Haymarket is one win away from VBL title

Junior Arrojo stepped to the plate with two out and two of his Covington teammates on the bases. Haymarket’s Grant Sasser stood on the mound of Battlefield Park, looking to end the threat and give the Senators their first lead in the Valley Baseball League championship series with a second straight win.

On a 1-2 pitch Arrojo laced a line drive to the left side, eliciting a gasp from the Haymarket crowd and elation from the visiting fans. Suddenly, shortstop Sam Greenberg’s mitt appeared seemingly out of nowhere to spear the low liner for the final out, securing a 5-3 Senators win and putting Haymarket up two games to one in the five-game set.

Just three innings earlier outfielder Zeth Stone drove in what became the winning run, driving a ball right back up the middle to score Greenberg with two outs, breaking a 3-3 tie.

Stone and Mike Lang drove in all five of the Senators runs, including a home run on the first pitch of the first inning by Lang.

“Those two can be the best 1-2 hitters in the league when they’re on,” Senators head coach Ryan Fecteau said. “Lately it’s been one or the other. If they both can get going, it’s scary what they can do.”

The two were a combined 4 for 7 with a walk, two sacrifice flies and two runs scored.

Lang has been especially hot, batting .467 in the series with four runs scored in the series. He has already clubbed seven homers since joining the Senators during the season, playing in 34 games after arriving from the Cape Cod League. Lang, the team leader in both slugging (.544) and long balls, was a temporary player with the Cape and was looking for a team to finish the summer season with.

“My roommate [in the Cape] played for Fauquier the last two years,” Lang said, “and he said I should go to the Valley League. … My coach with the Cape called Fecteau and asked if there were any spots for me and luckily he took me.”

In the bottom of the eighth, Lang and Stone paired up to strike for another score. With one out and a one-strike count, the left-handed hitting Stone slashed a ball just beyond the infield dirt in foul territory down the third base line. Lang had already decided he was going to score before Fecteau, then working as the third base coach, gave any indication of testing Justin Richardson’s arm.

“He said immediately there was no shot I was staying [at third],” Lang said. “I saw the kid [Richardson] and he wasn’t under the ball. He had to turn and throw because he’s a lefty. I just took off.”

With a smooth slide around catcher Drew Longley, Lang scored easily, breaking a 3-3 tie.

“That’s all Mike Lang there,” Stone said. “That’s Mike Lang being fast as lightning and being a good base runner.”

Stone also drove in the Senators third run on his first sac fly of the game in the second inning.

“I just got opportunities, guys kept getting on base for me,” Stone said.

Haymarket plays at Covington for Game 4 today at 7:30 p.m.

LAWRENCE OUT FOR SERIES

After returning from Game 2 in Covington early Monday morning, Andrew Lawrence’s left ankle was examined and doctors determined there was no fracture, but that the Boston College product would be sidelined for the next few weeks.

Lawrence suffered a severe sprain when he rounded second base in the top of the 11th inning of a 13-inning affair Sunday night. The outfielder said he rolled his foot and heard a pop when he planted near the bag on Mike Demma’s fielder’s choice advanced him.

Scott Newell, one of Haymarket’s owners, said Lawrence was instructed to be on crutches for three to four days and could resume sprinting in three weeks.