Prep Baseball Report

Ryan Calvert Leads La Plata to the 2A State Title


Kyle Campbell
Maryland Scouting Director

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The MPSSAA 2A State Championship pitted the La Plata Warriors from Charles County against the Middletown Knights from Frederick County. Great starting pitching was on display again in this one as La Plata gave the ball to junior Ryan Calvert and Middletown turned to senior Luke Pryor (Mount St. Mary's). 

Both starters retired the side in order in the first and began the game with four scoreless frames. La Plata threatened in the second when Austin Brown walked to lead off the inning and Zach Harris followed with a single to give the Warriors runners on first and second with no outs. Following an unsuccessful sacrifice bunt attempt and a walk to Alex Borges thus loading the bases, L. Pryor induced a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the jam. 

Calvert retired the first eight Middletown hitters striking out six consecutive at one point before Jacob Pryor doubled to left field with two outs in the third. The Warriors righty would get Knights leadoff man Graham Brown (Potomac State JC) to ground out to short stranding J. Pryor at second to end the inning. 

Middletown threatened again in the fourth as Trevor Woelkers and L. Pryor both singled to start things off. Calvert then struck out Cole Crist (Rollins) for the first out of the inning but fell down delivering a pitch to the plate with Chase Weller at the dish for a balk that moved both Woelkers and L. Pryor into scoring position. Two pitches later La Plata caught Woelker's attempting to steal home on a crazy play. Caught in a rundown and headed back to third base, Chet Bowling's throw got past Tyler Moody at third and thus Woelker's again attempted to score again. Senior Michael Gill was in a perfect position backing up the throw however and fired a strike to Calvert covering home plate to get Woelker's for the second out. Calvert then struck out Weller to strand L. Pryor at third base and end a wild inning.

Finally in the fifth inning, Middletown broke the scoreless ballgame and touched Calvert for two runs. Paul McHugh singled on a ground ball that hit the base at first to lead off the inning. Following a fielder's choice and another strikeout, J. Pryor came to the plate with two outs and Zach Houck at first base. Swinging a hot bat, J. Pryor lined one back up the middle for a single and the ball snuck under Jordan Hammonds' glove in center rolling all the way to the warning track. The error allowed Houck to score all the way from first and J. Pryor to advance to second. A wild pitch moved J. Pryor to third before Brown singled to right to plate J. Pryor. Calvert got Woelkers to fly out to left to end the inning but the damage was done and the Knights had struck first taking a 2-0 lead. 

To their credit, La Plata regrouped and responded in a big way in the bottom half with a two out rally that would ultimately decide the game. Dean Kirby (Alderson Broaddus) walked with two outs and Bowling reached on an error by the third baseman bringing Calvert to the plate with runners on first and second. Calvert sent a screaming line drive into the left center field gap on a 1-0 offering by L. Pryor to score Kirby and speedy courtesy runner Cameron Jones from first base to tie the game at two. Austin Brown then lined one down the right field line to plate courtesy runner Jake Gleason from second as La Plata took the lead 3-2. The Warriors weren't done yet though as Harris roped a line drive of his own into the left center field gap that scored Brown all the way from first and signaled the end of the day for L. Pryor on the mound. 

With the 4-2 lead, Calvert turned it up a couple notches on the mound retiring Middletown in order in both the sixth and the seventh striking out four of the last six batters he faced to secure the 4-2 win for La Plata.

Led by Calvert both on the mound and at the plate, La Plata captured it's third state championship in school history and second in four years. Calvert struck out thirteen over his seven innings worked allowing six hits and walked none. L. Pryor left the game after Harris' RBI double in the fifth going four and two-thirds allowing four runs (zero earned) on four hits, five walks, and struck out three.