| May 6, 1999 Spirit of Jefferson Farmers Advocate |  |
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SPIRIT OF JEFFERSON Farmer's ADVOCATE - Thursday, May 6, 1999 11
By Bob Madison
NY --- There
numerous major league
played on Doubleday Field
Lthe so-called Birthplace of
Nolan Ryan, the
king of all baseball his-
Js 20- and 30-game
]n the American and Na-
:ue have toiled on the
Jefferson's lefthanded se-
Josh Cenate set a
Doubleday Field record
Struck out 17 batters and
Superb support as the
beat nationally-ranked
Baptist, 5-3, in a tense,
g-on-nearly-
game on a weather-
last Friday.
faced a team of experi-
Well-fundamentaled play-
annually play in a 100 or
year including their
junior American Le-
fall league schedules.
ale Baptist was 21-3 and
16th ranking among
nited States high school
according to USA Today
even with those creden-
Baptist couldn't
fastball of Cenate's for
the Marylanders did
catch up to some of
his teammates
carve out a 5-0 lead
zealously protected with
: plays afield.
fanned the side in each
three innings.
~s )rovided with a 4-0
inning when Josh
Nelson
losing to Jefferson),
followed with a drive
fence in left that was
for an error.
drove a Nelson
far over the 336-foot sign
a three-run homer.
a strikeout (Nelson would
on strikes in his six
of work), Jimmy Rhodes
le bleachers in right ibr
second Cougar home
a 4-0 lead.
recorded his 10th
; in 10 Riverdale outs, he
catc~i~, de~l~. :~~i
S
Brooks retrieving the ball on the
warning track, the runner would
try to score from first. Brooks
made a perfect relay to Eric Smoot
in shallow left. Smoot, in turn,
fired a strike to catcher Ethan
Osbourn, who tagged the runner
about 10-feet up the baseline.
Cenate's lead was still at 4-0
after the defensive heroics.
Cenate fanned two more in the
fifth, the other out made on a fine,
backhanded stop by second
baseman Craig Smith.
With two outs in the Jefferson
fifth, Cenate rifled a sharp single
to right and was replaced by
courtsey runner Mike Moulton.
Moulton fled home on a double to
the fence by Justin Osbourn, who
got his fourth RBI on the hit.
At 5-0, Jefferson still wasn't
safe.
With his pitch count in excess
of a hundred, Cenate walked his
first man to open the Riverdale
sixth. He got Nelson on strikes for
the third time. Kemp singled and
Dulaney got his third hit --- a
double --- to give Riverdale its first
run. Cenate walked the next bat-
ter, leaving the bases loaded and
just one out.
Cenate then chalked up his
14th and 15th strikeouts, getting
Davis and Clark each for the third
from Green. Josh Cenate warms up be-
up a single and the fore the Riverdale Baptist
a drive just inside game at Cooperstownts
foul line. With ChrisDou.bleday Field.
Jason Ritenour's pitching
could be a key to any Shep-
herd success at the WVC tour-
nament.
time.
Riverdale had made a run at
the lead, but Cenate had stranded
three runners with two more
strikeouts.
By Bob Madison
With a sweep of a WVC double-
header against Concord,
Shepherd's baseball team
achieved one of its goals it set back
in January. But the Rams want
more than a third consecutive
Northern Division title --- which
they earned by dealing the Moun-
tain Lions 4-2 and 8-6 defeats
this season.
Shepherd wants its first confer-
ence championship and the NCAA
Division II regional bid that goes
with it.
That elusive league title comes
into clear view tomorrow when the
Rams join West Virginia State and
two other teams in Bluefield for
the double elimination conference
tournament.
Shepherd finished its league
schedule with a 16-6 record and a
22-17 overall mark.
Entering the post-season tour-
nament along with the Rams and
State are Davis & Elkins, West Va.
Wesleyan, Concord, and Fair-
mont. D & E and Wesleyan played
a single elimination game as did
Fairmont and Concord. The win-
ners of those two elimination
games join Shepherd and State in
Bluefield this weekend.
