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Brantley
and Hessler named to pre-season all state team
December 19, 2005 - Senior outfielder Harold Brantley and junior pitcher Keith Hessler have been selected to the MSABC (Maryland State Association of Baseball Coaches) Pre-Season All State Baseball Team. Both players will be honored at a banquet at Camden Yards on February 18. Earlier this fall, Brantley committed to attend and the University of Connecticut, where he will be a member of the UConn Huskies baseball team. Hessler, Brantley, Brewer Earn Post Season Baseball Honors June 6, 2005 - Junior Harold Brantley, sophomore Keith Hessler and senior Parke Brewer earned post season recognition for their accomplishments during the 2005 baseball season. Outfielder Harold Brantley was selected as a member of the Maryland State Association of Baseball Coaches (MSABC) South Region Team. He also earned 2nd team All-County from the Gazette and 1st team All-Division (selected by the Montgomery County Coaches). Brantley followed up an outstanding sophomore season with an even better junior year. He hit .423, collected 30 hits with 4 doubles, 8 triples and 3 home runs and scored 27 runs. During the season, Brantley broke 4 school records including hits, triples, runs scored and slugging percentage. He also broke the Maryland state record for triples in a career. He now has 16 career three baggers with one season still to play. Pitcher Keith Hessler completed a stellar second season with the Blue Devils, compiling a 5-1 record with one save on the mound He also amassed 96 strikeouts in 51 1/3 innings pitched with an ERA of 1.51. His 96 strikeouts led Montgomery County and places him second on the season strikeout record list at Springbrook. Offensively, Hessler led the team with a .424 average, mashing 7 doubles and 4 triples along the way. He earned honorable mention All-Met from the Washington Post, 1st team All-County from the Gazette and 1st team All-Division. Catcher/Infielder Parke Brewer finished his fine Springbrook career earning 1st team All-Division. A three year starter, Brewer hit .262, scored 14 runs with 14 runs batted in and 2 home runs for the 2005 season. His career highlights include hitting 2 home runs in a game versus Wootton. Brewer will attend DePauw University. Springbrook
held hitless by Gaithersburg in 8-0 playoff loss
May 16 - Gaithersburg senior star Austin Hurd, who will play for Towson University next year, came up big for the host Trojans Monday afternoon, pitching a no-hitter against Springbrook in an 8-0 playoff victory. It was the unbeaten Hurd’s seventh win of the season and it sends Gaithersburg (15-2), which had a bye in the first round of the playoffs, into the 4A West region semifinals. The Blue Devils managed only three base runners against Hurd, who struck out eight. Right fielder Keith Hessler reached on walks in both the first and seventh innings and shortstop Parke Brewer reached on a throwing error by Gaithersburg’s third baseman in the seventh. With Hessler on second and Brewer on first and one out, third baseman/pitcher Jonathan Kim hit a hard ground ball toward the middle that looked like it might get into the outfield to break up the no-hitter. But the Trojans’ shortstop, ranging to his left, made a fine play on the ball, got the force out at second base, and the relay to first was in time for the double play, ending the game. The only two balls out of the infield against Hurd were a fly down the right field line by designated hitter Danny Chase in the third inning and a fly to center by Brewer in the fourth. Danny Green, who pitched the final two innings and got the victory in the Devils’ 7-6 playoff opening victory against Magruder on Friday, got the start against Gaithersburg and went five and one-third innings. Two of his eight runs allowed were unearned because of throwing errors. The Trojans got their first run in the first inning on an error, a stolen base and two wild pitches. Their two runs in the second came on three singles, including a bunt single, and a sacrifice bunt. Two more Gaithersburg runs crossed the plate in the third on two doubles and an error. The last three Trojan runs came in the sixth. Green got the first batter on a fly to center but then yielded two singles and a double and was replaced by Kim. Kim got the final two outs of the inning, with the final run scoring on a grounder to third, where Green had taken over for Kim. With the 8-0 loss, the Blue Devils end County play at 9-9-1. Springbrook has five seniors graduating from the 15-man roster - Parke Brewer, Jonathan Kim, Andrew Strumfels, Brian Weiss and David Yates. Congratulations seniors ! Springbrook
Edges Magruder in Playoff Opener, 7-6
May 13 - In a game that kept the fans on the edge of their seats, host Springbrook scored the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning Friday afternoon to beat Magruder in a first round Montgomery County playoff game, 7-6. And the Blue Devils did it in the final inning without the benefit of a hit. With the score tied at 6-6, Jonathan Kim was the first batter in the home half of the seventh inning and he was hit by a pitch. But the umpire ruled he had leaned into the ball and he was not awarded first base. Nevertheless, Kim still made it on without a hit, as shortly thereafter he was awarded first base on catcher’s interference when his bat hit the catcher’s mitt as he swung. Kim stole second base and Danny Green was given a one-out intentional walk, as the Colonels hoped to set up a double play or a force out at any base. But the strategy backfired. Walter Brown drew a walk. With the bases loaded and one out, Andrew Strumfels laid down a squeeze bunt that Magruder’s pitcher was able retrieve and shovel to his catcher, and the ball just beat Kim to the plate for the second out. That brought up leadoff hitter Harold Brantley, who had already had two hits and scored three runs in the game. He was down to his final strike when a fastball grazed his arm. He took first, forcing in the winning run from third for the 7-6 Springbrook victory. The Blue Devils scored first in the game, tallying twice in the bottom of the third inning. Strumfels picked the right occasion to the have his best hit of the season, a one-out triple down the left field line. Brantley drove him home with a single, stole second and came home on Parke Brewer’s