Bats

Austin Golden was shining Sunday afternoon, throwing a five-inning no-hitter to lead Conococheague to a 10-0 victory over Maugansville in the Maryland District 1 Junior Tournment winner's bracket final. “I couldn't have done it without my team backing me up, making plays,” Golden said. Conococheague's defense committed no errors and only two Maugansville baserunners made it as far as second base. Golden needed only 58 pitches to complete the five innings. He faced only 18 hitters, struck out one and allowed only three walks while hitting two batters.

Blake Schwartz and Colin Bates combined on a four-hit shutout as the Hagerstown Suns blanked the Lexington Legends 6-0 on Sunday afternoon in the South Atlantic League. The Suns (63-43, 21-16) reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Northern Division, one game ahead of Hickory and West Virginia and two ahead of Lakewood. Schwartz (1-0) worked the first six innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out six in his second start with the Suns. Bates allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one over the final three innings for his second save.

At first glance, Wednesday’s Williamsport-Clear Spring baseball game appeared destined to be a low-scoring MVAL Antietam affair. Williamsport held a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the second, even after starter Tyler Byers was chased. Tyson Cline got two strikeouts with the bases loaded to preserve the advantage. Then, the bats came alive. Scoring was the norm as Williamsport charged to a 24-13 lead before the game was halted after four innings due to darkness. The completion is yet to be scheduled.

WILLIAMSPORT -- Williamsport's baseball team returned to .500 in rousing fashion. Taking advantage of Boonsboro's pitching, the Wildcats routed the Warriors 20-6 on Friday night in an MVAL Antietam game shortened to five innings by the 10-run rule. The game was close entering the fourth inning, with Williamsport (7-7, 3-4) leading 6-4, before the Wildcats' bats got red hot in a 12-run inning. Boonsboro (2-12, 1-8) starter Brian Cibula (0-5) was responsible for nine runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Dario Vitalgliano hit a three-run double in the third inning to put Manchester ahead to stay, as the host team defeated Hagerstown B 6-1 on the opening day of the PONY League Baseball East Zone Tournament on Friday. Travis Dion added a two-run single and scored on a wild pitch to give Manchester all the scoring it needed. J.J. Cooper scored on a wild pitch in the fifth inning to give Hagerstown its only run. Garrett Spinks, Blake Harne, and Zach Barr had Hagerstown's three hits.

bobp@herald-mail.com The Hagerstown Suns were victimized by a stolen base on Sunday. Not the conventional kind. This one was broad-daylight thievery by the umpires. When umpires Bob Light and John Coons disallowed Branden Florence's solo shot to right center field in the first inning, it looked like an interesting sidelight to the game. In the end, it was probably the major turning point as the Suns rallied late from a 6-0 deficit only to fall 6-5 to the Bats. "That first-inning home run makes the difference," Suns manager Mike Ramsey said.

Three Hagerstown pitchers held Augusta to three hits, and the Suns took control with a three-run fifth inning on the way to a 6-1 victory over the Greenjackets in a South Atlantic League game Saturday. The Suns (12-9) opened the scoring in the first inning against Greenjackets starter Bryce Bandilla (1-1). Cutter Dykstra led off with a double and scored on Adrian Nieto's two-out single. Augusta (9-12) tied the game against Suns starter Brian Dupra in the fourth. Shawn Payne led off with a single, stole second and took third on Ben Thomas' single.

BIG POOL - Bats have been described as gentle, beneficial and necessary, but Kamela Lee of Big Pool sees things differently. cont. from front page The estimated hundreds of bats that live in the attic of her two-story wood house pose a health risk to her two children, and have largely made the house unlivable, she said. The family of four now "eats, sleeps and plays" in the 12-foot-by-12 foot, first-floor living room where blankets and pillows are stacked side-by-side with children's toys and playpens.

North Hagerstown baseball coach Shawn Reynolds knew his team's offense would eventually turn around this season. It seems the waiting game is over. The Hubs turned on several pitches from Francis Scott Key on Friday, pounding out 14 hits to produce three big innings in an 11-6 victory over the Eagles in the Monocacy Valley Athletic League. "We swung the bats well," Reynolds said. "It is probably the best that we swung the bats as a team for a while. The hitters have started to come around during the last couple of days.

John Sneed made just two mistakes in seven innings Monday night, and both were hit over the rightfield wall. Ultimately, however, it was an Anthony Salley pitch which wasn't hit at all that made the difference. Leading 3-2, Greensboro scored an insurance run on a wild pitch in the eighth inning, and held on for a 4-3 South Atlantic League win at Municipal Stadium before 1,096 fans, dropping the Suns to 4-8 in the second half. Salley, who relieved Sneed (9-2) to start the eighth, walked Marc Mirizzi with one out. Allen Butler's single to center pushed Mirizzi to third before Salley uncorked his eighth wild pitch of the season for a 4-2 lead.

