The Sideline

Hayfield Hawks Baseball Contenders for National District Crown

Hawks look to grab second consecutive National District championship.

Hayfield Secondary School's baseball team ended last season the way it began—on fire. The Hawks started the year with a seven-game win streak, scoring 10 or more runs in four of the team’s first seven games. Hayfield cruised through its regular season schedule and won the school’s second-ever district title as the Hawks defeated Yorktown 17-16 in the National District championship. This season, Hayfield (8-5) currently sits at 7-2 in National District play and is determined to prove that last year’s success was hardly a fluke. “While we did win districts last season, we only had two guys returning that contributed and played on that team,” said first-year head coach Michael Shore, who has been with the program for four years, told Patch …

• Photos (4)

Little League Comes with a Big Price Tag

Poll: What do you think? Is the cost of kids' sports out of hand?

Have you purchased a baseball glove for your Little Leaguer lately? Did you pay more than $100? How about a $250 bat? Baseball and softball equipment, including cleats and uniforms, accounted for over $1 billion in sales in 2010, reported the New York Times. "Youth equipment represents the highest percentage of sales, particularly bat sales, as the parent willing to buy a $200, 28-inch bat for a 9-year-old is likely to pay the same price for a 30-inch bat for a 10-year-old the next season," wrote Mike Tanier in "Big Price Tags Attached to Even the Littlest Leagues." The cost of joining a league and outfitting a player can overwhelm families, and may even prevent some kids from playing. So what do you think? Has the cost of bats and gloves …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

South County Baseball Motivated by 2011 State Championship Defeat

Stallions will play a different game in 2012, but are looking for a similar deep playoff run.

South County’s baseball team was known for home runs and big arms last year as it marched to the state championship game. While the Stallions fell short of their goal of an undefeated season, losing in the final to Great Bridge, they gained valuable experience which should come in handy this year. The No. 1 lesson?  “You know you’re not going to get handed every win,” said Kyle Fairbanks, the team’s first baseman and a returning starter from last year’s 28-1 squad. The Stallions’ green and white caps have one word on the back—“Finish”—and it should serve as a daily reminder that a state championship is still the ultimate goal. District and regional titles are great, said players like Andrew Rector, the returning centerfielder, but this is …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (4)

South County Pitcher Evan Beal Weighs Options

17-year old will decide between University of South Carolina Gamecocks and Kansas City Royals.

For many college-bound high school seniors, this time of year is usually spent finalizing college plans, saying goodbye to family and friends, and making the most of the last summer before embarking on a new chapter in their lives. However, due to recent events, the future for one South County senior has become far more exciting. On Tuesday, June 7th, the Kansas City Royals drafted All-Met pitcher, Evan Beal, in the eighth round of MLB’s draft. The news sent the Beal family into a frenzy. Frank Beal, Evan’s father, was en route to the family’s home when he received the call from his wife, informing him that their son had been drafted by Kansas City. “My wife called me and said that Kansas City had gotten Evan in round eight. I just blew …

• Photos (6)

Stallions Win First Round of State Baseball Tourney Against Nansemond River, Advance to Semifinals

Mike Perez lifts South County with two-run walk-off single

South County baseball is no stranger to high-scoring affairs. The Stallions have scored 10 or more runs in 16 of their 27 games played this season.    So when the Stallions found themselves trailing 9-4 Tuesday evening in the fourth inning of the state quarterfinals, head coach Mark Luther remained calm, knowing that his team was still in the game. “One thing nice about it is, we’ve been down 9-4 earlier in the year against other people, so we know we have the ability to come back,” said Luther. “We are going to put the ball in play against a lot of people. We had our nerves early, but we kept our composure and kept on playing.” Playing in front of their home crowd, where the atmosphere rivaled that of a state championship game, the …

• Photos (23)

South County Pitcher Evan Beal Drafted

Beal tapped by the Kansas City Royals organization in Major League Baseball draft this afternoon

South County Secondary School Stallions baseball pitcher Evan Beal was tapped by the Kansas City Royals organization in the 2011 Major League Baseball draft this afternoon. Beal, a Fairfax Station resident, was a key player on this year’s Stallions team, which is undefeated this season and is now in contention for the state title. (See this Patch story “South County’s Baseball Success was Years in the Making” for more on the team and Beal’s role on it.) Beal, who has already accepted a baseball scholarship to the University of South Carolina, was drafted no. 246. Patch will have more on Beal after tonight’s South County baseball game. The Stallions are playing Nansemond River High School (Suffolk, Va.) Warriors in the first round of the …

• Photos (5)

Frederick Keys Shutout P-Nats

Keys score two runs, game ends top of the ninth.

Maryland’s Frederick Keys proved to be a dominating force in a game against the Potomac Nationals Tuesday night. Despite four hits by P-Nats’ Cutter Dykstra, Justin Bloxom and Eury Perez, the team brought home no runs. Keys’ Steven Bumbry racked up the team’s first run in the third inning after he singled a ground ball to P-Nats’ shortstop Francisco Soriano. Buck Britton’s double to P-Nats right fielder Destin Hood brought home the run. Bats went unanswered until the sixth inning when Keys’ LJ Hoes singled a ground ball to Soriano. Miguel Abreu’s single on a grounder ultimately brought in Hoes’ run.  The P-Nats will take on the Keys again Wednesdy night at 7 p.m. in Maryland. With the series at 0-2, the two teams will plan until Friday. 

• Photos (1)