single to left. Magruder answered with three runs against Springbrook starter Keith Hessler in the top of the fourth. They came on a single, a triple, a walk, an RBI ground out, a strikeout on a wild pitch on which the runner reached first base and an infield hit. The Colonels added two runs in the fifth inning to go ahead 5-2. They got another infield hit, a walk and a two-run double. Hessler completed the inning with a strikeout, his 11th of the game, but that was end of his day on the mound as his pitch count had reached 117. The Blue Devils scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to tie the score at 5-5 and get Hessler off the hook. Brantley drew a one-out walk and Yates followed with a single to right center. When Magruder’s right fielder overran the ball after a bad bounce, Brantley was able to score and Yates took second base. Hessler drove Yates home with a double, and one out later Kim got Hessler home with a single, tying the score. Danny Green came on in relief for the Devils in the top of sixth. After hitting the first batter he faced, he retired the next three in order. Springbrook took a 6-5 lead in the bottom of the sixth. Brantley smacked a two-out double and scored on a single by Yates. Hessler then singled for his third hit of the day, but the Devils could not get the hoped-for insurance run. Magruder wasted no time tying the score. The Colonels got back-to-back doubles to start the top of the seventh inning to make it 6-6. The next batter, trying to sacrifice the runner to third, hit a low pop-up bunt. Kim’s diving effort from third came up just short and the batter got a hit, putting runner’s on first and third. The runner on first stole second and things looked bleak The next batter grounded to Brewer at shortstop. He looked the runner to back to third base and got the first out of the inning at first. The next Colonel batter walked to load the bases. Green then induced a popup to third for the second out and got the final out of the inning on a fly to right field. The Devils then came through with their winning run in the bottom of the inning and Green (4-5) picked up his second victory in four days and his third in a row. It was sweet payback for Springbrook, which had handed the Colonels a 5-4 nine-inning decision during the regular season at Magruder with poor fielding and control problems on the pitching mound. The Devils picked a great time to play errorless baseball, as the playoffs are single elimination. The victory sets up a second round game on Monday, May 16 at 4pm at Gaithersburg. Springbrook did not face the Trojans during the regular season, and with a 14-2 record Gaithersburg got a top seeding and a first round bye. Springbrook
ties Wheaton, 6-6, ends season at .500
May 11 - After three extra innings and the scored knotted at 6-6, the umpires called Wednesday evening’s game because of darkness, so Springbrook had to settle for a 10-inning tie against host Wheaton in the final contest of the regular season. That’s twice as many innings as the Blue Devils played the previous day in their 17-0 mercy-rule victory over Kennedy. The Devils thus finish their 2005 campaign at 8-8-1. The Devils had a 5-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when a costly throwing error with two outs allowed Wheaton to tie the score. The very next batter hit a three-run homer over the left field fence. Those were the only runs junior Jonathan Lyon allowed in his five innings of work after coming on in relief of senior starter Jonathan Kim in the third inning. The Devils got their first run of the day in the second inning on a solo home run over the left field fence by senior shortstop Parke Brewer. The Knights answered with two runs in the last half of the inning on only one hit, capitalizing on three walks, a hit batsman and two errors. Springbrook grabbed the lead back in the top of the third inning as junior Walter Brown led off with a single. Junior center fielder Harold Brantley then sent a ball deep to right center and made it all the way around the bases for a two-run inside-the-park home run, giving the Devils a 3-2 advantage. They upped their lead to 5-2 with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. Brown led off with the first of his two doubles on the day. Junior Jason Hitt pinch ran for Brown and advanced to third on Brantley’s infield ground out to first. One out later, sophomore first baseman Keith Hessler walked. Hessler then broke for second on an attempted double steal. Wheaton’s pitcher seemed to be caught off guard on the play and balked, allowing Hessler a free pass to second base and bringing Hitt home from third with Springbrook’s fourth run of the game. Brewer drove home Hessler with a line drive single to center, making it 5-2. But then the Knights got their three unearned runs in the sixth inning to tie it up. The Devils got two runners aboard in the seventh inning on walks but could not get them home. Lyon got the Knights out in order in the bottom of the seventh and that was the end of his day as the game went to extra innings. The Devils went out in order in the top of the eighth and Brewer came on to pitch for Springbrook in the bottom of the inning. He allowed a two-out walk and balked the runner the second, but got the final out on a grounder to shortstop Jonathan Kim. Each team scored single runs in the eighth inning, though Wheaton’s run was unearned. In the top half of the inning, Brown led off with his second double of the day and pinch runner Hitt advanced to third on a wild pitch. He scored on Kim’s sacrifice fly to right field. The Knights’ leadoff hitter reached on a single. The next batter flew out and the following batter reached on a dropped fly ball. After a slow roller down the third baseline that was a sure hit, the ensuing throw to first sailed over Hessler’s head allowing the tying run to score. Alertly, senior right fielder Brian Weiss had moved into position to back up the throw and got the ball in quickly, preventing the winning run from crossing the plate. With runners on second and third, Brewer got the next batter on a called third strike and the final out of the inning on a fly to right, sending the game to the tenth inning. The Devils stranded two men in the top of the inning after a one-out single by sophomore left fielder Danny Green and a two-out walk to senior designated hitter Andrew Strumfels. As it neared 8pm and the light was fading, Wheaton’s leadoff hitter sent the ball over Weiss’s head in right field. But Weiss quickly retrieved it and gunned the runner down trying to stretch it to a triple. Brewer retired the next two batters on a fly to Weiss and an infield pop-up. The Devils now prepare for their opening playoff game at home against Magruder on Friday, May 13 at 4pm. Through Wednesday morning Magruder’s record was listed at 8-6. The Colonels edged the Devils back on April 13 at Magruder in nine innings, 5-4. Green was the starting pitcher in that game. Hessler is expected to start Friday. Blue
