Any casual baseball fan that came out and watched the 2005 Vienna Senators would think that the players have been playing together for years. They would not be able to tell that there is a new face in the line-up almost daily and that each player comes from a different school. These Senators know how baseball is supposed to be played and they showed it in a 5-2 victory over the Herndon Braves on Friday night at Waters Field. The Senators are solid in every aspect of the game. On Friday night, Caleb Barton was dazzling for nine innings, allowing only five hits and two runs on the evening. The Senators scored early and then protected the lead for the rest of night by playing solid defense behind Barton.
The Senators grabbed the lead in the bottom of the first inning. Newcomer Michael Rivera started the rally by hitting a single to right field in his first at bat as a Senator. Two batters later, Justin Bunkis reached on an error by the third baseman. The error allowed Rivera to move to third. AJ Lamonda followed Bunkis with a two RBI triple down the right field line, scoring both runners to make the score 2-0. Lamonda then scored when he instigated the pitcher in to a balk. Lamonda acted as though he was going to try and steal home, but he stopped halfway, taking the pitcher out of his rhythm and forcing the balk. Lamonda’s run made the score 3-0 after one inning.
Other than a Joe Lake homerun in the fifth inning to cut the Vienna lead to 3-1, the next seven innings featured two pitchers that were determined to get the other team out. Both Caleb Barton and Herndon’s Greg Saville did not allow many base runners after the first inning and moved the game along at a brisk pace by throwing strikes and making the pitches that they had to. In the eighth, the momentum fell the Senators way.
In the bottom of the eighth, Michael Rivera started the inning with a single into right field. Donald Brown moved Rivera to second with a bunt. Bunkis followed with a single to move Rivera to third base. Rivera then scored when Lamonda grounded out to the second baseman, making the score 4-1. The Senator coaching staff put Will Bussey into run for Lamonda and it proved to be the right move when Guillermo Martinez singled to drive in Bussey from second base to make the score 5-1. Barton did not need any more insurance.
Herndon managed one run in the ninth, but it was not enough as Barton got Matt Hacker to pop up to Rivera to end the game. Barton tallied the second complete game on the year for the Senators. Rivera led the offensive attack with three hits and two runs scored. The Senators are 14-2 on the year and have an off day on Saturday. They return to action on Sunday afternoon and take on the Fairfax Nationals at home. The game is scheduled for 3 p.m. Bring the family out and watch the Senators chase their thirteenth straight victory under the trees at Waters Field!