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Sports

Beal, Offense Click as South County Trounces Westfield in Regional Quarterfinals

Stallions put up five in the first, Beal allows one hit through six to down Bulldogs

Kyle Fairbanks, Cameron Thompson and Mike Perez provided the offense, while Evan Beal dominated on the mound as South County continued its playoff march with an 11-1 win over Westfield at Lake Braddock on Monday afternoon.

Beal went six solid innings, allowing just one hit and one run while fanning seven. Fairbanks and Thompson drove in three runs apiece and Perez smashed a pair of doubles and a solo homer to lead the Stallions’ charge into the Northern Region Class AAA semifinals.

South County will face the winner of the Yorktown/Madison quarterfinal at Robinson Secondary on Wednesday night (7 p.m.) The winner of the regional semifinal will be guaranteed a spot in the state playoffs.

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South County’s first five batters scored, staking Beal to a 5-0 lead, which is all he needed.

“The last five games for us have been close,” said third baseman Luke Bondurant. “We’re about to give all the fans heart attacks. So with the hot weather, we just wanted to give our fans a break and then we could relax the rest of the game.”

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South County’s (24-0) last two games – the district final against Lake Braddock and the regional opener against McLean – were up for grabs until the final out. Monday’s game was different.

“This was just an old-fashioned a-- -whipping,” said Westfield coach Chuck Welch. “You can say a lot of different things but you just got you’re a-- kicked.”

Welch said he would have liked to see his defense support starter and Concorde District pitcher of the year Aaron Hoover. Drew Rector opened the bottom of the first with a single and moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt by Alex Carrington that neither Westfield catcher Matt Stromecki nor Hoover could make a play on. The next ball in play was a double by Bondurant down the third-base line that Hayden Ferington couldn’t get to. Perez followed that with another hard grounder past third that scored Carrington to make it 2-0.

“We should pick up the bunt and get that out there,” Welch said, recounting the opening frame. “We should be fielding ground balls at third base. That part of the lineup should have never come up. Those are all unearned runs.”

Fairbanks followed Tyler Frazier’s walk with a two-run single and the rout was on.

Beal retired the next nine batters in order before Wade Arduini blooped a single into short right field for only the Bulldogs’ second runner of the game.

“It was a good outing,” Beal said. “But we’re not done yet. It’s got to get better from here, there’s still room for improvement.”

Beal didn’t return for the seventh after Perez’s homer started a 4-run sixth that gave South County an 11-1 advantage. Jake Josephs, a junior who saw his first action of the playoffs, faced four batters to close out the game.

South County’s players headed for the parking lot quickly after the game ended, peeling off their white game jerseys to reveal undershirts with an outline of the commonwealth of Virginia with a number, 29, in the corner. That stands for the number of games they knew they needed to win from the beginning of the season to earn a state title.

“We’ve got five games left to 29. We’re looking for that ring,” Beal said.

Frazier, who has two postseason wins, is expected to pitch Wednesday night.

“Whoever we play we’re going to be ready,” Perez said. “We’re going to be excited to be there because if we win that game, we’re guaranteed to get to go to states. “

Note - South County will play Madison on Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Robinson Secondary School.

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