Swamp Foxes shouldn’t be taken lightly | Sports | Summerville Journal Scene

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Swamp Foxes shouldn’t be taken lightly

Published Thursday, April 09, 2009 1:12 PM

By Roger Lee
Summerville Journal Scene ®

Roger Lee/Journal Scene

Ashley Ridge shortstop Ryan Villareal shags a pop fly.

The Ashley Ridge baseball team doesn’t have the experience or tradition that many of its opponents have, but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked.

The Swamp Foxes opened play for their first Hanahan Invitational tournament Monday against Centreville of Virginia.

Centreville’s ace is a junior who has committed to play for the University of Virginia, a Top 20 team in the NCAA Division 1 polls.

However, the Foxes didn’t face the ace. Perhaps because Ashley Ridge is a first-year team comprised exclusively of underclassmen, Centreville put another pitcher on the mound.

Whatever the reason, the Foxes made Centreville pay the price for that decision as Ashley Ridge earned a 6-3 victory to knock Centreville out of contention for the HIT championship.

Swamp Fox hurler Austin Livingston went the distance to earn the win and improve his record to 4-1.

Alex Christmas led the Foxes at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three runs scored. Bryan Dye had three RBIs for Ashley Ridge.

For those who follow the team, the victory probably wasn’t a big surprise.

Early in the season, Ashley Ridge upset Academic Magnet, Hanahan and Timberland, which all were playoff teams in 2008.

With Monday’s victory, Ashley Ridge improved its record to 7-7, with a 2–2 mark in Region 6-AA.

“We started off real good and then hit a little slump,” Ashley Ridge coach B.J. Bellush said. “Then with all the rain, we weren’t able to practice so we kind of had to start over. We’re focusing on the fundamentals and the little things again. We played pretty well the last two nights and we are right at .500 so hopefully we can peak going towards the playoffs.”

On Tuesday, Ashley Ridge lost to Westminster, an 8-0 team out of south Florida.

After falling behind 7-0, the Foxes battled back to pull within three runs in the fourth inning.

However, Westminster had a four-run sixth to put the game away.

“That team has a rich tradition and we didn’t pitch well tonight,” Bellush said. “We battled, but we struggled on location and gave up runs off walks. But I’m proud of the way we played defense and hit. We’ve been preaching mental toughness and our guys have been showing that. To be so young, they are pretty tough.”

Zack Patterson was 2-for-3 at the plate and scored a run. Lorenzo Wright, Ryan Villareal and Nick Bell were all 2-for-4 at bat. Wright and Villareal both drove in a run.

The Foxes have a pair of key region games next week. They travel to Cane Bay April 14, and to Woodland April 17.

Contact Roger Lee @ 873-9424 ext. 213 or rlee@journalscene.com.

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