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A warm muggy Tuesday night saw Fauquier travel to No. 6 Riverside for a Region 4C semifinal with a State Tournament berth on the line. The Falcons would jump out to an early 5-0 lead and hang on to win 8-6, upsetting the Rams and clinching a spot in next week's Class 4 State Tournament.

The game got off to a fast start for the Falcons as Cole Western hit the second pitch from Riverside starter David Setien for a lead-off solo home run to left field. After a walk, Blaze O'Saben (UMBC) ripped a double down the leftfield line to put two more runners in scoring position with no outs. One run would score on a Carson McCusker groundout and another run was scored on a Lane Pearson RBI single. Setien got a lineout double play to end the inning and after the top of the first, Fauquier had a 3-0 lead.

In the bottom of the first, Tyler Casagrande (Arizona) drew a leadoff walk from Pearson, who started for Fauquier, and worked his way down to third with one out. He was thrown out trying to score on a Carson Swank (Yale) ground ball in the hole as O'Saben fielded the ball and opted to throw home and cut the run off. After one, Fauquier held their 3-0 lead.

In the top of the second, a pair of singles wrapped around a sacrifice bunt put runners on the corners with one out for Western, who picked up his second RBI with a single on a safety squeeze that he pushed past the mound. That ended the day for Setien, with Riverside bringing in lefty Wes Glass (Young Harris). Glass got a lineout but then O'Saben singled to left, driving in another run and extending Fauquier's lead to 5-0 in the middle of the second.

Pearson worked a scoreless second and third inning and Glass calmed things down in the third with a perfect inning, sending the game to the fourth with Fauquier leading 5-0.

Glass worked a perfect top of the fourth and Riverside got their bats going in the bottom of the fourth, with Ryan Hoehn leading the inning off with an infield single and stealing second to get himself into scoring position. Robbie Ferriera got Riverside on the board by driving in Hoehn with an RBI single. A Sajon Belser single and a fielder's choice put runners on the corners with two outs, and Riverside was able to pick up another run on a double steal. After four, Fauquier's lead was down to 5-2. 

In the top of the fifth, one out singles by O'Saben and McCusker ended Glass's day on the mound, with Riverside bringing in Ferriera from second base to pitch. After a fly out, Troy Smith, Clay Shafer, and Clay Goff all delivered two-out RBI singles to extend the Falcon lead to 8-2 before Ferrierra was able to end the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, Riverside got things going with Casagrande taking a hit by pitch and a single. Swank doubled down the leftfield line, cutting the deficit to 8-3 and putting two in scoring position. Hoehn was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Pearson, who was clearly tired at this point, walked the next two hitters, forcing in two more runs and cutting the score to 8-5. Fauquier brought in Carson McCusker to pitch, with the bases still loaded and no outs. McCusker was able to limit the damage, allowing just one more run on a groundout, and after five the score was Fauquier 8, Riverside 6.

Ferriera worked a scoreless top of the sixth and Riverside put the tying runs into scoring position in the bottom of the sixth, but McCusker was able to strand them there and send the game to the seventh with the Falcon 8-6 lead intact. 

Ferriera also had a scoreless seventh and then drew a leadoff walk in the bottom half of the inning. After a strikeout, Nick Connolly singled to put the tying run on base for the Rams. After another strikeout, Casagrande came to the plate with the tying run on base. McCusker pitched around him and Casagrande walked to load the bases. With Swank standing on deck, McCusker was able to get a ground ball to O'Saben for the final out and to clinch the Falcons' State berth with an 8-6 win.

For Riverside, Casagrande was 1-2 with 2 SB, a HBP, 2 BBs. Nick Jones was 2-3 with a BB. Ferreira went 2.2 IP, 1 R, 4 H, 1 BB while also going 2-2 with 2 BB and 2 RBIs. 

For Fauquier, Pearson was the winning pitcher and went 2-4 with an RBI at the plate. McCusker earned the save with 3 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 3 BB, and 4 K while also going 1-4 with an RBI and a SB. Western was 2-4 with a home run and 2 RBIs. O'Saben was 3-4 with a 2B, SB, and an RBI. Shafer was 2-4 with an RBI.

Fauquier will play at Woodgrove in the Region 4C Championship game.

 

Scouting Notes

Fauquier

-2019 Pearson was 79-82, curveball 66-68. Looked tired but battled.

-McCusker was 79-82, touching 83. Breaking ball was 72-75.

-O'Saben's bat looks real and he made a few plays in the field that suggest he will stick at short in college.

 

Riverside

-Setien was 82-85, touched 86. Curveball had two shapes and was 74-75.

-Glass was 79-82, touching 83.

-Nick Jones was 2.13 between innings with a throw velocity of 70.

-Belser is fast, ran a 4.25 with a slow first step out of the box and made a play that showed his range in left.

 

For full scouting notes and videos, watch for the VA/DC Scout Blog post for this game later this week.

 

 

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