Junior Noah Petty was at bat in the top of the second inning. With two strikes on him, the ball flew toward Petty, and a metallic noise rang across the field as he made contact. Sidwell’s left- and center-fielder sprinted to catch the ball in left field, but it was already over the fence.
On Tuesday, May 5, the baseball team lost to Sidwell Friends School 10–5 in the Mid-Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAC) quarterfinals. The team went into the matchup with a record of 2–11, including two decisive losses to Sidwell in the first two games of the season.
Junior Caleb Clark started on the mound in Tuesday’s game. Sidwell hit a pop-up that shortstop freshman Jackson Korns caught for the first out of the inning. Junior Jonah Levy, who was playing third base at the time, then caught a line drive for another out. Sidwell took the lead 2–0 after a hit along the foul line evaded Levy as he dove for the ball. (Levy is a sports editor for the Bit. He did not read or edit this article prior to publication.)
In the bottom of the second inning—after Petty’s home run in the top of the inning—a Sidwell player stole second and third base on consecutive pitches. The player then scored, putting Sidwell up 3–2. Sidwell hit a ball deep into the outfield, but sophomore center fielder Caleb Broomfield tracked down the ball and caught it for an out.
“I think we came out strong with the energy,” Petty said. “I was really proud of how we played and how we kind of stayed in it throughout the game, even when we were down.”
In the bottom of the third inning, Petty entered the game as a relief pitcher, Clark moved to shortstop and Korns went to third base. After Petty hit a Sidwell player with a pitch, a Sidwell batter hit a single, leaving runners on first and third base.
On the next at-bat, the Sidwell player on first base tried to steal second, and junior Lawson Massey, the catcher, tried to throw the ball to stop him. Massey underthrew the ball, and it bounced past the GDS second baseman. A Sidwell player scored on the throw, putting the score at 5–2. Sidwell later scored on a ground ball single, and the inning ended with the score of 7–2.
The bottom of the fifth inning was more of the same. A Sidwell player doubled to left, and his teammate, who was on second base, scored. Then, a Sidwell player smashed the ball over the fence for a home run. The score was 10–2, Sidwell. Levy took over the mound to finish the game.
At the top of the sixth inning, Massey hit a single and stole second base. Massey then scored on a double by Korns, making the score 10–3.
Petty doubled in the first at-bat of the final inning. The following at-bat, Clark walked. Massey doubled, and both of his teammates scored, making the final score 10–5.
Petty said he wasn’t thinking about anything before he hit the home run. “That’s what [head coach Nick Bacani] tells me to do,” he said. “When I go to hit, don’t think about anything; just play the game.”
Broomfield said the team played better defensively than they had in their previous matchups against Sidwell. “I think what could have made the bigger difference was hitting today,” Broomfield said. “If we were able to exploit the fact that we weren’t facing really good pitching and swing the bats better, I think it could have been a much closer game.”
Bacani also emphasized the team’s improvement over the course of the season. “Overall, the team played very well,” he said. “Obviously [the game] didn’t go our way, but I’m very proud of the fight and the game that they played today.” Bacani said the team’s high energy greatly contributed to their performance.