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Whitman Loses to Northwest in Second-Round Playoff Game
May 14, 2007 --
Battling right to the end, Walt Whitman lost 7-5 in nine innings to Northwest on Monday night in the second round of the playoffs. With the loss, a young, overachieving Viking team ended the season 12-5, one of the best records in recent years.
Twice, the Vikings fought back from behind to tie or go ahead in the game. After falling behind 1-0 early, Whitman came back to tie the game in the fourth inning. Matt Kaler doubled and later came around on a double-play ground ball.
Senior Andrew Furth put the Vikings ahead 2-1 with a one-out triple down the right-field line in the fith inning. But the next two batters couldn't bring him home.
The Jaguars struck for three runs in the top of the sixth, but Whitman came right back to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. Jeff Susskind hit the key blow, a two-out single up the middle to knot the score at 4, after Brantley Hester had singled.
Whitman had a chance to win the game in regulation when Ethan Thompson led off the bottom of the seventh with a single. Max Hilbert hit into a fielder's choice and later stole second, where he was stranded.
Each team left runners in scoring position in the seventh and eighth inning. Northwest finally scored in the bottom of the ninth on a two-out bloop hit to right. The Vikings rallied in the bottom of the ninth, bringing the tying run to the plate but could only score one run.
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Whitman Tops Rockville on Senior Night
May 9, 2007 --
The Whitman Vikings completed their regular season with a convincing 15-1 victory over the visiting Rockville Rams. Five Whitman seniors celebrated “Senior Night” at the ballpark, including a pre-game introduction of the players and their parents.
Seniors Simon Weaver, Marty Hauck, and Ben Lowry shared the pitching duties, allowing only 6 hits and one run, to improve Whitman’s record to 12-4. Weaver picked up the victory to improve to 5-2 on the season. At the plate, Senior Manoj Bhutani was 2 for 4 and scored twice. Senior Andrew Furth also collected a hit to drive in a run and later scored.
The Vikings got off to a fast start in the bottom of the first by sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring 8 runs. Chris Kelly tripled to drive in a pair of runs and Max Hilbert hit a shot over the centerfielder’s head to drive in the final three runs of the inning.
Junior Matt Kaler had a big night at the plate, batting 1 for 2, picking up a pair of walks, and scoring twice. His triple in the bottom of the fourth inning drove in 3 runs, bringing his season total to 22 RBIs, which puts him in a tie for second all-time in the Whitman record book. He scored twice, bringing his season total to 23, which puts him in third place for most runs scored in a season.
Whitman will play the winner of the Northwest-Watkins Mill game at home this Monday at 4 pm.
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Whitman Falls to Damascus
May 7, 2008 --
The Whitman Vikings lost for only the fourth time this season on Monday evening to the 4A West top-seed Damascus, 10-3. The game was much closer than the final score indicates. Whitman led after three innings.
Whitman sophomore pitcher Ethan Thompson (3-1) retired the first eight Damascus batters, and, after yielding his first hit of the night, picked the runner off second base to get out of the third inning with a 1-0 lead. Whitman took the lead in the second after Brian Gobish hit a long double off the centerfield wall. He later scored on Andrew Furth’s single.
Damascus finally broke through in the fourth inning, scoring three times on several hard hits, including a two-run home run over the left-field fence. Whitman came right back in the bottom of the inning, stringing together several hits and walks. Matt Kaler scored on Chris Kelly’s single to left to make the score 3-2 Damascus.
The game got away from from the Vikings in the fifth, when Damascus took advantage of several Vikings miscues in the field to score two unearned runs. Neverthless, Whitman rallied again in the bottom of the fifth. With the score notched at 5-2, the Vikings loaded the bases with two outs. Gobish walked on four pitches, scoring Jeff Susskind from third. The RBI extended Gobish’s single season record to 24 RBIs. Damascus was able to secure the final out of the inning without allowing more Whitman scoring.
