Chargers tied for district lead

Middlesex catcher Chuckie Morris ends a West Point scoring threat in the Chargers’ 6-3 win on April 30. (Photo by Sharlynn Fletcher)

by Tom Chillemi

The Middlesex varsity baseball team (6-1, 7-6) is tied for first place with Colonial Beach in the Tidewater District. Each team’s only loss is to the other team.

Colonial Beach thumped Middlesex 13-1 on May 1. Strong pitching by the Drifters’ Mike Baskeyfield sent Middlesex home with their first district loss of the season. “He was on his game,” said Middlesex coach Tim Blake.

The Drifters’ pitching could make them contenders, said Blake “They have two pitchers that throw pretty hard and have a good breaking ball.”

The Chargers were held to three hits. Jake Fletcher hit a solo home run in the third inning, Whit Walden singled in the second inning, and Chuckie Morris doubled in the fifth inning.

Mike Eades started on the mound for the Chargers and left in the fourth inning. He was tagged for 10 runs and got the loss.

Blake noted that Middlesex committed six errors and actually gave up only four earned runs. “It should have been a 4-1 ball game.”

Malcolm Ward relieved Eades and gave up three unearned runs.

“It was just one of those days,” said Blake. “Colonial Beach fought off good pitches and found a hole or just dropped it over the infield. Of their 12 hits, they only stung two.”

Middlesex 15,
K&Q 3

On Monday, Middlesex defeated King and Queen 15-3. The district foes were tied 3-3 into the sixth inning. “They were strong up the middle, have a center fielder that can run down the ball, and have a solid shortstop,” said Blake. “We hit the ball hard but it was at somebody. We couldn’t get anything to fall.”

The Tigers started to unravel in the sixth inning when Middlesex scored 4 runs to take a 7-3 lead.
When the K&Q pitching began to struggle in the seventh inning, Middlesex erupted for 8 runs off 5 hits, 3 walks and 2 errors.

Ward had his first start on the mound and went the distance. He struck out 9 and gave up 4 hits and an earned run.

At the plate for Middlesex, Eades was 3 for 5 with a double and an RBI; Matt Durrette, 2 hits and an RBI; Ward 2 for 4 with an RBI; and Brandon Putney, 2 for 4 with 2 RBIs.

Chuckie Morris was 2 for 2 with 3 runs. He reached base on all five plate appearances, which included 2 walks and a hit by pitch.

Also for the Chargers, Scott Payne was 1 for 4 with 2 RBIs; Andrew Grubbs, 1 for 1 with 2 RBIs; and Jake Fletcher singled in a run and scored 3 runs.

Middlesex 6,
West Point 3

Middlesex downed visiting West Point 6-3 for a Tidewater District win on April 30.

Whit Walden (1-0) got the pitching win. He threw 5 innings, gave up just 2 earned runs, and struck out 4 and walked 3.

Jake Fletcher pitched the final two innings and gave up an unearned run and struck out one.

In the Chargers’ first inning, Fletcher singled, stole second, advanced to third on wild pitch. Fletcher tagged up and scored on Matt Durrette’s short sacrifice fly that the shortstop caught in left field. “He made a fine catch but his momentum forced him away and we still scored,” said Blake.

Eades, who had reached base with a hit, took second on the sacrifice fly. A single by Walden brought Eades home for a 2-1 Middlesex advantage after one inning.

In the fourth inning, West Point scored on a solo homer by Billy Fudela to tie the game 2-2.

Middlesex answered in the bottom of the fourth when Morris singled with one out; pinch runner David Belcher took second on a mishandled ball at the plate; and Fletcher singled Morris home, then stole second and scored on a single by Mason Goodrich to give MHS a 4-2 lead.

MHS scored in the fifth after Walden reached on an error; Grubbs ran for Walden and stole second and scored on a single by Keith Whitley; and Whitley took second on the play at the plate, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a fielder’s choice by Brandon Putney.

West Point threatened in the sixth and seventh innings but left five runners on base in the last two innings.

The Chargers out hit the Pointers 10-6. “We weren’t real aggressive at the plate and didn’t attack the baseball,” said Blake.

District Tournament

The Chargers will host King and Queen today, May 8, at 5 p.m. at the Deltaville Ball Park. It’s their final home game of the regular season.

On Tuesday, May 13, they are at Mathews at 7 p.m. in their regular season finale.

The district tournament start on Friday, May 16, on the home fields of the third and fourth seeds. The first and second seeds do not play in the first round and get byes into the semifinals.

The semifinals are on Tuesday, May 20, on the home fields of the top two seeds. The championship game is May 22 in Deltaville.

If there is a tie for first place in the regular season, a playoff game would be played on May 16 at a neutral site, probably at Essex.

