Western Charles pitcher Brandon DeAtley fires to the plate in the top of the second inning of Sunday’s Charles & St. Mary’s Baseball League game at Rainbow Construction Field. Western Charles scored six runs in the first and added seven more in the fifth en route to an 18-10 victory over Pomfret.
Western Charles pitcher Brandon DeAtley fires to the plate in the top of the second inning of Sunday’s Charles & St. Mary’s Baseball League game at Rainbow Construction Field. Western Charles scored six runs in the first and added seven more in the fifth en route to an 18-10 victory over Pomfret.
Last Sunday afternoon when the Western Charles Natty Bohs welcomed Pomfret for a Charles & St. Mary’s County Baseball League contest that kicked off the final month of CHASM regular season play, Western Charles scored six runs in the first and seven runs in the fifth en route to an 18-10 victory.
Western Charles and Pomfret have been among the perennial league powers through the early stages of this decade although both yielded the crown last summer to St. Mary’s Door. On Sunday afternoon, with rumbles of thunder providing the backdrop, hitting was on display early while many of the pitchers struggled.
In fact, Western Charles starting pitcher Brandon DeAtley tossed a scoreless first for the Natty Bohs and then was immediately granted considerable run support before he went back out to the mound for the second. Western Charles’ leadoff batter Tyler Summers smacked a solo homer to start the inning and the Natty Bohs added five more runs on six hits for an early 6-0 lead.
“It was a good way to start the game anyway,” Summers said of his solo shot. “But it turned out to be a long game. We’ve had a few of these types of games this summer. When it’s hot, it just feels that much longer.”
Pomfret countered with two runs in the top of the second against DeAtley on a sacrifice fly by Blake Atkins and a single to right by Tyler Croson. Demetre Jameson answered with a solo homer for Western Charles in the bottom of the inning, and the teams basically traded runs over the next three frames until things got interesting briefly in a prolonged fifth.
Trailing 11-3 through four innings and on the cusp of being upended via the 10-run mercy rule, Pomfret responded with six runs on seven consecutive hits with two outs in the fifth. Tyler Hall doubled home one run then Austin Simms plated two more with a single. DeAtley was chased after allowing seven runs in 4⅔ innings of work then reliever Jim Rice allowed two runs on four hits without recording an out.
On a day when offense was the dominant force, Western Charles reliever Pat Mahoney collected the win in relief by limiting Pomfret to one run in 2⅓ innings of work. He retired the lone batter he faced when summoned to the hill in the fifth by manager Tony Stefko then limited Pomfret to one run in the sixth and seventh innings.
Western Charles responded with ample support in the home half of the fifth. The Natty Bohs added seven runs on two hits, six walks and a hit batter. Jason Boyd smacked a two-run double then reliever Austin Simms was chased after walking the next two batters. Jared Momano walked four batters but limited the Natty Bohs to only two runs in one complete frame.
This Sunday, La Plata will host Indian Head at Lackey High School, while St. Mary’s will host Pomfret at Chancellor’s Run Regional Park. Western Charles is idle this weekend, then the Natty Bohs will travel to Chancellor’s Run for a doubleheader on Aug. 18 against St. Mary’s, on the same day Pomfret and La Plata will play a twin-bill at Rainbow Construction Field. Sunday, Aug. 25 is the last day of the regular season.