Damascus added two more unearned runs in the sixth and scored three times in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Marty Hauck came in from the bullpen to shutdown the rally and record the final two outs of the inning.
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Whitman Clobbers B-CC as Gobish Sets New RBI Record
May 5, 2007 --
Whitman Clobbers B-CC as Gobish Sets New RBI Record
May 5, 2007 - -- Brian Gobish had already driven in three runs when he settled in to hit with two runners in scoring position in the 6th inning against BCC on Saturday afternoon. The three RBI gave him 21 on the season, one shy of the Whitman school record. Not bad for the junior, who had taken the SAT that morning and had been sick earlier in the week.
But Gobish wasn't done yet. He promptly hit a rocket to the wall in right center, scoring both runners and setting a new Whitman mark of 23 regular-season RBI. Gobish broke a record previously held by three Vikings. And he has two more games yet to play.
The long blast was a fitting conclusion to a lopsided, 15-2 Whitman victory over BCC. The win improved Whitman’s record to 11-3. The 15 runs scored were one short of the team’s average over the last three games. As in the previous three games, virtually everyone in the lineup contributed to the attack.
Senior Simon Weaver, the ace of the Whitman staff, struck out eight en route to his fourth victory and his third complete game. Weaver--who has beaten Quince Orchard, Blake, and Paint Branch this year--was aided by a flawless Viking defense. The few times he got in trouble, he came up with big strikeouts or coaxed ground balls to end innings.
Gobish's big hit in the sixth was significant for another reason--it scored Max Hilbert, who crossed the plate for the 24th time this season, another Whitman record. Whitman's center fielder has put together a fantastic sophomore season, reaching base more than half the time while hitting in the No. 2 slot.
The Vikings jumped on top early, as they have done repeatedly this season. The first three batters—Ethan Thompson, Hilbert, and Matt Kaler—reached base, setting the scene for Gobish, who crushed a long fly to center to bring home the first run. Sophomore Chris Kelly drove home the second. The third scored on a balk.
Whitman added four more runs in the fourth inning, with Gobish once again figuring prominently in the action. After Hilbert walked and Kaler singled (his second of three hits on the day), Gobish smashed a line drive through the infield that rolled between the outfielders and to the wall in right center, scoring both runners. After a walk and a wild pitch, Kelly, who had three hits, singled home Gobish. The final run scored when Jeff Susskind hit a weak roller to second that the second baseman threw away.
The Vikings scored three more times in the fifth to make it 10-2. Sophomore Hilbert doubled home one run. Another run scored on a Mike Lee ground ball to second that was ruled an error. And the final run came home when Brantley Hester walked with the bases loaded.
Whitman put the game out of reach in the sixth inning. Matt Kaler delivered a two-run double that scored Thompson, who had singled, and Hilbert, who had walked. Gobish followed with his historic two-run single that would have gone for extra bases had he not stumbled rounding first. Also on this play, Hilbert tied the Whitman record of most runs scored in a season. Hilbert has now crossed the plate 24 times. Susskind, coming off a pre-season back injury, singled up the middle to plate the final run.
The previous record for most RBIs in a season, 22, had been equalled four times. Peter Bowman did it in 1990 and 1991, David Dimock in 2005, and Tom Rudden in 1977.
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Whitman Defeats RM for Ninth Win in Ten Tries
May 3, 2007 --
Brian Gobish drove in five runs, Ethan Thompson (3-0) pitched four shutout innings, catcher Andrew Furth threw out three base runners, and the 10-3 Walt Whitman Vikings rolled to their ninth win in their last 10 games, a 16-0 slaughter of Richard Montgomery. The game was played at Montgomery College at Rockville.
The Vikings continued their torrid hitting, scoring in each inning of the five-inning game. Five Whitman batters crossed the plate in the first inning alone, when the Vikings batted around. Brantley Hester delivered the big blow, a shot over third base that plated two. Manoj Bhutani followed with an RBI single, his first of two hits on the day.
