Incredible Baseball Results and a Tight Rivalry Matchup Recap from Montgomery County!

BASEBALL ⚾

Walter Johnson remains at the top of the MCPS standings at 12-2-1, while Magruder and Sherwood remain tied just half of a game behind. The county’s top four are starting to separate from the rest of the pack, and with just over two weeks in the regular season, time is beginning to run out if any team looks to make it into the top of the county standings.

Click this link or scroll down to read about the incredible games MCPS team’s played on Friday!

Friday’s Montgomery County baseball slate of games featured five matchups between two MCPS opponents, and the theme of the day was offense. In each of the five games, the winning team scored at least 18 runs, with two teams crossing the 30 run threshold. The five winning teams defeated the opposition by an average of more than 25 runs, and here is how each game went:

Magruder: 31, Gaithersburg: 1

Coming off a 21-run performance at home against Springbrook, the Colonels entered Friday’s match with a 10-2 record, while the Trojans have consistently struggled this season, coming in with a 3-7 record. In the bottom of the first, the Magruder attack got underway quickly, with Matt Strahan hitting an inside the park homer 12 pitches into the game, plating three runs. Strahan followed that up with a two-RBI triple in the second which put Magruder up by seven. That lead extended to ten by the end of the inning with four more base hits. The Trojans had runners on second and third in their half of the third, but could not bring anyone home. After that, eleven of twelve Magruder hitters got on base in the third while nine runs scored, and in the fourth, twelve more hitters crossed the plate, making it a 31-0 game. A Benjamin Page single followed by a Pavel Neda RBI double did put Gaithersburg on the scoreboard, but the game was called as a run rule on the fifth with a 31-1 final. Strahan led the team going 4/4 with seven RBIs while completing the cycle in just three innings. Catcher Collin Giacalone and infielder Ryan Suettinger also had perfect days at the plate, going 4/4 and 3/3 respectively.

Blake: 18, Springbrook: 0

The 4-4-1 Bengals hit the road on Friday to face the Blue Devils in their fourth game in seven days. Coming in, Blake had lost by a combined 43-7 facing Gaithersburg, Magruder, and Sherwood, but this game would end very differently. Braden Armes opened the Blake offense with a first inning triple, and following several errors in the inning, along with four hits and six walks/hit by pitches, the Bengals had plated nine. After striking out three Springbrook hitters back-to-back-to-back, the walks and base hits continued before a Ryan Monroe grand slam that put Blake ahead by 16. Braden Arms took a ball over the fence in the third, plating the Bengals’ final two runs. The Blue Devils did record their only hit of the game in the fourth on a Devin Ramgolam infield single, but Blake secured a strong 18-0 victory, bringing them back to .500. First baseman Isaac Blinkoff managed three singles, two walks, and two RBI to lead Blake while right fielder Ryan Monroe contributed four RBI, a team high.

Sherwood: 32, Paint Branch: 3

Sitting at 10-2 and near the top of the MCPS standings, Sherwood has been one of the scariest teams in Montgomery County all season long. Meanwhile, Paint Branch entered with a winning record of 5-4 after defeating Gaithersburg 5-3 on the road two days prior. Sherwood had three on the board before an out was recorded, but throughout the inning that saw nine runs score, Ryan Lichter’s double was the lone extra base hit. Paint Branch looked good to start their offensive frame, with each of the first three hitters reaching including two singles. Later in the inning, Nolin Cockeram tripled to center field, plating two and bringing the Panthers within six. Sherwood opened the second with four straight walks before Rutgers commit Carter Sweeney-Strawberry homered to center field to put the Warriors up by double digits. In the top of the fourth, six Sherwood batters were hit by pitches while six more recorded hits, all singles. The inning saw 14 runs score, and after five more in the fifth, the Warriors secured their second 30-run performance of the season (36-1 @ Springbrook on 4/11) winning this one 32-3.

