By Phil Murphy
Senior Multimedia/Content Editor
Washington D.C. Metropolitan Area
Click the links above for all photos and videos from the Northern Region Tournament quarterfinal game!
On Friday, Chantilly senior Nick Kralles kicked off his weekend in forgettable fashion against Stone Bridge, striking out three times in three at-bats.
Three days later, a bases-clearing double against T.C. Williams made Memorial Day weekend much more memorable for Kralles.
The third baseman teed off for a three-run double to spark a seven-run rally in the bottom of the third inning, and the Chargers rolled, 13-0, past the Titans on Monday and into the Northern Region semifinals.
“I went home and I worked on my hitting and I came out feeling good today,” Kralles said. “Even though I went 1-for-3, I felt my bat was stronger today. That bases-clearing double really made feel it was worth the hard work.”
In the next at-bat, another Chantilly slugger took an empathic slump-busting step of his own.
Junior catcher Matt Dewitt was also 0-for-3 in the 3-2 win over Stone Bridge and stepped in on Monday with Kralles on second base and a new-found 4-0 lead.
After running the count full and fouling off a would-be strike three, Dewitt pasted a curveball over the scoreboard in left-centerfield for a no-doubt home run. The ball was closer to landing on the access street connecting Sideburn Road to the Robinson parking area than it was to landing the field of play.
“I knew it was out. It hit the sweet spot on the bat and it got out quick,” said Dewitt, who added an RBI single the next inning. “I got down early in that at-bat and fouled a few pitches off. I just got the curveball and turned on it.
“I’ve been struggling at the plate, so it felt real good to break out of it a little bit.”
The offensive outburst was the second-highest run total for the Chargers this season, and the highest since a 14-4 win for Chantilly over Edison on March 17.
Dewitt credits the win-or-go-home reality of regional play as the wake-up call that the dormant Charger bats needed.
“We were slumping a little bit coming into the region tournament,” said Dewitt, whose team advances to face West Springfield in the semifinals on Wednesday. “We turned it on and we’re starting to play really well. There’s a lot more focus knowing that, one loss and you’re out now, so everything, every play counts.
“We’re just a lot more into the game.”
Email: pmurphy@digitalsports.com
T.C. Williams (12-11) 000 000 0 — 0 4 3
Chantilly (18-5) 107 320 X — 13 14 1
Pitchers:
TC – Goldfarb (L) – 2+ IP, 4 H, 5 ER, K, 4 BB
TC – Rossi – .1 IP, H, 2 ER, 0 K, 3 BB
TC – Weidman – IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 0 K, BB
TC – Kilby – 2.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 K, 3 BB
CH – Johnson (W) – 4 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 K, BB
CH – Boyle – 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, K, BB
CH – Irwin – IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 K, BB
Pitches – Strikes:
TC – Goldfarb – 55-27; Rossi – 15-3; Weidman – 21-10; Kilby – 45-29.
CH – Johnson – 45-28; Boyle – 22-13; Irwin – 17-11.
Groundouts – Flyouts:
TC – Goldfarb – 2-3; Rossi – 0-0; Weidman – 0-2; Kilby – 5-3.
CH – Johnson – 4-5; Boyle – 3-2; Irwin – 2-1.
Batters Faced – First-Pitch Strikes:
TC – Goldfarb – 15-4; Rossi – 4-2; Weidman – 9-6; Kilby – 15-8.
CH – Johnson – 14-9; Boyle – 8-5; Irwin – 5-3.
Notable Batters:
TC – Rossi – 1-2, BB, SB
TC – Cook – 1-1
CH – Dewitt – 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, R
CH – Kralles – 1-3, 2B, 3 RBI, R
CH – Bates – 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI, BB, 2 R
CH – Petrelle – 1-1, 2 RBI
CH – Jo. Danehower – 1-2, RBI, BB
CH – Kerbuski – 2-2, R
CH – Fridy – 1-1, 2B, HBP, R
Runners Left on Base:
TC – 6
CH – 11
Time of Game:
2 hours, 17 minutes.
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