In the second, Gobish hit a double deep to left that scored one run. Gobish came home on a sacrifice fly to right by Hester. The Vikings added two more runs in the third on a two-run, two-out double to right center by Max Hilbert. Gobish led off the fourth inning with a single, his second of three hits on the day, and came home on a long RBI triple to right by Lee that nearly reached the old school in right center, more than 430 feet away.
Whitman put the game well out of reach in the fifth inning, scoring five more times. Again, Gobish had the key blow—a drive to deep left that nearly reached the wall. Three Vikings scooted home, with Matt Kaler closely trailing Hilbert, who waited to see if the ball might be caught. Mike Lee brought home Gobish with a sacrifice fly.
Meanwhile, Ethan Thompson, making his third start, effectively mixed four pitches to stymie a good-hitting Rockets team. Thompson, who recorded four strikeouts, was helped out of two jams Furth, who threw out two runners trying to steal in the first and another in the fourth. Ben Lowry came on in relief in the fifth inning to record the final three outs.
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Whitman Pummels Paint Branch
May 1, 2008 --
The Whitman Vikings put on an offensive showcase against Paint Branch Tuesday night, defeating the Panthers 18-6 in five innings. All nine Viking batters hit safely and scored, led by Matt Kaler with three hits and four RBI, and Brantley Hester with three hits and three RBI. Simon Weaver pitched a complete game for his third win of the season, as Whitman improved its overall record to 9-3.
After a quiet first inning, the Vikings jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the second. Mike Lee started the inning with a double, and scored on a one-out single by Hester. Andrew Furth singled to put two on, and Weaver, making a rare appearance in the batting order, knocked Hester in with a double to the left-center gap. Ethan Thompson followed with a sacrifice to score Furth, and successive singles by Max Hilbert and Kaler drove in two additional runs. In the third inning, Paint Branch brought in a new pitcher, but Whitman capitalized on two Panther errors, two hit batsmen, and hits by Chris Kelly, Weaver (knocking in his second run of the night), Thompson, and a two-run single by Kaler to increase the Vikings’ lead to 12-0.
The Panthers came back with five runs (two earned) in their half of the fourth, aided by two Whitman fielding errors. But in the bottom of the fourth, Whitman crushed the Panthers’ hopes for a comeback with six more runs against the third Paint Branch pitcher of the night. Hester had two hits in the inning, scoring once and batting in a run. Paint Branch scored a final run in the top of the fifth, but could not close the gap further to avoid the 10-run slaughter rule.
--David Furth
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Whitman Pounds Blair 14-8
April 30, 2008 --
Whitman Pounds Blair, 14-8
April 30, 2007 - -- Matt Kaler and Max Hilbert homered off the fire station in left, Brian Gobish, Mike Lee, and Hilbert turned in web gems, Marty Hauck pitched four solid innings of relief and the Walt Whitman Vikings defeated Blair 14-8 on Monday afternoon at Blair. The win improved the Vikings' record to 8-3, 5-1 in conference.
The Vikings jumped out to a 10-0 lead after two innings. Hilbert hit a two-run homer of the wall of the fire station to left in the first inning. In the second, Matt Kaler hit a three-run blast that landed on the roof the fire station, the longest home run in recent Whitman history. Ethan Thompson, who had three hits in the game, scored on both blasts.
Mike Lee hit a 400-foot double off the wall in center in the seventh inning and scored on a single by Brantley Hester, who had three hits. Chris Kelly, who also had three hits, nearly recorded a third home run for the Vikings, doubling off the left-field wall.
Hauck came on in the third, after Blake had scored seven times to climb within 10-7. He coaxed an inning-ending double play (Kaler to Thompson to Gobish) to end the inning. He went on to pitch 4 and two-thirds innings of relief, giving up only one unearned run, to record the save. Starting pitcher Ben Lowry got the win to run his record to 2-0.
