MVP Elite Walk-Off Eagles in PSL Semis After Stout Performance From Farley

July 25 - John Farley pitched three scoreless innings and Keita Elder (Lake Braddock) provided the game winning hit in the seventh inning for the MVP Elite as they beat the Bradley Eagles, 4-3, in the first of two Premier Showcase League (PSL) semifinal games yesterday at Westfield High School.

Farley, a rising senior at Centreville, entered the game in the fifth inning in relief of starter and fellow Wildcat Hunter Bell, who surrendered three runs (one earned) in four innings with four strikeouts. The lefty entered the game with his club trailing 3-0 and was able to keep them in the game by retiring nine of the Eagles’ final 12 batters.

“I couldn’t really throw my curveball for a strike but I was able to dominate hitters with my fastball,” Farley said.

“John pitched great,” said Elite head coach Theron Bell. “He came in and threw strikes and had a nice changeup."

Eagles’ starter Michael Valentine (Potomac School) pitched 5.2 innings and held the Elite scoreless through the first three innings despite his team playing with two outfielders and his team only fielding eight players.

“In the end it worked out for us because a few hits at the end probably are caught,” Bell said. “We didn’t hit a lot of balls to the outfield and it really didn’t come into play until the end.”

The Elite rallied with two outs in the fourth against Valentine, getting a two-run single from Bryce Haynes (Lake Braddock). Lucas Dell’Anno (Paul VI) tied the game an inning later with a base hit, which forced Valentine from the game.

“We really couldn’t solve Valentine,” Bell said. “We had a couple of hard hits but once we got a couple guys on, we were able to get the big hit late.”

Facing right-handed reliever Joe Manley (Gonzaga), Elder landed a base hit in shallow right field that scored Cole Western (Fauquier) to give the Elite the walk-off win.

Farley also had a pair of doubles and runs scored while Haynes contributed two hits to pace the Elite.

Ferreira, House Power Diamond Elite Past Senators in 2nd Semifinal

In the second PSL semifinal of the evening, the Diamond Elite knocked off the Metro Senators, 14-4, behind a stellar performance from Robbie Ferreira (Riverside) and an offensive outburst of 18 hits from the Elite.

Ferreira started on the mound for the Elite and allowed only one hit through four innings while recording five strikeouts.

“I felt really good tonight in the cool, summer air,” Ferreira said. “My curveball was really working. Usually, it’s my slider but it wasn’t really biting [tonight] and I was throwing my curveball for strikes and it was allowing me to get ahead in the count.”

“I saw the same thing tonight that he has been doing all throughout high school,” Elite coach Bill Mason said. “He pounds the zone hard and gets ahead and stays ahead. He’s a fantastic player.”

The rising senior also had a strong night in the leadoff spot, going 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI.

“I made an adjustment to get more of my legs into my swing instead of torquing my upper body,” Ferreira said.

Senators’ starter Eric Jones (Edison) traded scoreless frames with Ferreira until the fourth when the Elite scored three runs on four hits. The Elite added nothing but crooked numbers the rest of the game, scoring three more in the fifth, two in the sixth and six in the seventh.

Matt House (Stone Bridge) also homered and drove in three runs and Nick Jones (Riverside) had a tremendous day at the plate, picking up three RBI on three hits and making his only out on a line drive to left field.

“This is very typical of the way these kids have played and how they hit and run the bases,” Mason said. “They do it for each other and they have the mentality to not make the first out and to not make the last out.”

Dylan Saale (Heritage) pitched the final three innings, allowing four runs on three hits with six strikeouts in his first game this summer for the Elite.

The MVP Elite and the Diamond Elite will meet in the PSL championship tonight at 8 p.m. The Bradley Eagles and Metro Senators will play in a consolation game beforehand, starting at 5:30 p.m. Both games will be played at Westfield High School.

Photo of MVP Elite's Hunter Bell and Diamond Elite's Robbie Ferreira by Josh Belanger