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Senators skid continues with loss to Rebels
Figuring out why Haymarket sat in last place going into this week took a close look at the season statistics.
The Senators (6-12) led the Valley Baseball League in batting average (.260), hits (158) and doubles (33) and struck out fewer times than any other team (133).
Obviously, it could not be the hitting.
But four out of 10 other teams had a worse ERA (3.75), pitchers for third-place Fauquier struck out fewer batters than Haymarket and the Senators were fourth in the league in fielding percentage (.957).
So what was it about the defense?
Two stats explained it all: Haymarket had given up the most home runs by far (21) and allowed opposing batters to accumulate the highest batting average (.284) in the league.
Home runs proved to be the Senators’ Achilles heel once again on Sunday in a 5-3 home loss to New Market as the Rebels walloped two solo shots while Tripp Swann of Samford University cranked Haymarket’s only one with a ninth-inning jack to right-centerfield.
New Market led by one run going into the eighth inning when shortstop Michael Mooney singled to centerfield and advanced to second base on a fielder’s choice ground out to first base. He stole third one batter later and scored on an RBI single by Murray Watts.
“I think it was just they had more opportunities. They were taking some walking leads at first, so that gives you a better jump,” explained catcher Chris Haynes of Lemoyne University.
While New Market runners stole bases throughout the night, none had resulted in runs before the eighth inning.
“Sometimes, those aren’t always on the catcher,” said Senators coach Brian Shields. “So we got to do a better job of mixing [the pitchers’] looks to second base as a rhythm.”
Haymarket performed consistently well in the field against New Market on Sunday, turning double plays in the fourth, fifth and eighth innings while coming close to doing the same in the sixth inning. In fact, the Senators were the best in the VBL at “turning-two” with 27 successful conversions through June 23.
The Senators committed only one error early in the game which did not result in any runs, though Shields reckoned any error can make a difference.
“Get rid of that error, it might have been a different (outcome),” said Shields.
One local player ended up having a big day on the diamond off of another area native as rising-James Madison University sophomore David Herbek, a 2007 graduate of Battlefield High School, drove in Swann and Joseph Conforti early on off of New Market starter Kevin Crum by lining a 3-2 outside pitch to right field.
Crum, who is from Haymarket and will be a junior at George Mason University this fall, exited with two earned runs on seven hits while teammate John Masklee earned the win. Dan Gentzler brought in the save for New Market.
Haymarket starter Dean Wolosiansky (3K, 8H, 3ER) pitched the first six innings and Matt Davis closed out the final three.
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