MARYLAND O'S UNDER 18 GAIN SPLIT WITH VIRGINIA

by Joe DiBlasi

The Maryland Orioles East were looking forward to their double-header with the Virginia Senators at Archbishop Curley on Saturday for some time.The Senators play in the Clark Griffith Collegiate League, and they came to Baltimore with a 28-3  record, ranked as the number one amateur team in the country. The Senators would face an Oriole line-up stacked with high school stars, and right-handers Kevin Lingerman (Calvert Hall) and Jason Patten (Archbishop Spalding) were poised to take mound for the O's.

The O's were able to split the twin-bill with the powerful Senators, losing the first game 6-0, before winning a thriller in game two,4-3.

Lingerman and Virginia's Mike Graham dueled evenly on the mound for the first three innings of game one, as both pitchers entered the fourth inning with 1-hit shut-outs. The Senator's clean-up hitter, Martin Parra (Texas A&M) ruined Lingerman shut-out bid with a solo homer to left-center in the fourth, and lead-off hitter Nick Boullosa singled in a run in the fifth, and that's all the Senators would need as Graham was sharp, limiting the O's to one hit over six innings.

Only one runner reached second base against the tall lefty, who retired the last eleven batters he faced in order. Graham left after six innings of work with his one-hit shut-out in tact.

Ryan Rivers (Eastern Tech) who had two hits in the opener was the only bright spot in the Orioles line-up. Rivers also had a key double in the second game.  Shortstop Keith Fritz (Curley) had a  single in the seventh when the O's mounted their only threat of the game against Virginia reliever Ryan Schwenke, but Schwenke got catcher John Collingsworth (Calvert Hall) to ground to short  with the bases loaded to end the  first game.

The night-cap was a thriller, as the Orioles, under coaches Bill Fritz and Nemo Lingerman regrouped to stun the Senators 4-3.  Patten held the Senators to three hits in five innings, and Curley's Keith Fritz held them scoreless the last two frames.

"I was in a tight situation, but I was able to hit my spots," said the Friar's right-hander. "My slider got me out of some jams, and the defense was great behind me," said Patten, who threw a perfect game for the Spalding Cavaliers in the spring.

Lingerman, who had a five inning two-hitter in the first game, put the O's ahead with a two-run double in the fourth in game two and Kylin Simms (Dundalk) blasted a two-run homer in the fifth that gave the O's a 4-0 lead.

Left-fielder David Harris hit his second homer of the day in the sixth, a three run shot that pulled the Senators to within one run, but Fritz was equal to the task, holding the top ranked Virginians to one hit over the last two frames.

"It was exciting to play against them," said Lingerman, who had two doubles in game two.  "It feels great to beat the number one team in the nation".

GAME ONE

Virginia   0   0   0   1   1   2   3     6  5   1
Orioles   0   0   0    0   0   0   0    0   3   2

Graham, Schwenke (7), and Walker
Lingerman, Kirby (6), and Colingsworth

WP- Graham   LP- Lingerman
2B-V-Henry 
HR-V-Parra, Harris


GAME TWO

Virginia     0   0   0   0   0   3   0       3   6  1
Orioles     0    0   0   2   2   0   x      4    8  1


Mauae, Cary (5), Johnson (6), and Williams'
Patten, Fritz (6) and Wlodarczyk

WP-Patten  LP-Mauae

2B- O- Lingerman (2)
HR-O- Simms; V- Harris