Whitman used strong defense to quell a Blair rally in the fifth as well. Max Hilbert had a circus catch in foul territory for the first out. Then with a runner on first, third baseman Lee fielded a hard liner and threw to first to double off the runner. In the seventh, first baseman Brian Gobish had a difficult catch in foul territory fighting the wind and a full out stretch to record the final out.
Whitman Squeaks By Walter Johnson on Student Night
April 25, 2007 - -- Walt Whitman built an 8-4 lead going into the seventh inning then held on to beat the Walter Johnson Wildcats 8-7 before an estimated home crowd of 250 on “student night.” The win improved Whitman’s record to 7-3, 4-1 in conference.
Sophomore Ethan Thompson (2-0) struck out nine and gave up only two earned runs over six innings to earn the victory in front of one of the largest crowds in Whitman history. Principal Alan Goodwin, a southpaw, opened the festivities by firing a ceremonial first pitch to catcher Andrew Furth. Whitman’s cheerleaders made a rare appearance, along with the Viking mascot.
Thompson struck out the side in the top of the first, and Whitman scored twice in the bottom of the inning. Thompson reached on an error. Then Max Hilbert hit his first of two long doubles to left-center. Matt Kaler drove home the first run with a sacrifice fly to center. Mike Lee followed one batter later with a sharply hit, RBI single to left.
The Wildcats got to Thompson with an earned run in the second, but the Vikings came right back with three runs in the fourth to build a 5-1 lead. With the bases loaded, Manoj Bhutani delivered the key hit, a single to left that scored two runs. Thompson drove in the third run with a single to right.
Whitman scored again in the fifth inning to make it 6-1 when sophomore Brantley Hester singled home Brian Gobish, who had also singled. Walter Johnson finally got to Thompson in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three unearned runs to pull within 6-4. But the Vikings responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth. Matt Kaler laced an RBI triple down the right-field line to drive in Furth, who had singled to open the inning. Kaler later scored on another single up the middle by Lee, his third hit of the night.
The game grew tense in the top of the seventh as rain started to fall. The Wildcats scored three unearned runs and had the tying run on second with two out. But Simon Weaver struck out the final batter to earn the save.
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Whitman Scores Big Success with Student Night
April 25, 2008 --
Student Night--A Great Success
April 25, 2007 - -- Two hundred and fifty people turned out to see our Whitman Vikings defeat Walter Johnson and to participate in the drawings and games. Whitman celebrities, including members of the state championship basketball team drew names of contestants who then participated in the pitching contests. Sophomore varsity starter Brantley Hester's girlfriend won one even by throwing a perfect strike, while in a later event Jason Keene, and actual JV baseball player missed the target entirely. Dr. Goodwin, also known as Lefty Goodwin, painted the outside corner with a fastball to start the game on the ceremonial first pitch. Potomac Pizza provided the refreshments and along with Roebeks contributed several gift certificates that were also given away as prizes. All in all, a great time was had by everyone. Oh, and the winner of the I-Pod Shuffle? Well, Walter Johnson may have won the prize, but Whitman won the game, 8 to 7.
--Gerry Weaver
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Whitman Squeaks by WJ on Student Night
April 25, 2008 --
Walt Whitman built an 8-4 lead going into the seventh inning then held on to beat the Walter Johnson Wildcats 8-7 before an estimated home crowd of 250 on “student night.” The win improved Whitman’s record to 7-3, 4-1 in conference.
Sophomore Ethan Thompson (2-0) struck out nine and gave up only two earned runs over six innings to earn the victory in front of one of the largest crowds in Whitman history. Principal Alan Goodwin, a southpaw, opened the festivities by firing a ceremonial first pitch to catcher Andrew Furth. Whitman’s cheerleaders made a rare appearance, along with the Viking mascot.
