Sparrows Point High School beat Eastern Technical High School 8-4 on May 17 to win the 2A North Region Championship in baseball. After a rough first inning and being down 3-0, the Pointers rallied with clutch pitching and timely hitting.
Senior Mike Gamble hit a 3-run homer in the second inning, putting the Pointers up 4-3. With the score knotted at four each in the bottom of the fifth inning, and two outs, sophomore Austin Shifflett hit a double to score Wayne Brooks and put the Pointers 5-4. The Pointers would add three more in the bottom of the sixth inning, with Brooks’ 2-run RBI triple to go up 8-4, which was the final score, resulting in the Pointers’ second straight 2A North Region Championship win and head coach Marc Kline’s 100th victory at the helm of this team.
Starting pitcher, senior Mark Shelley earned the win on the mound, pitching six innings, giving up three runs and striking out seven. Senior Wayne Brooks went 4-for-4 with a triple and two RBIs. Shifflett went 2 for three with a double. Gamble hit a 3-run homer, and sophomore Ryan Zickefoose added an RBI triple to help the offense.
The Pointers struggled early in the season with a 1-5 record in a tough Baltimore County Division 1A that included Towson, Dulaney and Hereford, all of which are also regional champions. But the Pointers dug in, and with good pitching, hitting and defense, they finished with a 10-7-1 record and another regional championship.
After a heartbreaking loss at the state championship last year, they were destined to return and win. Unfortunately, fairytale finishes don’t always come true, as their season came to an end in the state quarterfinals against North East, which won 12-2 on May 20.
Gamble started the game and pitched five strong innings, allowing two runs and striking out five; the game was 2-2 until the sixth inning, when the wheels began to fall off. North East ran away with the win. Zickefoose hit a 2-run homer, and Shelley, Shifflett and Kameron Locklear had hits in the loss.
One thing is for sure — this was a special team. With 10 seniors who have played together for four years,
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.