Chapin’s Thomas Harper (7) slides in at third under the tag of Westwood’s Joshua Esaw-Thomas (15). (Photo/Ross Burton)
BLYTHEWOOD – The Westwood Redhawks hosted the Eagles of Chapin High School on Friday. The weather was beautiful, perfect for America’s pastime. Chapin prevailed in five innings via the 10-run rule, 13-2. The game was a slight improvement for the Redhawks over their previous meeting this year, when Chapin won 14-0.
Redhawk head coach Jonathan Burroughs was aware that Chapin would be a handful.
“We are in the process of developing and maturing. The process is a marathon and not a sprint, so it will take some time,” said Burroughs. “I try to emphasize that ‘every pitch counts, every play counts.’ It’s posted on the board in the dugout.”
The Eagles went to work right away in the top of the first inning. The first batter, Thomas Harper, took first base on a passed ball, then advanced to second when the next batter was hit by a pitch. The first two runs scored when Chandler Engel hit a double along the right sideline. Engle managed to get to third on a stolen base, while Jordy Wright was caught stealing after taking first base on balls.
The next two Eagle batters also walked, putting Jordan O’Cain in scoring position. A double by pitcher (and football quarterback) Matt Charpia brought in O’Cain for the fourth run of the inning. The next two Eagle batters struck out swinging.
The Redhawk performance in the bottom of the first made it look like Westwood would give Chapin a run for their money. T.J. White hit a sizzling grounder to the shortstop, who missed the ball, converting an easy out to a single. Jory Harrison hit a single along the left field line, advancing White into scoring position on second. Thomas Castles took first on an error by the first baseman, driving in White. Castles was caught stealing for the second out. Harrison scored the Redhawks’ second run on a clean single by pitcher Matt Keily. The inning ended when the next Redhawk batter struck out. Chapin led 4-2 at inning’s end.
The top of the order was back up for the Eagles in the second inning. Chapin managed to put three more runs on the board in the second, beginning with a pitching error when the first batter was hit by a pitch. A Redhawk error in right field and two stolen bases contributed to a long inning for Westwood, whose batters went three up, three down during their turn at the plate.
The third inning was even worse for the Redhawks. Four hits by Eagle batters and two wild pitches saw Chapin put up four more runs on the scoreboard. Chapin’s Thomas Harper and Anthony Gonzales crossed home plate in each of the first three innings, and Harper would score again in the fourth. Three Redhawks got on base in the third, and White advanced all the way to third, but no Redhawk was able to come home for a score.
Chapin scored twice in the fourth when two batters were hit by pitches and Chapin batters got base hits. Neither team scored in the final inning, as the game ended with Chapin leading by 11 runs, 13-2.
The winning pitcher was Matt Charpia and the loser was Matt Keily.
On Saturday, Westwood fell to Richland Northeast 15-5.