In Saturday's twin wins the
Rams got complete-game pitching
wins from Ty Hart and Travis
Bagent, both of whom won their
seventh game.
Hart had a shutout for five in-
nings and protected a 4-0 lead by
keeping his walks to a minimum
and letting his defense --- which
was exceptional at times --- get
most of the 21 outs he recorded.
In fashioning his seven innings
of winning pitching, Hart scat-
tered six hits and two walks. He
had five strikeouts and was
touched for just Toby Legacy's
two-run homer.
Even though it managed 11
hits against Concord's Jimmy
Clay, the Rams left seven runners
in the first five innings and
couldn't push Concord into the
loss column until Hart stranded
two runners in the seventh inning.
Chad Blevins homered,
Shepherd's baseball team welcomes pitcher Ty Hart and
the regulars as they come off the field following a win. The
Rams go to Bluefleld tomorrow for the WVC tournament, a
four-team, double elimination affair.
Nelson got his 10th and llth
strikeouts in the Jefferson sixth. Bagent and Adam Straskulic
Riverdale had another rally had two hits and Brian Tozer and
waiting in the seventh. Bill Staubs each reached base
A leadoff walk and bunt single twice as the Rams put 13 base
gave Riverdale a start, runners on against Clay.
Cenate fanned Dorsey with his The second game featured a
only changeup of the day. He got number of lead changes and mul-
Nelson on a pop fly to shortstop, tiple-run innings as the hitters
But Kemp singled sharply to left made up for being mostly ineffec-
to change the scoreboard to read tive in the first game.
"5-3". Shepherd threw 12 hits at two
Dulaney, who was 3-for-3, be- Concord pitchers and had base
came the tying run as he faced runners in every inning except
Cenate a fourth time. Cenate ran one. Concord banged out 11 hits
the count to 2-and-2 before slip- and put 16 base runners aboard
ping a fastball by him for a game- against Bagent.
clinching 17th strikeout. Tyler Gaines was 3-for-4,
Riverdale got seven hits --- four D amien Austin 3-for-3, and
in the last two innings. Cenate Fincham 2-for-2 with three runs
gave the Marylanders four walks scored and three RBIs as the
and three earned runs, but his 17 Rams finally trumped Concord's
strikeouts ruled the day. last runs with a three-run sixth
Nelson, the acknowledged ace inning of their own.
of Riverdale's deep pitching staff, Trailing, 6-5, the Rams scored
limited Jefferson to five hits and three times despite seeing~the
walked but one man. Four of the first two batters retired.
runs he allowed were earned, and Blevins singled as did Gaines.
the first-inning home runs by Jus- Fincham, a senior playing his
tin Osbourn and Rhodes held up final home game, unloaded a long
as game-deciding hits. double to the fence in deepest
Cenate had four innings in rightcenter. Blevins and Gaines
which he struck out the side and both scored. Brian Tozer then
two ot~ers whe~ he got two men.doubled, and had three~BIs, plated Eincham with a double to
'R~ S~el~6'i~: 10ses to a while one of Andt'ew Fine,am
public school, Jefferson being its two singles got the other run Bagent had his only 1-2-3 in-
first such loss this season. But home. Fincham would go 4-for-5 ning in closing out the game in the
in the doubleheader, including a seventh.
Continued on next page game-breaking double in the sixth Staub, Bagent, Austin and
inning of the second game. Jamie Ware were the other Rams
seeing their final sunlite Saturday
at Fairfax Field.
The Rams split a Friday
twinbill at home with West Vir-
ginia Wesleyan, winning the
opener 5-4 before being muzzled
by Bobcat pitchers Ryan Sawyers
and Dennis Emison in a 5-0 loss in
the nightcap.
Tozer's homer and a three-run
first inning helped Shepherd to a
4-0 lead in the opener. Ware had a
shutout through three innings,
but surrendered three runs him-
self in the Bobcat fourth.
Wesleyan, which managed just
four hits, tied it 4-4 in the sixth
against Jason Ritenour.
