Monday, August 20, 2012
Henry Brandmark broke two pitching records as a relief pitcher for Vienna Post 180
Henry Brandmark might not have plans to play Division I baseball when he heads to James Madison University as a freshman this fall, but that didn't stop him from continuing the sport he has played since he was 5 years old. Having always loved the calm atmosphere and camaraderie of baseball, the 2012 Madison High graduate signed up for American Legion Baseball for the first time this summer. He found a comfort in his abilities through the relaxed coaching style of Vienna Post 180's Frank Werman, which laid the foundation for Brandmark's standout performance in a season that ended with a District 17 title and a berth into the state tournament. Werman awarded Brandmark with the Chris Burr MVP trophy Sunday at Post 180 baseball's end-of-the-…
Friday, August 3, 2012
Vienna eliminated after one-run defeat in Virginia American Legion Senior Baseball Tournament
The Vienna Post 180 season came to an end with a 7-6 loss to Mechanicsville Post 175 at the Virginia American Legion Senior Baseball Tournament on Thursday, ranking the squad at fourth in the state. After ending day one of the double-elimination tournament with a split 1-1 record, Post 180's second loss takes them out of the running for the state title. Post 180 qualified for the tournament after dominating the District 17 Tournament last week to earn its first district championship since 2007. Post 180 stayed ahead most of the game Thursday night, but Mechanicsville's RBI sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning proved to the game-winner. Vienna jumped ahead in the first two innings to take a 6-3 lead. Post 180 scored two runs in …
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Vienna squad enters losers' bracket of Virginia American Legion Senior Baseball Tournament
Vienna Post 180 opened its run in the Virginia American Legion Senior Baseball Tournament on Wednesday with a 5-4 win against host team Stafford Post 290 and then an 8-5 loss against Albemarle Post 74, putting them in the losers' bracket for the remainder of the tournament. Rain pushed Post 180's game from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning, forcing them to play two games in one day to start the tournament. Game One Post 180 defeated Post 290 with a narrow 5-4 win, capitalizing on Stafford's missteps to advance around the base path. Two balks and a passed ball in the second inning allowed Post 180 to score the first run of the game. In the fifth inning, Post 180 piled on four more runs that proved to be valuable insurance runs as Post 290…
Monday, July 30, 2012
Vienna Post 180 puts faith in pitching staff, which is on pace for program's record-low ERA
Looking to secure its first state title since 1990, the Vienna Post 180 squad will continue to rely on strong pitching for success throughout the Virginia American Legion Senior Baseball Tournament, which kicks off Tuesday in Fredericksburg. The District 17 champions have put up a 25-7 record through last week's district tournament, and have won 12 of their last 13 contests. Post 180 will look to continue its three-game win streak against Stafford Post 290, the tournament's host team, at American Legion Sports Complex in Fredericksburg 8 p.m. Tuesday. No player from this year's squad has had the opportunity to play in the state tournament, as Post 180's last berth into the tourney was in 2007. Post 180's most veteran player, Chris Hanson…
Friday, July 27, 2012
Post 180 advances next week's state tournament in Stafford.
