Baker and red-hot Millbrook top Colonels

May 11, 2011

By Robert Stocks       

WINCHESTER- When Millbrook pitcher Brady Baker left the mound one out away from a complete game Tuesday night against James Wood, left fielder Drew Braithwaite greeted him at third base with a congratulatory hug and a few words.

After that, Pioneers reliever Zach Hughes got Tyler Dick to pop out to Baker at third base to end a 8-2 Northwestern District, fittingly, with the ball in Baker's glove.

Baker struck out seven and scattered six hits to help the Pioneers win their seventh straight game. Millbrook (7-9, 5-2) hasn't lost since an 11-2 defeat at James Wood on April 15. The Pioneers' win combined with Sherando's 2-1 victory over Skyline Tuesday night puts Millbrook tied with the Warriors for first place in the district. "We came in confident because we've been playing very well," said Baker, who improved to 3-2. "This [win] gives us confidence. We're hitting the ball, fielding the ball and pitching and we're doing every thing a quality baseball team can do."

The Pioneers didn't waste any time getting to James Wood starter Addison Barber.

With one out in the bottom of the first, Baker reached on an infield single. Brant Butler sent a fly ball into left field that Garret Cunningham misplayed, allowing Baker to score.

Butler scored on Collin Ryan's double over Cunningham in left, and Jay Hughes' RBI groundout put Millbrook ahead 3-0 after the first inning.

"We dug ourselves a hole early with that play," Mounts said of the first of his team's three errors. "I don't think they score [in the first] if we make that play, because we had a chance to double them off. Playing a good team - they've been hot and on a roll - you've got to make those plays early on."

The Colonels (5-11, 2-4) got on the board in the top of the second when Russell Repasky's single plated Tyler Murphy to cut the Pioneers' lead to 3-1.

But Millbrook responded right away, chasing Barber (0-3) after Jacob Jaye and Jeremiah Eaton connected on back-to-back singles in the fourth. Braithwaite greeted James Wood reliever Reese Alley with a single to left to score Jaye and extend Millbrook's lead to 4-1.

"We feel especially confident when Brady Baker is on the mound," said Ryan, who went 2 for 4 with an RBI and scored three runs. "He's proven it last year being first team all-district, and we know we have a great chance of getting a win. We like to come out hyped up and get it started early."

"[Brady] pitched a heck of a game," added Braithwaite, who went 2 for 3 with a pair of RBIs. "He's one of the leaders on this team. When he's on the mound, everybody's confident and we're all ready to play."

The three-run lead proved to be more than enough for Baker.

The senior right-hander stayed ahead in the count and stayed away from James Wood's hitters by working the outside part of the plate. He walked three batters (and hit one with a pitch), but he recorded a strikeout in every inning.

"When you come out of the first inning with a lead, it boosts your confidence way up," Baker said. "We've learned how to play with a lead, and it shows now. We've been winning ballgames now."

Millbrook had five hits through four innings but broke the game open with five hits in a three-run fifth.

Alley gave up back-to-back singles to Ryan and Ethan Mathews to start the fifth, prompting Mounts to bring in Matt Copley as the Colonels' third pitcher of the night.

Jay Hughes' bloop single to left scored Ryan and courtesy runner Cody Houtz to put Millbrook ahead 6-1. Jaye followed with another bloop single for the Pioneers' fourth straight hit of the inning before Copley struck out Eaton. With one out, Braithwaite ripped a line drive up the middle to score Hughes, stretching the Pioneers' lead to 7-1.

Baker took the loss the last time the Pioneers faced the Colonels, but he's won three games during the seven-game winning streak.

Millbrook coach Brian Burke said Baker was on a pitch count, and that was the main reason he brought in Zach Hughes in relief with two outs in the seventh.

"He lost control of the breaking ball there in the middle innings, but he was able to find ways to still make outs, and I thought that was very key in his outing tonight," Burke said. "We went into that last inning and he was at 86 [pitches], and I told coach [Jason] Young that I was going to pull him at 100. We challenged him, and he knew the situation. He didn't battle me, and we pulled him at 99."

Although getting his second straight complete game (he went the distance in a 5-1 win over Sherando last Thursday) would have been nice, Baker said the most important thing was getting a win against their Frederick County rivals.

"Zach did his job, came in and got a fly ball and I caught it," Baker said. "I was going to go as far as my coach wanted me to go. I did my job and so did the rest of the team, and we came out with the 'W.'"

Murphy went 2 for 3 with a double and a run, and Copley added an RBI single for the Colonels.

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