Devils mercy-rule Kennedy in five innings, 17-0
May 10 - Springbrook had its second biggest inning of the season, scoring eight times in the fifth frame Tuesday at Kennedy to post a five-inning mercy-rule victory over the Cavaliers. In the next to last game of the regular season, the run barrage allowed a number of substitutes to get into the game. Danny Green started on the mound for the Blue Devils and pitched a one-hitter for his third victory of the season. He walked three and struck out three, and the lone Kennedy hit was a single in the fourth. The Devils scored five times in the first inning. Harold Brantley led off with a walk and David Yates drove him home with a double. Brian Weiss had the only other hit in the inning, a single, as two batters were hit by pitches and the Cavliers made two errors. The Devils added two runs in the third. Brian Weiss led off with a single and stole second and Walter Brown reached on an error. Junior Robert Kim singled home Weiss, and on an attempted double steal, Kim was picked off but Jason Hitt, running for Brown, came home from third. Four consecutive singles gave the Devils two more runs in the fourth. Jonathan Kim and Parke Brewer singled to open the inning, and Brian Weiss and Danny Green followed with RBI singles. In their eight-run fifth inning, the Blue Devils sent 13 men to the plate but had only four hits. Springbrook drew three walks, had two hit batsmen and one batter reached on an error. The big hit in the inning was Harold Brantley’s bases clearing three-run double. Paint
Branch overpowers Springbrook, 17-3
May 7 - Paint Branch has had the best hitting baseball team in Montgomery County this season with a collective batting average of about .400. When you face a team like that, you know you have little margin for error, and you have to make the hitters earn their way on. Unfortunately for the Blue Devils, they struggled in the field and on the mound and dropped a 17-3 decision to the Panthers Saturday afternoon at Springbrook. With unbeaten sophomore lefthander Keith Hessler aiming for his sixth straight victory, the game was tight through four innings. Paint Branch (now 11-3) touched Hessler for one run in the first inning on a walk, a sacrifice bunt and a single. Hessler then hit a batter but struck out the next two to get out of the inning. The Devils came back in the bottom of the first on a single by leadoff hitter Harold Brantley and an RBI double by Hessler. Brantley did not play in the field again because of his tender ankle. Brian Weiss took his place in center and Brantley served as designated hitter for fill-in second baseman Jooyoung Kim. Hessler struck out the side in the second inning, but two runs came across for the Panthers in the third inning. After a dropped foul pop-up, the leadoff batter drew a walk and stole second. He came home on a single. After a two-out walk and with runners on first and third, Hessler had the runner at first picked off. But as the run-down was taking place between first and second base, the runner from third broke for home before the tag was made. The throw came to the plate but the Panthers’ runner was just in ahead of the tag, giving Paint Branch a 3-1 lead. The Devils rallied to tie the score at 3-3 with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Brantley reached on a throwing error and stole second, and one out later scored on Hessler’s single. David Yates followed with a single and Parke Brewer brought home Hessler with a double down the third base line. Paint Branch regained the lead at 4-3 with an unearned run in the fourth. A dropped fly ball down the right field line put a Panthers’ runner on third base and he scored on a sacrifice fly. The Panthers upped their lead to 7-3 in the fifth inning, scoring three more unearned runs on three hits, a costly error and two fielder’s choices. The Devils got no help in the inning from the umpires who not only failed to see a Panthers’ batter hit the ball twice on a bunt, allowing him to reach first on a fielder’s choice, but they also appeared to miss the throw on that play from catcher to third that seemed to have gotten the lead runner out. When Hessler walked the first batter of the sixth inning his day was done. Jonathan Kim came on in relief and the inherited runner eventually scored on a sacrifice fly. Paint Branch got a leadoff triple in the seventh inning, and after Kim hit the next batter he was relieved by Andrew Strumfels. The Panthers put the game out of reach, scoring nine times on six more hits, one walk and one more hit batsman. They had three triples in the inning. Hessler suffered his first loss of the season to fall to 5-1. He struck out seven and walked four in five innings, plus one batter, as the Blue Devils completed regular season play at home. They are 7-8 with two away games remaining before the start of the playoffs on Friday, May 13. Springbrook plays at Kennedy on Tuesday, May 10, and at Wheaton on Wednesday, May 11. Both are scheduled to start at 5:15pm. Blue
Devils’ Late Rally Beats Whitman, 6-4