Vienna Post 180 captured the American Legion Baseball District 17 crown for the first time since 2007 with a 4-1 victory over the two-time defending champions Springfield Post 176 on Thursday at Waters Field. Post 180 tallied its first run in the first inning on an error while fielding a bunt from Mason Hauser. Henry Brandmark, who reached on a double to lead off the game, scored on a throw meant to catch him at third but instead soared into left field. Post 176 tied the game in the third inning, and the scored remained 1-1 until Hauser scored the game-winner after Dennis Cooney was hit by a pitch with bases loaded in the fifth. Post 180 scored one more in the fifth on a bases loaded walk to Brandon Chandler and another in the eighth on a…
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Vienna Post 180 heads to title game after shutout win over Springfield Post 176
Pitcher Mark Gunst threw a four-hit, complete game shutout Tuesday to advance the Vienna Post 180 squad to the District 17 American Legion Baseball Championship game. The 8-0 victory marks the No. 1 seed's fifth win over No. 2 Post 176 this season, and sends Springfield to the losers' bracket to battle Falls Church Post 130 on Wednesday for a spot in Thursday's championship game against Vienna. Gunst, a Paul VI Catholic High School graduate, started the game with two straight three up, three down innings. After allowing two singles on two outs in the third, Gunst (2.23 ERA) did not give up a hit until the sixth inning and allowed Post 176's last hit in the seventh. Post 176 tallied four hits against Gunst, who pitched nine strikeouts and…
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Vienna's offense in middle innings holds off Falls Church's ninth-inning comeback run
Vienna Post 180 suppressed Falls Church Post 130's ninth-inning rally to advance to the winners' bracket of the District 17 American Legion Baseball tournament with a 9-6 victory Monday at Waters Field. Post 130 scored the first run of the game in the second inning, which Post 180 answered in the bottom of the third when Ryan Forrest, who drew a walk and stole second, scored after the shortstop bobbled a ground ball from Mason Hauser. Post 180 pulled ahead in the fourth on another error to score Gavin Gibbons. Post 180 then piled on seven more runs over the next three innings, with Justin Padgett, Dennis Cooney, Mason Hauser, Chris Hanson and Ryan Forrest each knocking in a run and Billy McLaughlin driving in two. Six of Post 180's nine …
Monday, July 23, 2012
Vienna team is No. 1 seed in American Legion Tournament, which begins tonight
Vienna Post 180 will enter the District 17 American Legion Tournament on Monday night as the No. 1 seed, ending the regular season with a comfortable three-game lead over No. 2 West Springfield Post 176. The double-elimination tournament opens 7 p.m. today, with Post 180 facing Falls Church Post 130 at Waters Field and Post 176 battling Fairfax Post 177 at Oakton High. The annual six-team tournament has been cut to four teams this summer because sixth-place Alexandria Post 24 could not fill the required 12-man roster for the tournament. Post 130 earned its position in the tournament through a single-elimination game against Arlington Post 139 on Saturday. Post 180 (22-6) has faced Falls Church four times this season, tallying a 3-1 record …
Friday, July 20, 2012
Vienna Post 180 defeats Riverdogs 4-2 on Thursday
In a friendly game that pitted American Legion Baseball's Vienna Post 180 and Cal Ripken Collegiate Baseball League's Vienna Riverdogs against each other Thursday night at Waters Field, the young Post 180 squad came out on top with a 4-2 final score. After three scoreless innings, Post 180 took a 1-0 lead when second baseman Chris Hanson crossed the plate on an attempted double steal. The Riverdogs pulled ahead on a sacrifice fly from Casey Turner to score Shaun Wood, and an error on a Trenton Higginbothem fly ball to center field. But Post 180 would hold the Riverdogs at two while adding three more runs of its own — two runs on a hard-hit ground ball from Hanson that was bobbled at shortstop, and one on a Brandon Chandler double to the …
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Vienna Post 180 ends regular season with 2-1 loss to Fairfax Post 177
Though they had a first-place berth into the District 17 American Legion Baseball Tournament already locked, Vienna Post 180 still had a nine-game win streak to protect in the last game of the regular season Tuesday against Fairfax Post 177 at Providence Park. But a dominant pitching performance from Post 177's Jared Knoll, a Flint Hill School graduate, kept the Post 180 offense to just four hits in eight innings on the mound to lead his squad to a 2-1 upset over Post 180. "His fastball was on. He was mixing his pitches up, keeping us off-balance," Post 180 head coach Frank Werman said. "He just pitched a great game." After Post 177 scored its two runs in the first and third innings, Post 180 took advantage of a scoring opportunity in the …
Anna Marie Cronin
9:03 am on Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Great team, great guys,awesome coach...super fun to watch! more ›