Sherwood Edges Eleanor Roosevelt; La Plata Knocks Off Seneca Valley

Chris Green turned a triple into a double in his first at-bat and struck out looking his next time up. But as Sherwood's senior catcher stepped into the batter's box with the game tied in the bottom of the sixth, he was determined to produce the game-winning hit. That's what will be most remembered from yesterday's Maryland 4A baseball semifinal.

Capping a game of bizarre plays, Green hit a tiebreaking single to center field that scored courtesy runner Zac Simons from second base and lifted Sherwood to a 7-5 victory over Eleanor Roosevelt at Shipley Field in College Park.

"He's been a clutch hitter all year," Sherwood Coach Billy Goodman said, noting that Green had driven in key runs in two of the Warriors' previous three postseason victories.

Green was on the mark yesterday, with an RBI double in the second inning as he pulled into second while Goodman was trying to wave him to third. Then, after his go-ahead single in the sixth, Green backed up an errant throw at first (as the Warriors tried to double-up a base runner) and threw to second for the game-ending out despite being unable to properly grip the ball because he had hurt his right thumb earlier in the game.

The victory put Sherwood (16-5) into tomorrow's state final against the C. Milton Wright, which beat South River, 8-6, in eight innings. It will be the second consecutive championship game appearance for the Warriors, who lost to Roosevelt in last year's title game. This season's success is somewhat of a surprise for Sherwood, however, as it had just two returning starters and an overhauled pitching staff.

"Nobody really expected much of us," Green said. "We had no experience. We're showing them now."

South River (16-8) lost after battling back from a 4-0 first-inning deficit. Jake Sodeman hit a two-out, two-run single in the third and the Seahawks finally pulled even at 5-5 on Russell Donaldson's run-scoring single in the sixth. But after South River ace Eric Aumann reached the state limit of 14 innings pitched in seven days, the bullpen was unable to keep C.M. Wright (19-4) from its third state final in five years.

"We just got off to a horrible start," South River Coach Ken Dunn said.

The three other Maryland baseball championship games are scheduled for Saturday, with the 1A game at 1 p.m., the 2A game at 4:30 and the 3A game at 7.

3A

As La Plata's closer, Jordan McGraner prides himself on finishing games. Once he enters, "nobody comes after me," he says, no matter how long he has to pitch.

Last night at Joe Cannon Stadium, that turned out to be 4 2/3 innings after he was summoned earlier than usual and then needed for a little overtime. But even with the extra work, McGraner got the job done and helped La Plata defeat Seneca Valley, 2-1, in eight innings to earn a spot in Saturday's 3A title game against Patapsco at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen, Md.

"I'm the last resort, because I'm the closer," said McGraner, who allowed three hits and three walks, but struck out four and kept the Screaming Eagles off the scoreboard. "I knew what I had to do, so I kept throwing."

After McGraner -- the Warriors' starting shortstop -- scored in the top of the fifth to break a scoreless tie, Seneca Valley came back with a run in the bottom of the fifth and had the bases loaded with one out.

That's when La Plata Coach Dan Devitis, still seeking the program's first state title in his 29th year, brought the senior right-hander McGraner to the mound.

The Warriors broke the tie in the top of the eighth when J.B. Sapienza scored from second after John Pellecchia's ground ball resulted in a Screaming Eagles' error.

McGraner said watching the go-ahead run score "was a good feeling, knowing I only had to come out for one more inning.". . .

In the other semifinal, Centennial's rally fell short, and Patapsco advanced with an 8-6 victory. Centennial (20-5) had led 3-0 on Joe Couch's three-run homer in the first, but Patapsco (19-2) scored four runs in the fifth to take a 7-4 lead.

2A

Kevin Seker hit two home runs, including a three-run shot in the top of the first, but Marriotts Ridge lost to Liberty, 14-10, in a Maryland 2A semifinal last night at Arundel High. The Mustangs led 6-4 after the top of the second, but allowed eight runs in the bottom of the inning and never caught up. It was the second year in a row that Marriotts Ridge (17-6) lost in the state semifinals. Liberty will play Kent Island, a 2-1 winner over Loch Raven, in Saturday's state championship.