May 5 - Springbrook scored four runs in the bottom of the sixth inning Thursday afternoon to rally past visiting Walt Whitman, 6-4. And the Blue Devils did it with a completely new look in the field, mostly because of the ankle injury to starting center fielder and leading hitter Harold Brantley. Brantley was on the bench in his street clothes after being injured getting back to third base on an attempted pick-off in Tuesday’s loss against Seneca Valley. His status is day to day. Jonathan Kim, who usually mans the shortstop position, got his first pitching start of the season and kept the Vikings, who entered the game at 11-2, in check in the early going. Normal second baseman Brian Weiss took Brantley’s place in center field and Jooyoung Kim played second. Parke Brewer, usually behind the plate, got his first start at shortstop, and Walter Brown started at catcher. Whitman struck first, scoring a run in the third inning on a walk, a stolen base and a single. The Vikings got an unearned run in the fourth to make it 2-0 after a hit, a throwing error and a fielder’s choice ground out. But there was a disputed play in the inning that helped the Vikings get the runner to third base who eventually scored. On a ground ball to third, Danny Chase ran forward to tag the lead runner advancing from second. The runner avoided the tag by going out of the baseline onto the infield grass, but the umpire did not declare an automatic out for running out the baseline. Devils’ coach Kevin Andre came out to argue the call to no avail. However, he made a pitching change, bringing in Danny Green. The Devils tied the score at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Designated hitter David Yates led off with a single and Weiss drew a walk. Brewer then smacked a double into the gap in left center field, scoring both Yates and Weiss. Whitman got the lead back in the top of the fifth inning, scoring two unearned runs on only two hits and few Devil misplays in the field to take a 4-2 lead. But the Vikings returned the favor to the Devils in the bottom of the sixth inning, as Springbrook scored four times with only two infield hits. Andrew Strumfels led off the inning and was hit by a pitch. Jonathan Lyons laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving Strumfels to second. Walter Brown then reached on an error by the Whitman second baseman and Robert Kim entered the game to pinch run for Brown. At that point the Vikings brought in a relief pitcher, also a lefthander like their starter, but he threw a wild pitch that got Strumfels home, making it 4-3. Keith Hessler drew a two-out walk and Yates also walked to load the bases. Another wild pitch enabled Kim to score the tying run. The Vikings made another pitching change, this time bringing in a righthander. Weiss hit a slow roller to the second baseman but, hustling all the way, he beat it out for an infield hit and it drove home the go-ahead run. Brewer followed with another infield hit that scored an insurance run, giving the Devils a 6-4 lead. Green struck out the first batter he faced in the top of the seventh. The next batter reached on an error, but after a ground out to first, Green gave up a single and Coach Andre decided to bring in Hessler to try to close it out. It was his first relief appearance since the opening game and he did not disappoint. He made a fine play on a tough roller between the mound and first base and his throw just nipped the runner at first for the final out of the game. Hessler earned the save, and Green got his second win of the season. Seneca
Valley routs Springbrook, 10-1
May 3 - Seneca Valley scored runs in each of the first five innings Tuesday afternoon at Springbrook and coasted to a 10-1 triumph over the Blue Devils. The loss gives the Devils their first three-game losing streak of the season. Springbrook starter Danny Green was in trouble from the get-go. He walked the first two batters he faced. After a strikeout, he then hit the next batter to load the bases. An error and a hit brought home the first two runs for the Screaming Eagles. The Devils got one run back in their half of the inning. Harold Brantley led off with a long triple to right center field. He scored on an RBI ground out to short by Jonathan Kim. Keith Hessler followed with a triple but he was stranded at third. The visitors added three more runs in the second inning on a single, two walks and a based-loaded triple to go up 5-1. Parke Brewer came on in relief of Green in the third and Seneca Valley got three more runs on an error and three hits. The Screaming Eagles added a single run in the fourth on another costly Devils’ error and one hit. Springbrook brought Jonathan Lyon in to pitch in the fifth inning and he yielded the final run on a double, a wild pitch and a sacrifice fly. He pitched scoreless ball in the sixth and seventh innings. For the second straight game the Blue Devils managed only five hits, and they’ve had only 15 total hits in the last four games. The loss drops Springbrook’s overall record to 6-9 with four games remaining before the playoffs. Blue
Devils edged by Walter Johnson in 8 innings, 5-4
May 2 - A successful squeeze bunt with the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the eighth inning gave host Walter Johnson a 5-4 victory over Springbrook Monday afternoon. The game was tied at 3-3 after the regulation seven innings, and the Blue Devils had taken a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth on Harold Brantley’s deep triple into the trees in right field and a sacrifice fly to right by David Yates. But the Wildcats star catcher Mike Moss, who had pitched in relief in the top of the eighth, led off the bottom of the inning with an infield hit. An error and another infield hit loaded the bases. With the infield playing in, the Devils then failed to get an out on a short grounder to third that went as a fielder’s choice and the tying run crossed the plate. One batter later WJ executed a perfect squeeze bunt to score the winning run from third. The Devils were first on the board in the second inning. Jonathan Kim smacked a triple and Danny Chase brought him home with an infield grounder to second. WJ tied it in the bottom of the second off starter Keith Hessler on a single, a walk and another single. That broke Hessler’s streak of 18 scoreless innings. The Wildcats got to Hessler for two more runs in the third on a walk and two hits to take a 3-1 lead. Springbrook tied the game in the sixth inning on two hits and two errors. Hessler drove in one of the runs with a single and Parke Brewer had the other RBI on a grounder to third. The Devils were set down in order in the seventh. WJ drew two walks off Hessler in the bottom of the inning, but he pitched out of trouble and that was the end of his day on the mound when the game went to extra innings tied at 3-3. He had 12 strikeouts on the day. Danny Green pitched the eighth inning for Springbrook and he was the hard-luck loser. Blair
shuts down Springbrook, 9-0
