to their season. With a 2-3 record so far, the team has shown flashes of dominance but has also gone through some tough losses, including a tight defeat against Quince Orchard.
The season opener on Mar. 21 against Quince Orchard was nothing short of dramatic. The Patriots held their own in a tight contest, tying 2-2 heading into the seventh inning. Senior pitcher and outfielder Luke Brunner delivered in the clutch with a three-run homer, putting Wootton up 5-2 and seemingly sealing their win. However, Quince Orchard came back with four runs in the bottom of the inning, leaving the Patriots with a 6-5 loss. “After we lost QO we had to tighten up defensively and find more opportunities offensively, and we’re going to try to capitalize on that throughout the season, we’ll improve,” math teacher and baseball coach J.D Marchand said.
Bouncing back quickly, the team dominated against Rockville on Mar. 25 with a charging 7-1 win. The game was never in question, as the Patriots took control early on. Junior captain and catcher Kai Schmelzer added to the offensive with a key double, and Rockville struggled to keep up.
On Mar. 27, the team faced off against Poolesville and came away with another victory, winning 5-1. Poolesville’s starting pitcher was a tough challenge early on, keeping the game close. But once he was pulled from the game, the Patriots were able to take full advantage, breaking through to secure their win.
The matchup against Sherwood on Mar. 29 proved to be an even tougher test. The game was locked at 0-0 until the fourth inning, where Sherwood’s offense found a footing and dominated. A nine-run fifth inning sent the Patriots into the dumps, and even with a three-run sixth inning, the team couldn’t recover, falling 9-3. Senior captain and first baseman Jack Kerns was a highlight of the afternoon with a double, yet it was not enough to overcome Sherwood’s big inning.
Most recently, the Patriots faced off against defending state champions Magruder on Apr. 2. The team fell short once again, losing 7-6. “We were unfocused, and we came up with a good lead so we felt confident and comfortable. We need to keep our foot on the gasoline: that’s why we lost, we went a little easier toward the end of the game. We need to put our everything into every inning,” junior outfielder Maxwell Scherr said.
As for junior varsity, the arrow lands in nearly the same spot: three losses and two wins. The team experienced competitive games, with a loss against Quince Orchard and a win against Magruder, though every other win and loss has been dominant on the winners end, with the Patriots taking home the gold against Rockville 12-0, and losses against Sherwood 14-3 as well as Poolesville 11-8.
Was Magruder just a difficult challenge against a couple of champions for the Patriots, or is this reflective of what’s to come? One thing’s for certain, if the season is going to start looking up, hard work, energy and best effort need to be expected and put forth. “We play Damascus tomorrow and Whitman on Saturday, we’re preparing by working hard and practicing different situations that we’re expecting to face in the games,” Kerns said.
Varsity baseball’s next game is away against Damascus today at 3:45 p.m., with a home game against Whitman quickly following on Apr. 5 at 2 p.m..