In the Shepherd seventh,
Blevins and Gaines had singles.
Austin produced a third straight
single, but Blevins was thrown out
at home. Gaines scored the game-
winner on Chad Hartman's
fielder's choice grounder.
Sawyers and Emison limited
the Rams to six hits in the second
game as Wesleyan clinched a
berth in the six-team playoffs.
Shepherd needed to win both
games on Saturday against Con-
cord to insure the Northern Divi-
sion title.
With Hart and the hitting they
got to help Bagent's complete
game win, the Rams go into Blue-
field tomorrow winning 20 of their
last 27 games.
!
~Y Bob Madison
is an adage in baseball
admonishes when it
never have too much
teams --- whether it
jor leagues, college, high
Youth leagues --- pros-
with the quality and
pitching.
schedules the maxi-
of 30 games in its
Season, Jefferson is al-
tnting on its proven,
pitchers to carry
to another season-to-
Uling five and sometimes
a week means the Cou-
an abundance of pitch-
only good control but
"out" pitch if they
a string of 20-win
has reached past 20
1~ a row.
[999 season, the annual
has brought an-
of winning high
~gars have at least
arms who can all
strikes to beat the
area of the state.
~ing the Hawaiian
Tournament in
the Jefferson pitch-
COmpetent enough to
of some well-known
the South.
past weekend, Jeffer-
~ated Riverdale Baptist
~ate-Rosemary Hall.
was ranked 16th na-
USA Today and Choate
//
"
JOSH CENATE
JIMMY RHODES
could have still won both games
because its pitching kept it in the
hunt despite errors and the occa-
sional mental lapse. The Cougars
were beaten by 3-1 and 4-1 scores.
That's because the pitching has
not taken a day off, has never sur-
opponent or the games of most im-
portance. He has a no-hitter, five
one-hitters, and a two-hitter in
addition to his win over Riverdale
Baptist in his season filled with
strikeouts.
Rhodes follows Cenate --- the
same as he did in the 1998 state
tournament where he got a com-
plete-game victory in a 5-3 title-
game ~vin over South Charleston -
-- and is unbeaten this year at 6-0.
He defeated Thomas Johnson,
won two games in the Hawaiian
Tropic stay in South Carolina and
just topped Choate.
Smoot is also unbeaten at 5-0.
His versatility means his pitching
innings are sometimes curtailed
by the time he has put in at short-
stop, second base, or first base.
Ballenger had about three
starts before falling to appendici-
tis. He pitched against Brito High
of Miami. His fastball was usually
around 80 mph, easily enough to
beat most of the teams on the Cou-
gars' schedule.
Christman also pitched against
Brito, giving it only three hits in
three innings. The junior throws
strikes with both his fastball and
curve, therefore giving his stock
more thought since he can be
brought on in relief even with run-
ners on because he will not walk
many people.
Smith won five games as a
freshman. He has recently been
installed at second base and ap-
pears to have solidified his
chances of being a starter the rest
of the year with some sparkling
defensive plays. Smith had some
arm stiffness in the early weeks of
the season and may have missed
some chances to pitch because of
~that condition.
rendered even one big inning, and
thought it could win has displayed very good-to-excel-
.f it played well. Itlent control in all 24 games.
those teams
a trip to the so-called Seniors Josh Cenate and Eric Walls has done his pitching
and the village Smoot; juniors Jimmy Rhodes, with the jayvee team to date, but
to the baseball Hall Steve Christman, and Brandon his 16 strikeouts against Martins-
Ballenger (now missing becauseburg did not go unnoticed. Walls
as rooted in its an operation to remove his appen- has had games where he started
dix); sophomore Craig Smith; and in rightfield or was the designated
to a 21-3 record in freshman Sam Walls are the seven hitter. He pinch runs on occasion.
last Saturday, the pitchers who either have been For a team to have seven pitch-
ave shown conclusive credited with a win in all 21 ers throwing strikes might be con-
they can play with games or figure to be used more sidered a luxury. But when a team
in the eastern prominently as the regular season plays 30 games in a short number
winds toward post-season- of weeks, the adage about never
are silenced important games, having too much pitching is al-
ia losses to Urbana Cenate figures to pitch in the ways on the minds of those in
of Miami, Jefferson games against the most talented charge of Jefferson baseball.