April 26 – Blair starting lefthander Cody Simpson allowed only two hits in six innings of work, leading the host Blazers to a 9-0 shutout win over Springbrook Tuesday night. It’s not a good time of year for the bats to go cold, but that’s just what has happened to the Blue Devils. After scoring 20 runs in the loss to Damascus last week, the Devils got only two hits in their 1-0 victory last Saturday over Richard Montgomery and managed only three hits against Blair. Senior catcher Parke Brewer got a single to right in the fourth inning, junior center fielder Harold Brantley beat out an infield hit in the fifth and junior DH Walter Brown had a single to right off Blair’s relief pitcher in the seventh. The Devils stranded two men on base in the second, fourth and sixth innings. Junior Danny Green was the starting pitcher for Springbrook and he was hurt by the Devils’ sloppy defensive play. An error and a botched pick-off play in the first inning helped Blair score its first two runs, and Blair’s run in the second inning was unearned after a hit batsman and two errors. The Blazers scored twice in the fifth on a walk, two singles and a double play. They put the game out of reach in the sixth inning, scoring five times on only two hits, a walk and four errors to make the final 9-0. As a Canadian goose ate grass behind him in center field in the third inning, Brantley had the fielding gem of the day. He ran deep to the fence in right center to snare a long fly ball that looked certain like it would fall for extra bases. With the loss, the Devils finish division play at 3-3. They are 6-7 overall. Hessler
one-hits R. Montgomery, Blue Devils win 1-0
April 23 – Sophomore lefthander Keith Hessler tossed his second consecutive one-hit shutout Saturday afternoon as the Blue Devils edged visiting Richard Montgomery, 1-0. The victory avenges the Devils’ 7-5 loss to the Rockets in the Spring break tournament. Hessler is now 5-0 on the season. Unlike his previous start against Blake when a questionable call the host Bengals scored as a hit - and is still disputed among the Devils and their fans who most saw it as an error - the Rockets’ hit was legitimate. They got a lead-off triple in the third inning. But Hessler struck out the next batter, and when the hitter after that attempted a squeeze bunt and missed, senior catcher Parke Brewer chased him back toward the bag and threw to sophomore third baseman Danny Green who applied the tag for the second out. Hessler struck out the next batter to get out of the inning. In all, Hessler had 11 strikeouts and three walks. He’s now totaled 65 strikeouts in his five starts. Richard Montgomery starter Brandon Clark was nearly as good as Hessler. He allowed only two hits, a double and a single, and ironically they were both by Hessler. But neither hit figured in the Devils’ run. It was scored in the fifth inning without the benefit of a hit. With one out, senior first baseman Andrew Strumfels was hit by a pitch. Junior right fielder Jonathan Lyon then laid down a sacrifice bunt, and when Clark couldn’t field it cleanly, Lyon reached first on the error. Junior left fielder Jason Hitt was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. That brought up junior center fielder Harold Brantley. He chopped a ball over Clark’s head which was fielded by the Rockets’ shortstop. He attempted to get the force out at the plate, but his throw was far off line and Strumfels scored easily. A double play on a hard ground ball, pitcher to home to first, ended the inning and ended the scoring on the day. A potential comeback by the Rockets was snuffed out in the top of the sixth inning by a Springbrook fielding gem. Hessler allowed a one-out walk and the next batter sent a sinking line drive to right field. Lyon dove forward for the ball and just snared it in his glove off the top of the grass. Hessler struck out the next batter to end the inning. After yielding a two-out walk in the seventh, Hessler also struck out the final batter of the game. Unlike Monday’s marathon slugfest against Damascus, which took nearly three and one half hours to complete, the win over Richard Montgomery took only an hour and 35 minutes. Damascus
beats Springbrook in slugfest, 26-20
April 18 - In about as ugly a high school baseball game as you’re likely to see, visiting Damascus out-hit and outlasted Springbrook Monday, 26-20. No, that is not a misprint, even though it may look like the score of a football game. The two teams combined for 46 runs on more than 30 hits. There were plenty of walks, hit batsmen and errors as well, and the game took nearly three and a half hours to complete. Credit the Blue Devils. They never gave up, especially after being down 9-0 after the Hornets’ first two turns at bat. After a single run in the first inning against starter Danny Green on a triple and sacrifice fly, Damascus sent 12 men to the plate in the second, getting eight runs on five hits – two of them triples – two walks and a hit batsman. The Devils answered with three runs in the bottom of the second inning on just two hits, a walk and a fielder’s choice. Springbrook tied the game at 9-9 in the third with six runs on only two hits, three walks, a hit batsman and one error. All of the runs scored after two were out. The two hits in the innings were both huge -- a bases loaded double by Green which brought home three runs and a two-run triple by Harold Brantley. Unfortunately, Damascus responded in an even bigger way in the top of the fourth, scoring 11 runs to take a 20-9 lead. The first nine batters of the inning reached base. After Green gave up a triple and two doubles, Jonathan Kim came on in relief and yielded a walk, a triple a single and then a double. Parke Brewer then came in to relieve Kim and gave up a single and hit a batter before getting the first out of the inning on an infield popup. A single, another hit batter and a couple errors allowed the Hornets to add to their total as 16 men came to the plate in the inning. The Devils did not come undone. They fought back in the bottom of the fourth inning, getting 14 batters to the plate and scoring nine times to cut the lead to 20-18. They took advantage of the wildness of the Hornets two pitchers in the inning, drawing five walks and having two batters hit. The Devils also had RBI singles from Brian Weiss and Kim and a 2-RBI single from Brewer. That was as close as the Devils would be the rest of the day, as Damascus scored two unearned runs in the fifth, took advantage of two hit batsmen and a couple Devils’ errors in the sixth to score three runs and added one final run in the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, Springbrook scored two runs on two hits, a hit batsman and an error, making the final, 26-20. Brantley, Brewer, Kim and Green all had two hits in the game and Weiss had three. Green had five runs batted in to lead the Devils and Brewer had three. The two teams combined for 13 walks in the game and 10 hit batsmen. The loss evens Springbrook’s division record to 2-2. The Blue Devils are 5-4 in league play and 5-6 overall. Hessler