Ivan Pineyro found a way to escape becoming a victim of Hickory's home run hitters. Don't let the Crawdads hit the ball. Pineyro struck out 12 of the 18 Hickory hitters who went down swinging over six innings as the Hagerstown Suns notched a 3-0 victory on a chilly, wet Sunday before 553 fans at Municipal Stadium. Pineyro (1-2) had his best outing of the season, punching out a dozen on 75 pitches, while allowing three hits - all doubles - and two walks. David Fischer pitched the final three innings - getting the first six outs on whiffs - to pick up his second save, while closing out the five-hit shutout.

The North Hagerstown and Clear Spring baseball teams went toe to toe in the early stages of Monday's MVAL Antietam Conference tilt, with a pure pitchers' duel taking center stage. But batters made adjustments, and when North recorded the final out on a cool, breezy and overcast day, the Hubs had a 7-4 victory to remain unbeaten. North's John Britton and Clear Spring's Jared Brant were sharp early, with the Blazers (5-2, 5-2) holding a 1-0 lead through three innings, thanks to Ryan Aaron's RBI single in the second.

You can't ask for anything better to start the baseball season than scoring eight runs in the first inning. The Jefferson baseball team rolled into Hagerstown on a cool and windy but sun-drenched Thursday and headed back home after five innings with a 19-2 romp over St. Maria Goretti in the season opener for both teams. From the very first batter, when Goretti's Adam Blenckstone walked Anthony DiAmario, it was all Cougars. Jefferson had 12 hits and took advantage of three hit batsmen and eight walks, scoring in every inning.

A former Hagerstown man charged with participating in a 2011 robbery in which the victim was struck with a baseball bat, was given a sentence of seven months and 24 days time served after entering an Alford plea this week in Washington County Circuit Court to criminal conspiracy to commit robbery. Dwight Orin Lewis Jr., 35, was charged in 2012 with a Sept. 28, 2011, robbery on the 12000 block of Pine Hill Drive, Hagerstown, according to charging documents filed by the Washington County Sheriff's Office.

“OK, everybody, the Maryland legislature is now in session. Hold onto your wallets, and say goodbye to some of your liberties.” - Maugansville “I just counted 24 robins in my backyard, on the ground. Could it be that springtime is just around the corner?” - Funkstown “This is concerning movies and violence. It's the people who go see the movies is the problem, it's the ratings they get. I'm 68 years old. I quit going to movies in the '60s, when they started taking God's name in vain, and when they started - it was 'Last House on the Left.' It showed women being degraded, mothers and daughters being degraded by these men, and they murdered them.

A felony charge against a Hagerstown bar owner accused of assaulting a man with a baseball bat was dismissed this week in a preliminary hearing in Washington County District Court, court records said. The first-degree assault charge against Richard Carroll Reeder, 44, of 244 S. Potomac St., Hagerstown, was dismissed Wednesday, court records said. Two other misdemeanor charges against Reeder, second-degree assault and reckless endangerment, were scheduled for a hearing on Feb. 20. Reeder admitted to Washington County liquor officials in October that he knocked James Yost to the floor after striking him with a baseball bat on the evening of Sept.

Washington County liquor officials have absolved a Hagerstown bar owner for hitting an unruly patron over the head with a baseball bat last month. After listening to about 10 minutes of testimony during a Wednesday hearing, the Board of License Commissioners for Washington County voted 3-0 to clear R and K Pub owner Richard Reeder of any wrongdoing in the Sept. 26 incident. “I make a motion that the board take no disciplinary action in this case,” liquor board Treasurer William Dunham said.

Blake Schwartz and Colin Bates combined on a four-hit shutout as the Hagerstown Suns blanked the Lexington Legends 6-0 on Sunday afternoon in the South Atlantic League. The Suns (63-43, 21-16) reclaimed sole possession of first place in the Northern Division, one game ahead of Hickory and West Virginia and two ahead of Lakewood. Schwartz (1-0) worked the first six innings, allowing three hits and two walks while striking out six in his second start with the Suns. Bates allowed one hit and one walk while striking out one over the final three innings for his second save.

Saturday was not a good day for Hagerstown Suns hitters. After Lexington completed an 8-1 victory in a game started Friday, Legends pitchers Luis Ordosgiotti and Murillo Gouvea combined on a two-hit 2-0 shutout of the Suns. Hagerstown (62-43, 20-16) is in a first-place tie with Hickory in the South Atlantic League Northern Division's second-half race. West Virginia and Lakewood are one game back. * Lexington (58-47, 19-17 Southern Division) took a 4-0 lead off Hagerstown starter Brian Rauh (0-1)

Austin Golden was shining Sunday afternoon, throwing a five-inning no-hitter to lead Conococheague to a 10-0 victory over Maugansville in the Maryland District 1 Junior Tournment winner's bracket final. “I couldn't have done it without my team backing me up, making plays,” Golden said. Conococheague's defense committed no errors and only two Maugansville baserunners made it as far as second base. Golden needed only 58 pitches to complete the five innings. He faced only 18 hitters, struck out one and allowed only three walks while hitting two batters.