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The Middlesex JV soccer team battled Mathews to a 1-1 tie on May 1. Above, Earl Rimbey heads the ball away from the Mathews goal. The JV Chargers lost to West Point 2-1 on Friday on a last-second goal, and lost to King William 2-1 on Monday. The MHS JVs (7-2-4) will host West Point on Monday, May 12, and will host Essex on Wednesday, May 14, in its season finale. (Photo by Tom Chillemi)

The Middlesex High varsity soccer team has experienced improvement as the season has progressed.

Last Friday’s game at West Point was a challenge because the Chargers only had 11 players for the game and no substitutes were available. “We have two starters out indefinitely with injuries, and several others have been sidelined with minor injuries,” said MHS head coach Scott Rae. “Going into the West Point game, assistant coach Garrett Gregory and I knew we would have to play defensively.”

The Charger defense of Clayton Colley, Jeremy Eley, Sergey Fomin, Sam Fowle and Mark Hall were able to hold the Pointers scoreless for 32 minutes of the first half.

However, West Point’s play became more brisk and they scored twice as the first half ended.

In the second half the Chargers were down one player due to a muscular injury sustained by Zack Morris. In a sportsmanship move, the Pointers noticed and took one of their players out of the match. 

The game ended in a 7-0 West Point win. Powerful West Point has been known to score 8 goals in the first half against other opponents. 

 On Monday the Chargers hosted the King William Cavaliers, who had a 1-0 lead at halftime.

The Chargers played some tough defense to limit the opportunities of the strong Cavalier offense. Assistant Coach Gregory said, “David Norman has had some of his best games recently. Norman has defended well on penalty kicks and taken some big steps towards leaving the goal box to cut the options of the approaching forward.”

The Chargers played hard during the second half. Players new to the game of soccer—Ean Reed, Trey Johnson, Chris Chamberlain and Cameron Wines—demonstrated a fluid presence on the field, said Rae.

“These new guys—freshman, sophomores and juniors—are using their speed and are getting into the mix with no reservation. They are beginning to assert their presence and their development this year will be an asset next season,” said Rae.

Varsity soccer has been fortunate to have freshman Eric Sosa provide strong support both offensively and defensively over the past few weeks, said Gregory. “Eric has skill. He has good feet and communicates well on the field, offering direction and encouragement to his teammates. He is an asset to the program.”

The Charger offense made a few runs on the Cavalier goal; however, no finishes were recorded. The Cavaliers won 3-0.

Middlesex visited Mathews on Wednesday, and will host West Point on Monday, May 12, and Essex on Wednesday, May 14, in their final home matches.  

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Ware lacrosse laces up
to fight blood cancers

When the Ware Academy boys lacrosse team takes the field this Saturday, May 10, during the first annual Ware Academy Lacrosse Invitational, the expected 200-plus spectators will not be able to miss the Waves’ feet. The Waves are participating in the HEADstrong Foundation’s “Laces for Lymphoma” program where, in exchange for $10, they receive a pair of lime green HEADstrong shoe laces.

The HEADstrong Foundation was created by Nick Collelouri, a Hofstra University lacrosse player who eventually succumbed to Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2006 at the age of 21. The foundation has only grown since Nick’s death.

The Laces for Lymphoma program is a simple idea that has created not only a fluorescent-green buzz in the youth, high school, and college sports realm, but has also raised over $50,000 towards fighting blood cancers.

Prior to Hofstra University, Collelouri played lacrosse at Ridley High School, just outside of Philadelphia, the same high school where Waves’ coach Chris Petrone played several years prior to Collelouri tenure. The lacrosse program at Ridley is rich with tradition, so Petrone felt the Laces for Lymphoma program was not only benefiting a great cause, but also a natural fit for the budding Ware Academy lacrosse program.

“I never met Nick, but we share similar roots. I can’t imagine what he and his family went through during his battle with cancer,” said Petrone. “It was the least our program could do for the Collelouri family and the foundation.”

The Waves lacrosse team joins the ranks of some powerful and well-known college lacrosse programs around the country also wearing the lime green laces, including Collelouri’s alma mater, Hofstra, Loyola College (Md.), Penn State, Notre Dame, Army, and Drexel University.

Lacrosse players are not the only ones donning the HEADstrong laces; they can also be found on athletes playing volleyball, soccer, and baseball.

“Our boys have a lot to be proud of,” said Petrone about the successes the program has obtained in its short three-year history. “Hopefully, the laces will create an even larger sense of pride knowing they are a part of something so much bigger than we are.”

This Saturday’s tournament includes teams from Highland School, Stewart School, Hampton Roads Academy and Ware Academy. Seven games are scheduled beginning at 10 a.m. Admission is free and concessions will be available.