Hopefully no one arrived too late.

With a first pitch at 6:48 p.m. and a last pitch at 8:23 p.m., South County senior Jesse Beal tossed a masterful 95-minute gem, allowing only one run on two hits -- a complete-game, 12-strikeout performance that made many evening drives longer than the game itself.

“Everything felt good tonight,” said Beal, whose team improved to 7-4 overall, 5-1 in the Patriot District with its suffocating 3-1 win over the Spartans. “I felt loose, and everything seemed to be working for me.”

Beal didn't like the way he felt during his start last week against Patriot District rival Lake Braddock. By his own admission, Beal was aiming his curveball and he didn't feel loose or comfortable on the mound.

Beal and Co. suffered an 8-4 loss to the Bruins, lumping further importance on the right-hander's subsequent start. But this time around, Beal adjusted his arm slot to aid his curve and focused on getting loose during his pregame routine.

“A dominating performance,” said South County coach Mark Luther, whose team improved to 7-4 overall, 5-1 in the Patriot District. “We knew that we had to have this game. Jesse stepped up and met the challenge.”

Added Beal, “I think I had a little bit more energy than I did last week. I psyched myself up a little bit, and I told myself that we really needed this one.”

Beal plunked West Springfield center fielder Jeff Haeuptle to start the game, and following his initial swipe of second, Haeuptle broke for third as shortstop Bryn Renner struck out on a pitch in the dirt.

South County catcher Justin Haas threw to first to complete the play, but first baseman Michael Gibbons' throw missed a sliding Haeuptle and the Spartans found themselves with an early 1-0 lead -- without so much as a base hit.

Not to worry, after he induced a pop out to shortstop Brent Frazier to end the inning, the Maryland-bound Beal was well on his way to retiring 13 straight batters – a stretch that featured eight strikeouts and extended into the fifth inning.

“We got beat by a good pitcher,” said West Springfield coach John James, whose team dropped to 7-4 overall, 5-1 in the Patriot District. The Spartans will host Annandale on Friday.

“When a pitcher stands on the mound and beats you with his best stuff, you tip your cap and you move on. I think that's what happened tonight.”

James' team had been cruising through the district prior to Tuesday night. The Spartans had rattled off six straight wins and they had yet to suffer a loss in the state of Virginia. West Springfield flailed wildly at the majority of Beal's offerings, leaving with the realization that it had tasted a sample of the district's best pitching.

“Our goal each day is to get better at everything, but we learned a lot tonight,” said James. “Guys like Beal are the kind of guys that you have to beat if you want to win it in the end, so we know we have to do some work. We know we have to get better at hitting that type of pitching.”

South County scored all three of its runs in the third inning, as second baseman Austin Anthony led off with a double and Haas reached on a walk. After a left fielder Sean Adams hit a run-scoring ground out for the second out of the frame, center fielder Peyton Bartlett drilled a single to tie the game.

Beal was walked intentionally – he crushed a double to right center field in his first at-bat – and West Springfield pitcher Mike Kent's balk put runners on second and third. Third baseman Seth Jordan delivered yet another clutch single, scoring Bartlett to put the Stallions ahead, 3-1.

“That's what we do,” said Luther, whose team will host Hayfield on Friday. “We pick it up, we throw it over. We get good pitching performances and we get our clutch hits when we need 'em.”