Chris Mandell and the Wildcats ready for regionals.

The Wildats (15-6 overall), the No. 2 seed from the Concorde, face a team in the Stallions (17-5) that has advanced past the first round of regionals in each of the past three seasons and is led by its four first-team all-district peformers: catcher Mike Perez, outfielder Joey Townsend, Luke Bondurant and pitcher Jonathan Harasin. Centreville will be looking to advance to the regional quarterfinals for the second consecutive year.

South County, which is led by head coach Mark Luther, started its season off with seven consecutive victories and had won three straight before falling to district champion Lake Braddock, 8-3, in the Patriot District semifinals last Friday. This will be the first-ever meeting on the diamond between the two schools.

Friday’s winner will play the winner of Madison, the No. 1 seed from the Liberty District, and Hayfield, the No. 4 seed from the National District, in the quarterfinals on Monday afternoon.

Northern Region First Round Match-ups:

N4 Hayfield at L1 Madison
P3 South County at C2 Centreville

C3 Robinson at P2 West Springfield
L4 Fairfax at N1 Yorktown

C4 Oakton at P1 Lake Braddock
L3 Stone Bridge at N2 Washington-Lee

N3 Mount Vernon at L2 McLean
P4 W.T. Woodson at C1 Westfield

The Wildcats (15-6 overall) managed just five baserunners in support of starter J.T. Hampel and reliever Connor Bach in having their eight-game winning streak snapped at the hands of their crosstown rival. The win gives the Bulldogs (17-4) their second consecutive district title and third overall.

Centreville will next be in action on Friday night in the first round of the Northern Region tournament, and will host South County, the No. 3 seed from the Patriot District, at 6:30 p.m. Westfield will host W.T. Woodson, the No. 4 seed from the Patriot District, on Friday.

With the win, the top-seeded Wildcats advance to play No. 2 seed Westfield in the district final on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Chantilly.

Bach allowed the two runs on one hit, a walk and a hit batsman in winning his fifth consecutive decision as the Wildcats won their eighth straight game overall to improve to 15-5 on the season. The loss dropped the Rams, which will travel to play the Patriot District runner-up in the first round of the Northern Region tournament on Friday, to 7-15 overall.

Junior RF Mark McCormick had a single, double and a triple to pace Centreville’s bats.

With the win, the Rams advance to face No. 1 seed Centreville on Friday night at 6 p.m. at Westfield. In the second semifinal, No. 2 seed Westfield will take on N0. 6 seed Oakton, which defeated No. 3 seed Herndon, 13-6, in the other quarterfinal game last night.

The Wildcats swept the regular season series with Robinson, using a school-record 16 strikeout performance from senior LHP Ryan Ashooh in a 7-0 win at home on April 27, then defeating the Rams, 14-3, on the road in the regular season finale last Thursday.

The winner of Friday’s semifinal games will meet in the championship game on Monday at 6:30 p.m. at Chantilly.

Walter was named the Concorde District Player of the Year.

Following a regular season that saw it win its first-ever district regular season championship, the Centreville baseball team started the postseason off on the right foot today, as fourth-year head coach Morgan Spencer was named the Concorde District’s Coach of the Year, senior 1B Cam Walter was named the Player of the Year and senior LHP Ryan Ashooh was named co-Pitcher of the Year for the second straight season by the district’s coaches.

Spencer led the Wildcats to a regular season in which they went 14-5 overall and 8-2 in the district and ended with a seven-game winning streak to clinch the No. 1 seed in the district tournament, a bye into the semifinals and an automatic berth into the Northern Region Tournament. Walter, coming off a frustrating junior season in which he played in just seven games before having to have shoulder surgery, has exploded his senior year and enters the postseason hitting .582 with six home runs, 13 doubles and 42 RBI while serving as one of the best defensive first basemen in the region. Ashooh, meanwhile, compiled an 8-2 record with a 1.06 ERA and had 93 strike outs in 58 innings and shared the Pitcher of the Year honor with Westfield senior RHP Danny Thorpe, who is 10-0 with a 1.25 ERA this season, for the second consecutive spring.

Both Walter and Ashooh were also named as first-team all-district selections at their positions. Other Wildcats to earn first-team honors were senior OF Connor Bach, senior 2B Andy Viands and junior Mark McCormick, who shared honors as utility player with Westfield junior Aaron Hoover.

Senior shortstop Chris Campbell, senior center fielder David DeLorimier and sophomore outfielder Chris Simpson were also named as second-team selections while senior catcher Chris Mandell and senior designated hitter Leo Montoya were named as honorable mention selections.

The 10 selections marks the most all-district picks the Wildcats have had since Spencer took over the program for the 2007 season.

Centreville will play in the district semifinals on Friday at Westfield at 6 p.m. against the winner of the quarterfinal game between No. 4 seed Chantilly and No. 5 seed Robinson.

All-Concorde District First Team: C Matt DeWitt, Chantilly; 1B Cam Walter, Centreville; 2B Andy Viands, Centreville; 3B Aaron Scoville, Westfield; SS Chad Carroll, Oakton and SS Kyle Corwin, Westfield; OF Connor Bach, Centreville; OF Luke Willis, Oakton; OF Nick Impellizzerri, Herndon; OF Jared Velasquez, Robinson; DH Adam Fridy, Chantilly and DH Zach Reif, Herndon; UT Mark McCormick, Centreville and UT Aaron Hoover, Westfield; P Ryan Ashooh, Centreville; P Danny Thorpe, Westfield; R Bill Boyle, Chantilly; P Daniel Shill, Herndon.