throws a one-hitter in 6-0 win over Blake
April 15 - Sophomore left-hander Keith Hessler seems to get better with every start, but it would be awfully tough to top Friday night’s 6-0 one-hit victory over host Blake. Hessler struck out 12, walked only one, and only one batter hit the ball out of the infield, a fly ball to center field that was the final out of the sixth inning. The only other out on which Hessler was not involved was a ground ball to first baseman David Yates in the fifth inning. Remarkably, seven balls were hit back to Hessler. The only hit for the Bengals came in the sixth inning, and it was on a play that will continue to be disputed. The ball was hit sharply on the ground between first and second, and Blue Devils’ second baseman Brian Weiss had to range far to his left to try to make the play. The ball kicked off of his foot and he was unable to retrieve it in time to get the runner at first. While the Springbrook staff scored it an error, keeping Hessler’s no-hitter alive, Blake scored it as a hit. Since the home team is the official scorebook, it goes down as a hit. The Blue Devils got their first run in the opening frame on just one hit. Harold Brantley led off with a single, advanced to second base on Jonathan Kim’s ground out, stole third and then scored on a wild pitch. Springbrook manufactured its second run in the third inning without the benefit of a hit. The Devils loaded the bases on a dropped third strike on which Andrew Strumfels reached first, Kim was hit by a pitch and Keith Hessler walked. David Yates was up next and hit the ball back to the pitcher, who threw home for the force out. But in trying get Yates for the double play at first, the catcher hit Yates in the back with the ball, allowing Kim to score to make it 2-0. The Devils doubled their total in the sixth inning. With one out, Weiss lifted a high fly ball to right that it appeared the Blake fielder misjudged in the lights. Parke Brewer grounded a single to left and one out later Strumfels walked to load the bases. Brantley then came through with a clutch two-out single that scored both Weiss and Brewer. Springbrook added two more runs in the top of the seventh inning. Hessler led off with a single and Yates walked. Danny Chase laid down a sacrifice bunt, moving the runners over to second and third. Weiss followed with a single, scoring Hessler for a 5-0 lead. The Devils’ final run came on a double steal. Weiss broke for second with the ball in the pitcher’s hand and caused enough of a distraction to allow Yates to dash home from third. And the Bengals were unable to nail Weiss, as he made it safely into second. With the 6-0 win, Hessler is now 4-0 on the season. Magruder
edges Springbrook in extra innings, 5-4
April 13 - What was nearly a no-hit victory by Springbrook sophomore right-hander Danny Green turned into a gut-wrenching 5-4 loss to host Magruder in nine innings on Wednesday afternoon. Green battled early control problems, walking five batters in the first inning, but allowing only one run as he picked one runner off second base. The inning ended tied at 1-1 after Harold Brantley had led off the game for the Blue Devils with a home run over the right field fence. Green sailed through the next four innings, striking out four and walking two without allowing a hit. The Devils took a 2-1 lead in the top of the fifth when Brian Weiss was hit by a pitch, stole second and scored on a dropped fly ball by Magruder’s left fielder. The Devils increased their lead to 4-1 in the sixth inning with the benefit of only one hit, a lead-off single by Jonathan Kim. There were two walks in the inning, a hit batsman and an error. The Colonels cut the lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the sixth. The leadoff batter walked, advanced to second on a wild pitch, went to third on a fly out to left and scored on another wild pitch. Magruder tied the score at 4-4 with two runs in the bottom of the seventh. Green did not help himself when he dropped a short pop fly by the first baseline, perhaps talking his eye off it momentarily as the runner sped by. The runner was forced out at second base after a grounder to third, but the next Magruder batter broke up the no-hitter with double to left field. Green seemed to shake it off by throwing the next two pitches for strikes, but after the Colonel batter worked the count to 3-2, Green hit him with the next pitch, loading the bases, and that was the end of his day on the mound. He moved to shortstop and was replaced by Kim who walked the next two batters, forcing home two runs to tie the game. With the infield playing in, Kim induced a grounder to third which got the force out at the plate and the next batter flied out to left to send the game to extra innings. Neither team scored in the eighth inning, and Keith Hessler was stranded at second base after a two-out double in the ninth. The winning run in the ninth inning for Magruder came after an error, an intentional walk, another infield error and a bases-loaded walk. On the day, Springbrook allowed 13 walks and they were costly. Hessler
shines in Springbrook's 7-1 win over Sherwood