Einstein: 24, Kennedy: 0

Coming into a contest with just a 2-6 record, Einstein would search for their third win, while the winless Cavaliers looked to get their zero off the scorebook. Einstein opened the game with five base hits, scoring as many runs, followed by seven hitters reaching base in the second, including a Nicholas Corrado triple and six more runs. Alejandro Rodriguez-Casta opened the bottom of the second with a line drive double, but was stranded three hitters later. Six of the first seven Titan hitters reached in the fourth including four more runs. The top of the fifth didn’t see an out until the tenth batter of the inning, with six singles being recorded and eight more runs, cementing the 24-0 final. Aphernei Rodriguez and Merwais Munsif both threw more than 80 pitches for the Cavaliers, allowing 12 runs each. Boden White, Jack Loveday, and Nicholas Corrado each recorded four total bases for Einstein, while Grey Roszkowski led the day going 3/4 with five RBI

Richard Montgomery: 25, Northwood: 0

The Rockets entered the game with a 2-8 record and faced the 2-6 Gladiators. 13 Richard Montgomery hitters reached base in the first, including Elliott Reich who hit a two-RBI triple and Logan Nguyen-Nhu with an RBI double, with 11 total Rockets scoring. Northwood had two runners on with no outs in the second, but neither managed to cross home. RM did not record a hit in their half of the second, but back-to-back two out errors allowed Rocco Rueda to score the 12th run. Northwood responded by loading the bases in the top of the third with no outs, but the next three hitters all struck out and the inning was ended. Henry Boone opened the bottom of the third with a double, and throughout the inning, nine more hits were recorded including a Jaylen Garcia double. By the time the third out was recorded, 13 runs scored for Richard Montgomery, boosting their lead to 24. Northwood went down 1-2-3 on three strikeouts to end the game 24-0. Elliott Reich led the way for RM, going 2/3 with a triple and four RBI while five more Rockets also recorded two hits. Northwood ends the game with two hits, six errors, and no runs.

GIRLS LACROSSE 🥍

Sherwood is now the only remaining undefeated team in Montgomery County, currently holding an 8-0 record. Magruder and Quince Orchard are close behind with each of the two sitting at 7-2. Each of those two will open their week with what could be a tough match, with Quince Orchard set to face Poolesville on the road on Monday while the Colonels are off until Wednesday when they’ll host the 5-2 Bethesda-CC Barons.

Last week, Walter Johnson and Walt Whitman faced off for the first time this season, and the game had a result perfectly fitting for the rivalry. Click this link or scroll down to read more about last Monday’s game between the Wildcats and the Vikings.

One of the fiercest rivalries in Montgomery County went down on Friday at the home of the Vikings where Walter Johnson and Walt Whitman faced off in a girls lacrosse match. The Wildcats entered Monday’s match after a tough defeat against Wootton where they fell 10-9. Meanwhile the Whitman team just took down the Patriots on the road with a 17-9 final

Last spring, the two teams played two games, one in the regular season and another in the playoffs. Walter Johnson won the regular season showdown 11-7, which served as their third win of the season, but the Whitman squad got their revenge in the regional semifinals, winning 9-5 and ending the Wildcats season.

Wildcat sophomore captain Alina MacDermott led her team with five goals, including scoring two goals within 20 seconds in the game’s final minute. MacDermott was responsible for the win-clinching shot that game with 22 seconds remaining in the game. Senior captain Annie Linkie netted the other four Walter Johnson goals in the game.

Walter Johnson senior captain Alexandria Krouse had a strong game in the net, recording 11 saves and allowing just shots past. Maggie Bowen, Mia Corrado, and Paige Levine all caused turnovers. Julia Zucconi added two ground balls and two of her team’s 12 draw controls before fouling out in the second quarter.

Walt Whitman did not respond to a request for stats from the game.

After the loss, Whitman went on to drop their second consecutive game 16-10 on the road against Quince Orchard on Wednesday. They will look to get back above .500 and return to the win column on Monday against Sherwood. WJ improved to 4-2 with the win and went on to take down Churchill 10-5 on Wednesday. They’ll look to extend their win streak to three Monday against Northwest.

SOFTBALL 🥎

The Warriors continue to dominate their opponents, remaining undefeated at 11-0, but Damascus, Magruder, and Quince Orchard are all on their tails with each of the three within a game and a half of the top spot. Tuesday’s slate is headlined by a high-stakes match between the Warriors and the Colonels, a game that could decide the county’s top spot come the end of the regular season. Stay tuned for a recap from that game!

BOYS LACROSSE 🥍

Sherwood remains ahead in Boys Lacrosse as well, their third sport at No. 1 this week. They do have a tough week ahead, with games scheduled against Quince Orchard on Wednesday and Whitman on Friday. The Vikings along with the Rockville Rams could make up ground on the county leaders this week! Stay tuned for the latest standings updates by clicking the link below!

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