McCormick had 3 hits, 2 runs, RBI.

Bach allowed one run on one hit over four innings, striking out six and walking just one in winning his fourth straight decision as Centreville won its seventh straight game to finish the regular season 14-5 overall and 8-2 in the district. The lefty also had three hits and scored three times to pace the Wildcats’ 14-hit attack. Senior RHP J.T. Hampel threw the final three innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out two.

Junior RF Mark McCormick added three hits, an RBI and scored twice , senior 1B Cam Walter had three hits and drove in two runs to up his region-high RBI total to 42, sophomore left fielder Chris Simpson had a three-run triple, senior center fielder David DeLorimier had a two-run double and senior catcher Chris Mandell had an RBI single on a night where the Wildcats’ bats were unable to break through for the first four innings, only to come alive with an eight-run fifth inning and reach double-digits in runs for the fifth time this spring.

The loss dropped Robinson to 5-14 overall and to 2-7 in the district entering its regular season finale at Herndon tomorrow night.

Centreville will now have a bye into the district semifinals and has clinched an automatic berth into the Northern Region Tournament, and will play the winner of the quarterfinal match-up between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds next Friday at 6 p.m. at Westfield. A win in that game would put the Wildcats into the championship game on Monday, May 24 at Chantilly and guarantee them a home game in the first round of regionals on Friday, May 28.

Ashooh posted his 5th shutout.

Ashooh, who extended his scoreless innings streak to 19 and posted his fifth shutout in his past six starts in improving to 8-2 on the season, did not allow a hit after Cougars junior CF Luke Willis led off the bottom of the first with a base hit, striking out nine, walking none and not allowing a runner to reach third base. Over his last three starts, Ashooh has limited opposing batters to a .052 (3-for-58) batting average and has recorded 35 strikeouts to four walks.

With the win, the Wildcats improved to 13-5 overall and to 7-2 in the Concorde District and clinched a bye into the district tournament semifinals entering the regular season finale tonight at Robinson. The loss dropped Oakton to 8-11 overall and 2-7 in the district.

Centreville was paced offensively by senior RF Connor Bach, who went 4-for-4 with two RBI and homered for the fifth time this season, and senior 1B Cam Walter, who was 2-for-3 with a walk and three RBI. Junior 3B Mark McCormick added an RBI double and reached base three times and sophomore LF Chris Simpson added two of the Wildcats’ 13 hits.

With a win tonight at Robinson, the Wildcats can clinch the regular season district championship for the first time in school history.

The Wildcats honored their 12 seniors tonight.

Bach won his third consecutive start and the Wildcats (12-5 overall, 6-2 district) won their fifth straight and remained in sole possession of first place in the district standings heading into the final week of the regular season. The loss dropped the Chargers to 8-9 overall and 4-4 in the district.

Walter, the team’s leading hitter this spring, increased his home run total to six and his RBI total to 37 with two road games remaining next week at Oakton and Robinson. Senior Chris Campbell, who missed the previous four games due to illness, returned to the lineup and had two of Centreville’s 10 hits.

Senior RHP J.T. Hampel entered in the sixth and worked out of a jam with two strike outs, then senior LHP Ryan Ashooh pitched a perfect seventh to close the game out.

The pregame Senior Night festivities included honoring each of the Wildcats’ 12 seniors – Andy Viands, Leo Montoya, Ryan Ashooh, J.T. Hampel, Chris Mandell, Bach, David DeLorimier, Campbell, Matt Sarlouis, Walter, Dan Johnson and Kevin Kang – as well as their families, the national honor being played by sophomore 3B Bobby San Martin on his trumpet and a fly over by the Fairfax County Police Department helicopter.

The win marked the first defeat of the Chargers in head coach Morgan Spencer’s four years at the school.

Ashooh struck out the side in the first inning and Walter, who would finish 2-for-3 with four RBI, lifted a pitch over the left-field fence after junior LF Mark McCormick and senior CF David DeLorimier reached base in the bottom half of the first, giving the Wildcats an early 3-0 advantage.

Walter, McCormick and DeLorimier each had multiple-hit games to pace a 13-hit attack for Centreville, which improved to 11-5 overall and 5-2 in the district entering Friday’s Senior Night game against Chantilly. The loss dropped Herndon to 10-4 overall and 4-3 in the district.

Bach drove in five runs, picked up win on mound

Chantilly, VA – Senior LHP Connor Bach drove in five runs and threw five innings to pick up the victory as the Centreville baseball team defeated Westfield, 8-2, to claim first place in the Concorde District standings here on Friday night.

Bach scattered five hits and allowed two runs while striking out five to earn the victory, and put the game away with a grand slam in the sixth inning as the Wildcats (10-5 overall, 4-2 district) won their third straight and first district road game this spring. The loss dropped the Bulldogs to 11-4 overall and 4-2 in the district.

Senior 1B Cam Walter continued to yield a hot bat, going 2-for-2 with a solo home run, single, walk and was hit by an Aaron Scoville pitch following Bach’s slam. Senior DH Leo Montoya doubled twice, junior RF Mark McCormick scored the game’s first run after a first-inning triple and added a two-run double in the second and senior C Chris Mandell added two hits to power Centreville’s offensive output.

The Wildcats will return to action on Tuesday at home against Herndon, which is 10-3 overall and 4-2 in the district and riding a three-game winning streak of its own after defeating Oakton, 10-8, on Friday. The Hornets erased a 7-2 deficit in an 8-7 win over the Wildcats in Herndon two weeks ago. Game time for Tuesday’s game is 6:30 p.m.