April 11 - The Springbrook Blue Devils varsity baseball team did something Monday they had not done since 2001 - beat Sherwood. Riding the arm of unbeaten sophomore lefthander Keith Hessler, who earned his third straight win, the Devils broke open a close game with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat the visiting Warriors, 7-1. The single runs the Devils scored in the first and third innings to take a 2-0 lead were both unearned. Brian Weiss walked with one out in the first, reached third on a dropped pop fly ball to left field and a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by David Yates. In the third, Harold Brantley led off with a triple down the right field line and was able to score later on a errant throw from the Sherwood catcher back to the pitcher. The Warriors closed the gap to 2-1 in the top of the fourth after back-to-back leadoff walks, a sacrifice bunt and a single. The score remained that way until the Devils' half of the sixth inning when they batted around, scoring five runs on four hits, a walk and infield grounders by Parke Brewer and Walter Brown that drove in runs. The big hit of the inning was Danny Green's two-run double. Hessler finished up his stellar effort by striking out the first two batters in the seventh inning and getting the third out on a grounder to short. He allowed only two hits on the day, while striking out 13 and walking five. Besides the two hits, only one other Sherwood batter got the ball out of the infield. Sherwood turned in the defensive play of the game, and one you’ll rarely see in high school baseball. The Warriors pulled off a triple play. With Springbrook runners on first and second base and nobody out, Harold Brantley lined a hard shot down the right line which looked like it would be an extra base hit. But the Warriors’ first baseman stuck out his glove and grabbed it, and with the runners moving, he touched the bag and threw to second base for the triple play. Churchill
nine-run first inning helps sink Blue Devils, 17-7
April 7 - The Springbrook Blue Devils had their worst fielding game of the season, committing five errors in the first inning Thursday, helping visiting Churchill score nine runs. Only one of them was earned and the victim was starting pitcher Parke Brewer, who moved behind the plate after the first inning. An error in the fifth inning allowed Churchill to add four more unearned runs, and the Bulldogs went on to score a 17-7 victory. Senior Jonathan Kim, who started at shortstop, came on to relieve in the second inning and shut down the Bulldogs for three innings, giving up no runs in the second, third or fourth innings. That allowed Springbrook to get back in the game, as the Devils scored three runs in the bottom of the first, one in the second and two in the third, and trailed 9-6 after four innings. But by the time Springbrook got its seventh run in the sixth inning, Churchill had tacked on the four unearned runs in the fifth and added three in the sixth. The Bulldogs got their final run in the seventh inning on only one hit. Senior Andrew Strumfels relieved Kim with one out in the fifth and pitched one inning. Danny Chase relieved Strumfels with one out in the sixth finished up. Leadoff hitter Harold Brantley, Keith Hessler and David Yates each had two hits on the day. The only extra base hits among the Devils’ eight safeties came in the first inning. Hessler’s double drove in Brantley who had opened the game with a triple. Hessler and Chase each had two runs batted in. Late
rallies push Devils past Watkins Mill, 10-4
April 5 - After managing only one run through the first four innings, Springbrook scored three runs in the fifth, two in the six and four more in the seventh inning to defeat host Watkins Mill Tuesday, 10-4. Sophomore starter Danny Green got the win, his first of the season, going the distance without allowing an earned run. He walked four and struck out four. The Blue Devils struggled in the field early, allowing an unearned run in each of the first three innings to fall behind, 3-1. Junior center fielder Harold Brantley scored the Devils first run in the top of the third after doubling and scoring on an error. Springbrook went ahead 4-3 in the top of the fifth thanks to two walks, a squeeze bunt by senior shortstop Jonathan Kim that ended up bringing two runs home, and an RBI single by senior second baseman Brian Weiss. The Wolverines tied it in the bottom of the fifth inning on another unearned run after a leadoff double and an error. The Devils went back ahead, 6-4, in the top of the sixth with two runs. Senior catcher Parke Brewer, who earlier had two singles, drew a leadoff walk. Junior third baseman Danny Chase also walked, and with two outs Watkins Mill elected to intentionally walk Brantley to load the bases and pitch to Kim. The move backfired, as Kim blooped a double down the right field line, scoring Brewer and Chase. Brantley also tried to score on the hit but was cut down on a close play at the plate for the final out of the inning. In the seventh inning the Devils put the game away by scoring four times on three walks, a catcher’s interference call, an error and a two-run single by Brantley. The Devils were not only able to overcome their own errors in the 10-4 win, they also made some key plays to prevent the Wolverines from having a big inning. Green picked one runner off first and one off second, and Brewer cut one down trying to steal second base. Springbrook
shuts out Einstein 10-0
April 4 - After a slow start, the Springbrook Blue Devils put together key hits and capitalized on several Einstein miscues to prevail Monday afternoon 10-0 in six innings (game called due to mercy rule). The win improved their record to 2-1. Sophomore Keith Hessler improved his record to 2-0 by pitching 6 shutout innings, giving up just 2 hits and striking out 12. Junior Harold Brantley jump started the Blue Devils offensive attack in the bottom of the first inning by drilling a triple into right centerfield. He later scored on an RBI single by Hessler. Hessler would be productive with the bat as well, going 3-4 with 2 RBI's. The Blue Devils squandered a good opportunity in the second inning by leaving the bases loaded. The fourth inning proved to be lucky for Springbrook as they plated two runs without getting a hit, thanks to two walks, two stolen bases, a wild pitch and two Titans errors. In the home fifth, the Blue Devils bats finally awoke. Senior Parke Brewer led off with a walk and courtesy runner Jooyoung Kim promptly stole second. Hessler then hammered his third hit of the game into the right centerfield gap for an RBI triple. Senior David Yates, 2-4 with 2 RBI's, knocked in junior Walter Brown (courtesy runner for Hessler) with a towering double to straight away centerfield. Yates would later score on an RBI single by senior Jonathan Kim. Junior Danny Chase capped the scoring in the fifth with an RBI squeeze bunt that scored Kim. Springbrook scored three quick runs in the sixth inning as sophomore Danny Green plated the final run of the game with an RBI groundout. Blue
