Bruin Baseball Wins Five Of First Six

For a team with championship aspirations, the Broadneck baseball team is starting the season out on the right foot: some wins, a little adversity, and a whole lot of close, competitive games.

Through April 7, the Bruins are off to a 5-1 record, including two extra-inning victories and equal parts dramatic moments and growing opportunities.

The most recent of those victories, an 8-7, eight-inning win over Annapolis Area Christian School (AACS) on April 5, had it all rolled into one.

Middle Tennessee State-bound Calvin Cook homered to help stake the Bruins to a 6-1 lead after five innings. But AACS came back to take the lead heading into the bottom of the seventh, forcing Broadneck to scratch across a run just to extend the game.

Nate Schilling ended it in the bottom of the eighth when he rattled the foul pole in left field for walk-off solo home run.

“We have a veteran team and offensively they never panicked,” said Broadneck coach Matt Skrenchuk. “Nate's a senior, and he’s got a lot of poise, a lot confidence in his game, and he came up and put a good swing on the ball.”

Broadneck figured to get solid production from their experienced lineup, anchored around catcher Nick Cicale, shortstop Cook, and first baseman Devin McGowan. The Bruins have gotten a pleasant surprise from freshman second baseman Avik Cherry, who demonstrated a propensity to emerge in big moments, like when he homered and tripled in the team’s 9-3 win over Chesapeake on April 4.

The Bruins started the season with a 5-4, eight-inning win over St. Mary’s on March 22, and followed that up with a 7-5 win over Annapolis and a 13-0 win against Leonardtown. Their only blemish came on March 28, a 2-0 loss to Colonel Zadok Magruder.

The team’s two primary starting pitchers have had similar stuff and quality outings, but vastly different outcomes in the record book. Noah Forman is 3-0 already, but while Kobe Owen has pitched equally well, he only has two no-decisions to show for it.

The combination of pitching and experienced batters has Broadneck upbeat about where things stand, but they know that there is still more room to improve.

“One of the things we've been preaching this year is focusing on getting better each day,” Skrenchuk said. “I think our offense will continue to keep us in ball games, and I think our pitching will continue to grow as we go. We have two pitchers that gained a lot of experience last year, and they're throwing well.”

That pitching staff, and the collective team experience, will be put to the test in a different way, as Broadneck embarked on a stretch of seven games in 11 days beginning on April 8, with a test against rival Severna Park in the middle of that stretch.

The Bruins and Falcons play on April 15 at Severna Park.