By Bob Madison Mercer and hit the inning's second
Jefferson overwhelmed Martinsburg, 12-0, in a sectional baseball homer.
game before turning its attention northward to Cooperstown and Mike Moulton made it three
Riverdale Baptist and Choate. Jefferson batters in succession to
Senior Eric Smoot improved his record to 4-0 with a two-hitter homer when he found the bleach-
over five innings. He was the recipient of generous run support and ers in centerfield with his blast.
11 hits as the Cougars scored early and often in running their record Leading 9-0, Smoot had his
to 19-3 and sectional mark to 3-0. only real problem inning in the
The Cougars had won an earlier mercy-shortened game in Mar- seventh.
tinsburg and outscored the Bulldogs 25-2 in 10 1/2 innings of base- An error opened the door for
ball during the regular season, two Indians' runs.
Smoot fanned five, allowed but one walk and permitted just three A single and Brad Close's two-
base runners to reach safely against him. run double gave the Indians the
Meanwhile, Jefferson scored three runs in the first and four more runs they needed to avoid a shut-
in the second before scoring five times in the fourth inning. In four out.
innings of hitting/scoring, the Cougars had 16 of their 27 batters When Smoot hit the batter af-
reach base. ter Close, junior Steve Christman
There were nine extra base hits, including Josh Cenate's homer, replaced him. Christman retired
Justin Osbourn had two doubles, Chris Brooks a triple and a double, the two men he faced to end the
Josh Green a triple, Smoot a double, Scott Wells a triple and Donnie game.
Dunn a double. Smoot's pitching line read:
Cenate had three RBIs, Smoot two, Wells, Brooks, and Adam 6 1/3 innings, seven hits, one
Webb one each. earned run, one hit batter and
Green scored three times, Cenate two and Smoot two. his fifth win without a loss.
Smoot faced the minimum number of batters in the second and The Cougars, who wrapped up
fifth innings. He faced just four batters in the other three innings he the sectional regular season "bye"
pitched, when Martinsburg and Hedges-
Jefferson improved its record to ville split two games on Monday,
22-3 on Tuesday with a 9-2 win at Donnie Dunn walked with two pleyed the Eagles last night. Jef-
Berkeley Springs. Eric Smoot outs. Josh Green tripled plating ferson won't play again until next
moved his record to 5-0 as he Adam Webb who was a runner for week.
blanked the Indians for six in- Dunn.
nings and the Cougars chased Smoot protected the slender
starting pitcher Jamie Mason in lead through four innings of shut-
the fifth with a six-run rally that out pitching.
was highlighted by three home Craig Smith started the Cou-
runs. gar fifth by reaching safely on an
The Cougars took a 2-0 lead in error. Green drew a walk and
the first inning when Josh Cenate Cenate followed with a run-scor-
doubled with one out. Justin ingdouble.
Osbourn walked with B.J. Mercer, Smoot helped his own cause
back in the lineup for the first and broke the game open with a
time in three weeks, was credited three-run homer that gave the
with a sacrifice fly scoring Cenate. Cougars a 7-0 lead.
Osbourn scored on the same play Jimmy Rhodes pinch hit for
when a relay throw was wild.
In the Jefferson second, catcher
VALLEY
YOUTH SOCCER
REGISTRATION
The Jefferson Co. Youth Soccer
League will have its registration
for the fall of '99 and the spring of
2000 on May 8 and May 15 from 9
a.m. to I p.m. at the Charles Town
fields on Jefferson Ave. Ages 4 1/2
to 18 can play and the cost is $45
per child. This is an "everybody
plays" league. For more info call
Vicki Beha at 728-8577.
(Large or Small Amounts) At
PACKAGED SEED
FULL SERVICE HARDWARE
121 W.Washington Street, Charles Town, W.Vs.
