July 26 – Matt House pitched six strong innings and Bailey Burke provided the go-ahead hit in the fifth inning to propel the Diamond Elite over the MVP Elite, 4-1, in the Premier Showcase League (PSL) championship last night at Westfield High School.

House (Stone Bridge) allowed one run on four hits while striking out six, then handed the ball to Pascal Roberts (Woodson), who pitched a perfect seventh inning with two strikeouts for the Diamond Elite.

“My off-speed was working today,” House said. “I couldn’t really locate my fastball so I had to switch over and throw my off-speed pitches to help me out.”

“Matt has a strong arm and he throws deceptively,” Diamond Elite coach Bill Mason said. “He ended the night with 92 pitches and he gave a great effort on every pitch.”

The MVP Elite were able to strike first against House in the fourth. After consecutive hits from Kyle Petak (Manassas Park) and John Farley (Centreville), starting pitcher Bryce Haynes (Lake Braddock) drove in a run with a productive out. However, that would be all the MVP Elite could muster against House.  

Farley, who doubled twice in the PSL semifinal, collected two more doubles in the championship game. The lefty had eight total bases and two runs scored in his final six at-bats of the summer with the MVP Elite.

Haynes kept his club in the game by holding the Diamond Elite, who pounded 18 hits and 14 runs in the PSL semifinal, scoreless through four innings. In the fifth, Burke (Kettle Run) gave the Diamond Elite the lead with a triple to right field, then later scored along with Robbie Ferreira (Riverside) to supply a 4-1 lead.

Burke finished the night 2-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored while House also contributed two hits, including a run scoring double.

Senator’s Hennessey Strikes Out 9 in 14-3 Win Over Eagles 

Earlier in the evening, Brian Hennessey (Woodson) struck out nine over five innings as the Metro Senators beat the Bradley Eagles, 14-3, in the teams' final PSL matchup of the summer.

“I was just working my fastball and hitting spots,” Hennessey said. “I have a good defense behind me so if they hit the ball, I know they can make a play and they will get me some outs.”

Robinson teammates Cameron Price and Max Henry combined for five RBI to power the Senators. Price hit a two-run home run in the fourth, part of a four run inning, while Henry drove in a run in three consecutive at-bats. The Senators would put four more on the board in the fifth, capped by a two-run single from Caleb Edman.

Rob Cable (West Springfield) scored two runs from the leadoff spot while Garrett Laraia (Woodson) reached base four times and scored three runs from the two-hole. The first five batters for the Senators were responsible for eight RBI and nine runs scored.

On the mound, Hennessey pounded the zone with a consistent fastball, while mixing in a slider that former Woodson teammate and future pitcher at William & Mary, Randy Prosperi, helped him improve.

“[Prosperi] really helped me out with some of my off speed pitches, especially my slider,” Hennessey said. “He helped me fix a couple of things and it’s a lot better now.”

Daniel Hupart (Hylton), who is rebounding from some tenderness in his throwing arm, closed out the game by retiring the final six batters of the game in order.

“Hupart was really filled up the zone in the last few innings,” Senators coach Mike Gallagher said. “Since coming back from South Carolina his arm appears to have new life, so I hope that continues for him in the fall.”

Photo of Diamond Elite’s Matt House by Josh Belanger