Morton hits game-winning home run for Oxon Hill

By James A. McCray III
Prince George's County, Content Manager

As the baseball traveled toward home plate, Oxon Hill first baseman Aryn Morton tightened his grip on the bat and took a mighty swing.

The ball jumped off of his bat and headed high into the sky towards the left-field fence of the Oxon Hill Clippers baseball field.

The further the ball traveled, the bigger Morton's smile got on his trip around the bases, and for good reason, as his sixth-inning, two-run home run proved to be the game winner in Oxon Hill's 10-8 victory over the visiting Parkdale Panthers in Friday's opening round of the 4A South playoffs.

"I was struggling earlier," Morton admitted. "So, I just had to wait for my pitch. I got a good swing on it and it went."

The entire Clipper dugout sported smiles as Morton rounded the bases and eventually tapped his foot on home plate as the Clippers, and head coach Caleb Hertz, overcame a five-run deficit to earn the victory and a trip into the second round.

"I did a lot of hollering," joked Hertz on how his team got back into the game. "But, the thing we have been teaching them all year is that they have to stay focused. The game is not over until the last out and we kept telling them to chip here and chip there."

Concerning Morton and his at-bat, Hertz added: "I have been getting on Aryn all year about his hitting. He has a good swing and is going to be a good hitter. ... That pitch that he hit was right down the middle and right where he wanted it, in his wheelhouse."

Oxon Hill had to overcome deficits at three different points of the game, but a big bat from Sean Woods helped play a role in bringing the Clippers back.

Woods stroked a two-run home run over the left field fence that tied the game at 5 in the fourth inning.

Woods sent another home run, this one of the solo variety, over the same portion of the fence to tie the game at 8 in the sixth inning --only two at-bats before Morton.

"Today, I guess I was seeing the ball really well", said Woods who finished with a game-high 3 RBIs. "They threw the pitch where I usually like my pitches, and I tried to hit a level swing, going for a base hit, but they just seemed to go out the park today."

"That [first] home run that Sean hit, that definitely got us back in it," Hertz said. "And then he came back again and was clutch. I was hoping he could hit a home run again, but I was hoping he would at least get on base. ... That was big."

Parkdale (11 seed) managed five runs through the first two innings of the game.

A two-RBI single from Adres Perdomo capped a three-run first, and back-to-back RBI singles keyed the second inning scoring.

And as the Clippers fought back into the game, the Panthers were in a battle for the duration of the contest.

"Well, I am pretty proud of them," Parkdale assistant coach Steve Lozado said. " ... I think today was a glimpse of next year. I liked the way they fought."

Parkdale proceeded to take a one-run lead in the top half of the fifth, and a similar one-run lead in the top of the sixth, only for Oxon Hill to come out on top.

"I was on the edge of my seat," Lozado said. "It was great baseball, especially when you have back-and-forth leads like that. It puts a lot of strategy into the game ... and my heart was pounding just as hard as theirs."

With the win, Oxon Hill (No. 6 seed) will travel to face third-seeded Laurel in the second round.

"We lost two games to Laurel [in the regular season] and we didn't hit the ball at all," Hertz said. " ... If we can hit the ball like we did today in critical situations, we should be fine."

E-mail: James A. McCray III

Oxon Hill 10, Parkdale 8
Parkdale   3 2 0   0 1 2   0  --  8 5 3
Oxon Hill  0 1 1   3 2 3   x   -- 10 8 3

WP: Woods   LP: E. Deogracia
Extra-base hits -- 2B: OH(Aldred) P(Contreras, Wiggins); 3B P(Lopez); HR: OH(Woods-2, Morton)