Haymarket drops opener in VBL Finals

Given the hot streak the Haymarket Senators rode to reach the Valley Baseball League championship series, nothing seemed to go right for the team Saturday night in the finals opener against Covington.

The Senators scored their fewest runs since the postseason began August 2 while allowing as many as they had in their previous four contests combined.

Facing the Lumberjacks’ Daniel DeSimone, the Senators struggled to muster six hits on their way to a 10-1 loss, dropping the No. 7 seed to 0-1 in the best-of-five series.

“This is usually one of those losses where I’d just say to flush it,” Haymarket head coach Ryan Fecteau said. “Sometimes it’s easier to come back [the next night] from a walk-off or something. Hopefully this motivates them to come out with a little more energy tomorrow, get on the road for that nice three hour trip and come back with a ‘W.’”

Fecteau was ejected with two outs in the seventh when he argued a play that epitomized the Senators’ night.

Covington base runner Sherman Johnson, on third base following an out at the plate on the previous play, snuck home while the Haymarket defense thought play had been stopped.

The umpires ruled it had not and that the run, which put the ’Jacks up 5-0, counted, though Senators catcher Evan Noell argued vehemently to reconsider.

“The third base umpire put his arms up, signaling the play is dead,” Fecteau said. “He said he did not. There was also [Covington’s] bat boy on the field and when Evan sees the bat boy right there, the play should be dead there. They [the umpires] need to get together and they need to make the right call.”

Haymarket reliever Steve Forster recovered after the unusual play to induce cleanup hitter to hit a groundout to third baseman Greg Hopkins.

DeSimone, meanwhile, allowed just five hits in his seven innings of work, striking out seven. He, combined with lefty reliever Brian Jordan, prevented the Senators from recording a single extra-base hit in the game.

“Danny was coming back on one day less rest than he has his last couple starts,” Covington head coach James Conrad said, “and his last outing he was untouchable. We really didn’t expect to get that from him today. He sure proved us wrong.”

Despite a 20-pitch second inning, DeSimone walked just three in the game, with two of those coming to start his final inning. He allowed just two Senators to reach third through his first six innings.

“He had all his pitches and he was working down in the zone and located his offspeed well,” Conrad said.

“He actually wasn’t even on tonight,” Fecteau said. “I he struggled a little bit with his location, but he was good enough to get away with not locating.”

Haymarket (26-23) saw its seven game win streak snapped with the loss and head to No. 8 Covington (26-24) Sunday for a 7:30 p.m. start time.

The low seeds are now 13-2 this postseason.