Varsity Baseball: No. 9 Westfield 8, No. 3 Chantilly 7

By Phil Murphy
Content Editor, DigitalSports.com

**Check below the story for video highlights. Re-live the entire contest in 15 min, 30 sec. Post-game interviews added.**

The scenario could not have been better scripted: Chantilly ace Patrick Somers had Westfield first baseman and slugger Matt Snyder down to his final strike, and the Chargers were holding a one-run lead at home on Senior Night with two runners on base.

The ending could not have been more Disney -- at least for the Bulldog supporters amongst the standing-room-only crowd.

Snyder, who has committed to play at Ole Miss next season, roped a double to the left/center field wall off of the East Carolina-bound Somers, plating the game-tying and game-winning runs as Westfield prevailed over Chantilly, 8-7.

"Pat [Somers] is a great pitcher, lefty versus lefty," said southpaw Snyder, who also blasted a solo home run over the parking lot beyond the right field fence in the third inning off of Chantilly starting pitcher Chris Yates. "I told Kevin [Reardon], 'Just get on, man.' He's been doing it the whole season. The pitch before that was the exact same pitch, I think, fastball away. I got a good swing on it and fouled it back. I was looking for the same pitch because it had been a routine during like the whole game. I saw it good, I put a good swing on it and saw it lined right over to the fence.

"It was a great feeling. To put the team ahead, top of the seventh inning, in a game this important, it was awesome. It feels a little better than the home run, I have to tell you. It put us in the lead. The home run got us closer to the lead, but the double got us the lead."

After Snyder's late heroics, the Chargers threatened to force extra innings -- at the least -- in the last half of the seventh.

Westfield sophomore Aaron Scoville retired the first two batters he faced in nine pitches. But a double, walk and a passed ball in succession put the game-winning run on second with pinch hitter Brandon Beckner at the plate.

Two pitches after a would-be, game-winning double down the line landed inches foul, Beckner hit a dribbler to sophomore Danny Thorpe at shortstop and was beaten by the throw to first for the game's final out.

"I was just really pumped to go in there, I've always wanted to come into a tight game," said Scoville, mobbed by his teammates on the field after the win. "I had to stick to my mechanics and throw strikes to try and let the defense do the work."

In arguably the Northern Region's strongest district, both teams had noted points of improvement with elimination games looming. There were a combined eight errors on Wednesday – all by infielders – in addition to several mishandled fielding plays that were scored as hits.

"It was a very ugly baseball game," Westfield Coach Chuck Welch said. "Sometimes you have to find ways to win when it's not a great game. And I would say that was probably one of the uglier games I've seen defensively, but a couple of good things come out of that.

"One: [starting pitcher Tommy] Fenyak continues to battle when we're giving them six outs an inning ... and certainly clutch hitting by Matthew. Everybody had a hand in the negativeness, the positiveness, and it was team effort that was not very pretty."

Added Chantilly Coach Kevin Ford: "Hopefully this is going to spur us on, if we see them again, to get a little fire in our butts to avenge this loss. I would say -- a little bit -- that we gave it to them. It was just an ugly game.

"I mean, have you seen an uglier game?"

Despite the loss, Chantilly will be seeded second in the Concorde District Tournament, which begins May 12. Oakton, which defeated Robinson amidst a blackout, 5-2, on Wednesday, will be the top seed. Westfield is third.

"We learned that anything can happen," said Welch, whose team has averaged 11.7 runs per game in the last three games after posting 1.8 runs in the previous four. "We were laying in the coffin and they were looking for the hammer to put it in. I guess that's what it is: You're never, ever out of it.

"It's baseball. There are just too many crazy things that can happen."

Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
              
                                       R  H  E
Westfield   301 200 2   8 11 5
Chantilly    050 200 0   7  9  3

W- Tommy Fenyak
L- Pat Somers
S- Aaron Scoville

Notables:

Westfield-
Matt Snyder- 2-4, HR, GW 2B, 3 RBI, HBP
Mike Snyder- 1-4, HR, 3 RBI
Richie Brown- 3-5, RBI

Chantilly-
Keith Morrisroe- 2-3, 3B, 2 RBI
Max Langford- 3-4, RBI, R
Pat Somers- 2.1 IP, 2 ER, 2 H, 3 K