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Herndon answers its own question
Herndon's baseball team had suffered through an abysmal six-game losing streak in the two and a half weeks prior to last Friday's 12-6 Concorde District triumph over Fairfax -- the Hornets' first district win of the season.But then again, not a single one of those six losses had featured a popular, between-inning trivia game that awarded such goodies as a giant box of Nerds or a bag of Jelly Belly jellybeans to the victor.
Last Friday was Cal Ripken Baseball League Night at Herndon High School, which understandably loaded the park -- and concession stand -- with plenty of kids ages 12 and younger that were more than willing to cheer wildly and miss their bed times.
“I hope they come back,” chuckled Herndon coach Al McCullock, whose team improved to 4-8 overall, 1-6 in the district, and was scheduled to play at Chantilly Tuesday night. “They were good luck charms.”
Herndon's 3-1 deficit after the first inning was barely noticeable as the public address announcer rattled off the first trivia question, “What team did Alex Rodriguez play for when he came a member of the 40-steal/40-homer club in 1998?”
After a few consultations with mom and dad, a herd of boisterous youngsters went scurrying behind the press box to shout “Seattle Mariners” to claim their prize, but luckily for McCullock and Co., the miniature baseball fans weren't the only ones in the park that night with an answer.
Starting pitcher Nick Impellizeri led off the bottom of the third inning with a single, and center fielder Chris Medina followed with an opposite-field triple to Herndon's 386-foot power alley in right center field. Catcher Zach Leach reached on an error and shortstop Ian McNichol's ground out scored the Hornets' third run.
“We always talk about our approach at the plate,” said Medina, a junior who finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. “We try to hit the ball the other way, try to hit the ball hard up the middle.”
That opportunistic approach yielded some gaudy results. With only 19 extra-base hits out of the 85 it had recorded in 11 games leading up to Friday night, Herndon was collecting multiple bases at a 22-percent clip. Fairfax, meanwhile, sat below the Hornets at 13 percent.
Herndon collected seven extra-base hits out of nine total Friday -- a number that could conceivably generate a juicy trivia question for next year's Cal Ripken Night.
“We hit the ball good,” added Herndon senior Allan Brownell, whose 3-for-4 performance featured two doubles, a triple, four RBIs and two runs scored. “We had three good practices during the week, and that helped us out a lot. We were mashing the ball in practice, and it just carried into the game.”
Brownell hit a two-run double to break open the game during a six-run fifth inning, and Herndon reliever Davis Hall later struck out the Rebels' best hitter, senior Carlos Perez, with a slider low and away to end a rally in the sixth.
“It's always nice to have a big crowd here,” Hall said. “I know a bunch of little kids out here watching you play baseball is pretty special.”
Added McCullock, “A big crowd on a Friday night ... a nice warm night. What more could you ask for?”
A giant box of Nerds.
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