Devils fall in doubleheader, losing to
April 1 – Springbrook dropped both ends of the Springbrook Tournament doubleheader Friday, losing to Richard Montgomery in the opener, 7-5, and falling to Georgetown Prep in the second game, 8-4. In the first game the Devils carried a 4-2 lead over Richard Montgomery into the sixth inning, as sophomore starter Danny Green had allowed only three hits and two unearned runs in five innings. But when he walked the leadoff hitter in the sixth, junior Jonathan Lyon came on in relief. Senior Jonathan Kim also pitched in the sixth as the Rockets batted around, converting two walks, an error and five hits into five runs and a 7-4 lead. The Devils got their final run in the seventh inning on singles by sophomore Keith Hessler and senior David Yates and an RBI groundout by Green. Yates had had an RBI single in the first inning and an RBI sacrifice fly in the third. Senior second baseman Brian Weiss scored the Devils other run in the first inning on a wild pitch. In the second game Georgetown Prep scored three runs in the first inning on only one hit off senior starter Parke Brewer, taking advantage of two walks and two hit batsmen. Springbrook got one run back in the bottom of the first. Junior center fielder Harold Brantley led off with a triple and Weiss drove him in with a single. Prep added a run in the top of the second, but the Devils got it back in the bottom of the inning without the benefit of a hit. Both teams also scored single runs in the third, with Hessler getting an RBI single, knocking in Weiss who had doubled, making it 5-3 in favor of Prep. Senior Andrew Strumfels came on to pitch the fourth and set the Little Hoyas down in order, but they tagged him for three runs in the fifth inning on only one hit, three walks and an error. The Devils got their last run in the seventh, making the final 8-4. Brantley reached on an error and Weiss drove him in with his second double of the afternoon. Springbrook
defeats Rockville for first win of the season
March 30 - Sophomore lefthander Keith Hessler pitched a dominating game against Rockville on Wednesday at Springbrook, as the Blue Devils won their first game of the season, 5-2. Hessler got 17 of the 18 outs in his six innings of work on strikeouts, as he befuddled the Rockville batters. He struck out the side in the first, second, third, fourth and fifth innings, and in the six inning, after setting down the first two batters on strikes and walking the third, he also got the third out of the inning himself by making a nice play on a ground ball. He allowed a single in the first, a single in the second and walked two in the fifth inning. He left the game after six innings, having thrown nearly 100 pitches, with Springbrook ahead 5-0. Senior catcher Parke Brewer pitched the last inning, and walks to the first two batters turned into runs, after a couple of misplayed balls, to spoil the shutout. Hessler also helped Springbrook at the plate. He walked in the second inning and scored Springbrook’s first run on an RBI double by junior third baseman Danny Chase. The Devils made it 2-0 in the third when speedy senior second baseman Brian Weiss beat out an infield single, stole second and scored on an error. Hessler led off the fourth inning with a single. Chase followed with a single, and junior center fielder Harold Brantley hit a two-out pitch over the right fielder’s head and made it all the way around for a three-run inside-the-park home run. That concluded the Devils’ scoring on the day. The 5-2 win over Rockville evens Springbrook’s record at 1-1. Games with Einstein and Rockville rained out The March 23 varsity and JV games against Einstein were rained out. The varsity game is rescheduled for Monday, April 4th at SHS at 3:30pm; no word yet on the JV game. The March 29 game against Rockville will be played Wednesday, March 30, at 2:00 pm. Springbrook
drops season opener to Wootton, 10-6
March 21 - Springbrook's varsity baseball team opened the 2005 season the same way it ended the 2004 season – with a loss at Wootton. And just like in last season’s playoff loss to the Patriots, the Blue Devils scored first, taking a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Senior shortstop/pitcher Jonathan Kim got things started with a one-out single, senior pitcher/catcher Parke Brewer followed with a single, and two batters later sophomore third baseman/pitcher Danny Green knocked them both in with a triple down the right field line. The Blue Devils were close to making it 3-0 in the second inning, but senior first baseman David Yates, who had reached on an error and advanced to second base on a wild pitch, got thrown out on a close play at home plate after junior center fielder Harold Brantley had singled to right field. Wootton took a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the second inning off Brewer thanks to a few singles and a couple of bad bounces. Clearly, Wootton’s field had not been well maintained over the winter. In the next inning, with Green pitching, a bad infield hop to third base hit junior Walter Brown in the face. Brown had started at catcher and took over at third when Green came in to pitch. Brown briefly went to the sideline to get checked out and returned to the game. Wootton scored an unearned run in the inning to go ahead, 4-2. The Patriots added three more runs after two were out in the fourth inning to take a 7-2 lead. Kim came in to pitch the fifth inning, struck out the first batter, but the Patriots put together three more runs on a couple of errors, two walks and just one hit, upping their lead to 10-2. Sophomore Keith Hessler, who started in right field, came in the pitch the sixth inning and set the Patriots down in order. The Blue Devils got their final three runs in the top of the seventh inning. Junior Danny Chase came in as a pinch hitter and reached on an error. Brantley followed with his third hit of the day, and Brewer hit a first-pitch fastball over the left field fence for a three-run homer. Team picture day Varsity and JV baseball picture day is Friday, March 18. Blue Devils Hit-A-Thon Springbrook's varsity hit-a-thon fundraiser is scheduled for Thursday, March 24 at 3:00 pm. Meet the team Meet the baseball coaches, parent information meeting - Thursday, March 10 at 7:00 pm, Springbrook HS Cafeteria. |