Thompson struck out the side in the top of the first, and Whitman scored twice in the bottom of the inning. Thompson reached on an error. Then Max Hilbert hit his first of two long doubles to left-center. Matt Kaler drove home the first run with a sacrifice fly to center. Mike Lee followed one batter later with a sharply hit, RBI single to left.
The Wildcats got to Thompson with an earned run in the second, but the Vikings came right back with three runs in the fourth to build a 5-1 lead. With the bases loaded, Manoj Bhutani delivered the key hit, a single to left that scored two runs. Thompson drove in the third run with a single to right.
Whitman scored again in the fifth inning to make it 6-1 when sophomore Brantley Hester singled home Brian Gobish, who had also singled. Walter Johnson finally got to Thompson in the bottom half of the inning, scoring three unearned runs to pull within 6-4. But the Vikings responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth. Matt Kaler laced an RBI triple down the right-field line to drive in Furth, who had singled to open the inning. Kaler later scored on another single up the middle by Lee, his third hit of the night.
The game grew tense in the top of the seventh as rain started to fall. The Wildcats scored three unearned runs and had the tying run on second with two out. But Simon Weaver struck out the final batter to earn the save.
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Hilbert Ties State Record by Walking Five Times
April 18, 2007 --
Sophomore Max Hilbert tied a Maryland High School state record when he walked five times in the Viking 10-8 victory over Churchill on April 17. Hilbert tied the single game record shared by Spencer Pearman of Northwest High School (2007) and Eric Seymour of Chesapeake High School (1988).
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Whitman Hands QO Its First Defeat
April 13, 2007 --
Walt Whitman handed perennial powerhouse Quince Orchard its first loss of the season on Friday afternoon behind 5 1/3 strong innings from senior Simon Weaver, 2-1. Ben Lowry pitched the final 1 2/3 innings to earn the save. With the win, the Vikings improved their record to 3-2.
Whitman employed a balanced attack, with eight of nine starters hitting safely. The loss was Quince Orchard's first against a county opponent since April 2005. QO has made state playoff runs the last two years.
The Vikings went ahead with three runs in the first inning off lefty Mike Ryan. Junior Brian Gobish, who had two hits, delivered the key blow, a sharp single to center that drove in Max Hilbert, who had singled. Mike Lee, who had also singled earlier in the inning, scored on a passed ball. The final run came home when QO’s center fielder dropped a fly ball that the wind blew back toward the infield.
Whitman made it 4-0 in the fourth inning when second baseman Ethan Thompson lined a single to left, scoring Andrew Furth who had singled and gone to second on a second error by the center fielder.
The 7-1 Cougars finally got to Weaver in the fourth, stringing together three hits to score their only earned run. Clean-up hitter David Moldawer singled to open the inning, stole second, and scored on a single by catcher Andrew Foncannon.
QO scored once more in the fifth to draw within 4-2 and would have scored more were it not for an inning-ending double play. Left fielder Manoj Bhutani caught a fly ball, threw to third baseman Michael Lee, who relayed the ball to catcher Furth for a double play to end the inning.
After Weaver walked two batters in the sixth, Lowry came on in relief. He struck out the first batter on three pitches, with Furth catching a foul tip for the third strike. Then, after a walk loaded the bases, Lowry got QO's second-place hitter to ground weakly to first to end the inning.
The Vikings added two critical insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. Matt Kaler opened the frame by drilling a single to left. A walk to Gobish and a single by Brantley Hester loaded the bases for Bhutani, who ripped a single to center to score the first run. Furth followed with a sacrifice fly to make the score 6-2. Pinch runner Ethan Warshowsky collided with the catcher to score the run.
The situation grew tense in the bottom of the seventh when Quince Orchard's first two hitters ripped singles. One scored on an error; the second scored on the third hit of the inning. The tying run was on first base with two outs when Lowry coaxed a grounder to second from QO’s 9-th place batter to end the game.
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