Marriotts Ridge baseball’s seniors lead Mustangs to 8-1 regional quarterfinal win over Howard
Marriotts Ridge baseball threw live batting practice Wednesday. Senior Zach Vernick got the most out of the session and came into Thursday’s Class 3A South Region I quarterfinal swinging a hot bat.
It was hot enough that Mustangs coach Josh Molnar wasn’t afraid to give him the green light to swing away when he faced a 3-0 count in the first inning. Vernick launched Howard starter Dylan Abrahams’ fastball over the left-field fence for a two-run home run and the No. 4 seed Mustangs never looked back, closing out an 8-1 win over No. 5 seed Howard.
Marriotts Ridge (9-9) advances to Saturday’s regional semifinal at top seed Mt. Hebron.
“There was no way I wasn’t swinging at that pitch,” Vernick said. “That was probably the best hit of my life. That’s going to be a core memory forever. It means everything. It was just wonderful. Off the bat, it was immediate elation. I was smiling the whole way around the bases.”
However, Howard (7-10) answered back with a run in the third. Brian Won led off with a single and later scored on a passed ball. But Marriotts Ridge seized momentum right back in the bottom half.
Senior Anthony Angarita laced a leadoff double before using his speed to add to the Mustangs’ lead. With Howard’s infield in, Angarita raced home on a grounder that the Lions’ shortstop couldn’t field cleanly. That insurance run helped Marriotts Ridge regain control and also allowed starter Barry Romero to settle in.
The senior effectively used his offspeed pitches to keep the Lions off balance. He pitched scoreless fourth and fifth innings as Marriotts Ridge maintained a two-run lead.
“I think it was my offspeed,” Romero said of what worked. “I’ve been able to really control that pitch all year and it’s been I think my best pitch so far. I was able to get a hold of my fastball and I just felt in control today. After the third inning, I gained control. In the third inning, I struggled with my offspeed. My ball was slipping, but after that I was able to get the game in control. After that, I just knew that was it.”
Angarita again sparked the offense in the fifth. He and Spencer Grams each singled, bringing Vernick to the plate with two outs. In a groove at the plate, Vernick didn’t think much and continued to swing away. He lined a double into the right-center field gap, driving in two more runs.
Romero gained confidence with more run support. He struck out his fifth and sixth hitters of the afternoon in the sixth. The Mustangs tacked on three more runs in the bottom half on an RBI single from senior Jack Coughlin, a hit by pitch and a sacrifice fly from senior Chase Kamerman.
In what’s likely the final home game of their careers, Marriotts Ridge’s seven seniors dominated. They drove in six of eight runs, supporting Romero’s complete-game, seven-strikeout effort.
“We’re super young,” Molnar said. “All year we’ve had at least seven freshmen and sophomores on varsity. I said at the beginning of the year, ‘It’s going to be the seniors who carry us until the young kids are ready.’ It’s the same in the playoffs. It’s like Day 1 again because the freshmen and sophomores aren’t ready for this intensity and those guys were. You can see who’s played in this intensity and level of baseball before. They picked us up.”
Now, the Mustangs turn their attention to a matchup with a rival they’ve eagerly awaited. Mt. Hebron won both regular-season meetings, including a 4-3, 12-inning marathon on April 25. However, as winners of six straight games, Marriotts Ridge is entering Saturday a confident group.
“We’ve been on a warpath for them all season,” Vernick said. “That’s the game we’ve been looking forward to, playing a rival team in the playoffs is what you dream of.”
Romero added: “That’s the game I’ve been thinking about all day and before this knowing that if we won, we’d play them on Saturday. It’s a great rivalry and it will be a great game.”
Howard — 001 000 0 — 1 3 1
Marriotts Ridge — 201 023 X — 8 9 1
WP: Barry Romero; LP: Dylan Abrahams
2B: H- Brennan Giangrasso; MR- Jack Coughlin, Zach Vernick, Anthony Angarita. HR: MR- Zach Vernick.