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[Sonny Dearth]

Last swing goes to Wolverines

Woodside outlasts Warwick in a wild eight-inning affair.

By MELINDA WALDROP
mwaldrop@dailypress.com | 247-4634

NEWPORT NEWS — For seven innings, Woodside managed just one hit. But the Wolverines got the only two others they would need in the bottom of the eighth in Friday’s 3-2, extra-inning victory against Warwick.


Michael Arenas’ two-out, eighth-inning RBI single sent Woodside players spilling onto the field in celebration and capped a wild game filled with momentum swings.


"We just kept fighting," said Arenas, a junior shortstop. "We just kept fighting. That was all we had to do."


Warwick (4-4, 3-4 PD) fought back after Woodside (5-4, 3-4) scored in the first inning on starting pitcher Matt Zapf’s leadoff double, a walk, a fielder’s choice and Mark Dixon’s sacrifice fly. The Raiders tied the game on Cole Crusberg’s RBI single in the top of third, and the score stayed knotted at 1 for five more innings.


But there was plenty of drama, if no scoring, in between. Warwick first baseman Kenny Hogge led off the fourth by belting a ball to left field, but fell after rounding first. Raiders coach Todd Barker said "there was definitely a collision" with Wolverines first baseman Brett Mays, but no call was made, and Hogge was thrown out before he could reach second.


As Barker argued, Hogge came back onto the field, a move that was ruled unsportsmanlike and resulted in Hogge’s ejection, Barker said.


Things settled down until the top of the seventh, when Ben Delgado’s two-out double, followed by a balk call on Zapf — who gave up just four hits in eight innings — put the potential go-ahead run at third. But Zapf got a strikeout to end the inning.


Warwick took a 2-1 lead in the eighth on a sacrifice fly from Jonathan Kepler, Hogge’s replacement. But Brandon Delk, pinch-running for designated hitter Jake Ellington, was thrown out at the plate trying to score from second on a passed ball.


In the bottom of the eighth, Barker lifted starting pitcher Kevin McCann, who’d reached 120 pitches, for ace Ellington, who’d thrown just 50 in Warwick’s last game.


"I wanted to make sure (McCann) came out and had a chance for the win," Barker said.


But Ellington walked leadoff hitter Terrell Joyce, then gave up Dixon’s single to right field, and Joyce scored on an errant throw to third to tie the game at 2.


Spencer Snapp then bunted pinch runner Kevan Northern to third, but Northern was thrown out by charging second baseman Delgado on a squeeze attempt by Jordan Ritz, who reached first on the play. Ritz then stole second before Arenas dropped the game-winning single in front of William Ward in right field.


"One of the things we’ve been working on is just learning how to win," said Woodside coach Kevin Hare, whose team has won three games in its last at-bat. "These kids are young, ninth- and 10th-graders, and just learning how to win. That was a big step."

WOODSIDE 3, WARWICK 2


Warwick 001 000 01 — 2 4 2


Woodside 100 000 02 — 3 3 2


WP — Zapf (4-2). LP — Ellington (3-2). Standouts — Warwick, Co. Crusberg, 2-4, RBI; Woodside, Dixon 1-4 (2 RBI). Records — Warwick 4-4, 3-4 PD; Woodside 5-4, 3-4.

[ptl]

Glad to hear the umpire made the ejection!! I wonder if the principal of Warwick High School will uphold the "Code of Conduct" and actually inforce it with Hogge? Hogge was playing for Warwick at the time of his "threatening" jesture, he should be held accountable for more than just missing a game. Who will stand up and do the right thing? Surely not the coach, principal, chairman of the school board or Superintendent....They just do not want to be bothered. More often than not, coaches and umpires do not hold athletes to basic standards of conduct during games/practices much less the "Code of Conduct" that the school board in Newport News has put in place. Too often coaches, athletic directors and principals do not want those players/students held accountable, especially if they have a successful/winning program. They just do not want the attention and more often than not these same "athletes" that show their behind on the field and during games have done it numerous times in practices and just everyday activities in school and have "occurrences" throughout their school careers.

Food for thought!

[FutureLegend]

Side Note... Game winning single dropped in front of Freshman Ben Delgado, not William Ward. Ward went to CF during that inning

[WOHS Softball Fan]

Congratulations to WOODSIDE Baseball! BIG WIN!! Alot of games left! Good Luck!

[schaff15]

the game should of been won by warwick
and hogge should of never been thrown out of the game.

[KG123]

warwick's coach shouldnt have taken mccann out.
warwick would have won if he stayed on the mound

[schaff15]

i agree ellington is a good pitcher
but he hasnt been on his game lately
hopefully after spring break his arm will be well rested and he come back and win and pitch good like he normally does
but kevin should of stayed in the game
idc if he threw 120 pitches he had the game in the bag
and it was last the game be4 spring break so he has enough time to rest his arm
the game would have ended earlier if wariwick would of just hit the ball like everyone in the PD knows they can