Ashburn, Va. — In a Potomac District showdown, the Lightridge Lightning broke away late to secure a 13-6 win over the Briar Woods Falcons and continue their impressive start to the season on April 16 in Ashburn.
“It was a hard fought win,” Lightridge head coach Kenny Moreland said. “Proud of my boys for rallying around and sticking with the team, especially early on when we faced some adversity.”
The final score doesn’t tell the whole story of how the game unfolded. Two of the best pitchers in the district took the mound with senior pitcher Mason Sproat on the bump for the Lightning and senior Jake Ludwig starting the game for the Falcons.
It took Ludwig some time to find the strike zone early on, allowing each of the first three batters to reach a base in their first plate appearances. This put Ludwig in a tough no-out, bases-loaded situation, however, he was able to settle in to deliver a clean top of the first for Briar Woods.
“They have some great players,” Moreland said. “There are some very talented players on that team.”
In the bottom of the first, the Falcons were able to strike first with an RBI single from junior infielder Gage Strucko.
That 1-0 lead didn’t last long, however, as a 3-run top of the second gave the Lightning a 3-1 lead after two innings.
In the third and fourth innings, both teams traded runs, giving the Lightning a 6-4 lead after four innings. Even though Lightridge was up by two, it could have been a lot more. The Lightning finished the night leaving 12 runners on base, with multiple missed opportunities to score them.
Already at 90 pitches heading into the fifth inning, Ludwig was given the ball once more to try to finish out the top of the lineup. Ludwig was able to strike out two and only needed fifteen pitches to retire the side.
Briar Woods entered the bottom of the sixth down 6-4, still within reach of taking the lead late. With outs dwindling, the Falcons needed some clutch hits and the top of the lineup was able to deliver. Strucko along with junior infielder Max Lawson were able to fight through counts and get on base to tie the game at 6-6/
“I wish I didn’t throw as many balls as I did,” Sproat said. “You have days like that. It’s disappointing, but it’s going to happen.”
If Briar Woods wanted to complete the comeback on a walk-off, they would first have to survive the top of the seventh. Unfortunately for Briar Woods, Lightning batters were able to fight through counts and draw multiple walks to begin seventh. Five runs crossed the plate before Briar Woods decided to dig deeper into their bullpen.
“We were able to start hitting the ball more, getting kids on base, walking,” Sproat said. “We did what needed to be done to win the game.”
No matter what pitcher the Falcons threw onto the mound, the Lightning were able to continue to draw walks, ultimately, leading to a 7-run lead when the top of the frame was finally over.
After Briar Woods went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh, the Lightning were able to walk away with a 13-6 victory over a district rival.
“We had better at bats,” Moreland said. “Fighting off pitches and being more selective got us the win.”
The Lightning and Falcons will now regroup to face each other again on April 18 in Ashburn.
“We tell our kids to enjoy this win for 30 minutes,” Moreland said. “Then flush it and move on to the next game.”