Chantilly tops Oakton to win Concorde title
By Dave Buschenfeldt
The last time the Chantilly baseball team won a district title – 1991 – coach Kevin Ford was still in high school himself. That all changed Monday night as the Chargers defeated top-seeded Oakton, 5-3, to claim their first district championship in nearly two decades.
“It's been a long time,” Ford said. “That's our first Concorde District title, so it's really nice.”
After recording just one hit off Cougars starter Kevin Wager over the first four innings, Chantilly jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the top of the fifth on the strength of four straight hits from the bottom of the lineup. Oakton responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by a two-run double by senior Keith Werman, but the Cougars catcher was thrown out trying to stretch it into a triple, ending the rally.
With two outs and a runner on first in the top of the sixth, Chargers junior Brian King stepped to the plate and launched the first pitch he saw over the fence in right center field, giving Chantilly a 5-3 lead.
“I was really frustrated with my [first] at-bat. I struck out,” said King, who has two home runs this season – both against Oakton. “I wanted to hit it hard.”
Senior Chris Yates took the mound for the final two innings and set down all six batters he faced, preserving the Chargers' victory.
It was a disappointing end for the Cougars, falling in the district final for the second straight season.
“I still think we can beat anybody, but it's obvious we can lose to anybody too,” said Oakton coach Scott Rowland, whose team rebounded to win a region title last year. “We'll have to regroup. It's going to be hard to regroup after a tough loss like this.”