Catcher Danny Lee didn't waste any time after he strode the plate in the fifth inning of a 4-4 game against Wootton with the winning run on second base. He drilled the first pitch into right-center field, bringing home two runs, and making a winner out of pitcher Danny Williams.

Williams, who found out just before game time that he would be getting the start, had a rocky first inning, giving up four runs on only two hits to 12-3 Wootton, which was ranked fifth in the metro area before the game. But the gritty senior found his rhythm in the second inning and with the help of his battery mate--who threw out runners trying to steal second in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th innings--didn't allow another run. Ethan Thompson relieved Williams in the 7th to record the save.

Michael Flack delivered what may have been an even bigger hit in the game. His team down 4-1 in the 4th, he drilled a one-strike fastball over the fence in left, bringing home three runs to tie the score. As one fan noted, the ball was gone the second it left his bat.

Whitman (11-3) used the long ball to go ahead 1-0 in the top of the first inning. Senior Max Hilbert reached up to cork an 0-1 pitch over the wall in left-center, his first homer of the year. But an agressive Wootton team, fresh from victories over Damascus and Quince Orchard, struck for four runs in the bottom of the first. The Patriots sent all nine batters to the plate and stole four bases, many on the first pitch.

Wootton led 4-1 when Whitman's Dan Novak led off the fourth with a nine-pitch walk. Then Williams walked to bring the tying run to the plate. It was at that point that Flack delivered his clutch home run to tie the game.

But Whitman still had work to do. Thompson opened the fifth inning by roping a single to left, his second hit of the game. Chris Kelly, who also had two hits, followed with a sharp ground ball through the left side of the infield. Dan Novak, who reached base three times in the game, dropped a bunt down the third-base line to load the bases.

One out later, Flack hit a ground ball to the third baseman who pegged home to get the force out. The catcher threw to first to get the double play, but the ball hit Flack and scooted into foul territory. Lee followed with his two-run single to right-center.

One of the greatest seasons in Walt Whitman history came to a close on Friday as the Vikings lost to Quince Orchard 7-2 in the quarterfinals of the state tournament, the farthest any Viking team had advanced.

The disappointing loss in the 4A West Regional final, before a huge crowd at QO, snapped a seven-game Viking winning streak. After an opening round bye, Walt Whitman (14-4) had defeated Walter Johnson and Northwest to reach the elite eight.

The game pitted QO's Mike Ryan (8-1, 0.4 ERA) against Whitman's Ethan Thompson (4-4, 2.27 ERA). The pair had locked horns in a 10-inning duel earlier in the year. Both pitchers had gone seven innings on Monday.

The Cougars jumped on top early, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Quince Orchard added four more runs in the second inning after two were out. The Vikings had an opportunity to get out of the inning without allowing a run but couldn't make a play. That was pretty much the way the game went early on, with Quince Orchard turning in several spectacular clutch plays and Whitman making a few critical mistakes.

Even so, the Vikings looked like they might make it a game in the fifth inning, when they struck for two runs and might have had more. With one out sophomore James Dionne dropped a single in front of the center-fielder for his second hit of the game. Lead-off hitter Jesse Mates (.385) followed with a line-drive single to left field and altertly took second on a throw to third that didn't get Dionne. Max Hilbert followed with a sacrifice fly to center to score the first Whitman run. Thompson brought home the second with a line drive to left-center.

Thompson took the loss for Whitman to square his record at 4-4. Michael Flack, who had the third highest on base percentage this year in Whitman history, .603, as a freshman, pitched the last three innings for the Vikings, allowing only one run. Thompson led the hitting attack with three hits, which left him with a .475 batting average, also the third hightest in Whitman history. The Vikings managed 11 hits against Ryan, including two each by Chris Kelly (.360), Jesse Mates, and Dionne.

The Vikings hit a robust .372 as a team. But their strength turned out to be last year's weakness--pitching. The team held opponents to less than three earned runs a game. Reid Kellam finished the season 4-0, Michael Flack was 3-0, and Danny Williams recorded a 2-0 record.

This was the final high school game for seniors Max Hilbert, Chris Kelly, Jesse Mates, Daniel Novak (.397), Jason Keene, Ethan Thompson, and Danny Williams. Several of them had started for the varsity since their sophomore year. The group produced one of the finest fielding teams in recent Whitman history.

Next year's Whitman team promises to be a strong one, with the return of pitchers Kellam and Flack, along with Ross Olchyk, Dan Shannahan, and the addition of several promising JV pitching prospects. The Vikings will also return catcher Danny Lee, who led this year's team with 21 RBI, along with Sam Sharpe, Daniel Berman, Alex Rhea, James Dionne, and Brett Morgenstern.

Walt Whitman defeated Northwest 2-1 on Wednesday afternoon to reach the regional finals for the first time in school history. The 14-3 Vikings play at Quince Orchard on Friday afternoon for the right to move on to the state semis.

Junior Reid Kellam (4-0) pitched a five-hit complete game, relinquishing only one run, in the first inning. Northwest threatened to score again several times, but some clutch defensive plays and great situational pitching preserved the victory. Freshman Michael Flack had three hits to pace Whitman's attack.

The Vikings scored all the runs they needed in the first inning. Jesse Mates reached base to open the frame. Max Hilbert followed with a sharp single up the middle. Mates scored on a ground ball to first by Chris Kelly. Hilbert came home later in the inning on an infield single by Dan Novak, who had two hits in the game. The ball was misplayed by the second baseman allowing Hilbert to come all the way around from second base.

Though neither team scored after the first inning, the game was tense throughout. Whitman, which had 10 hits in the game, had several opportunities to pad its lead, stranding runners in several innings. Northwest had several additional opportunities to score as well.

In the fifth inning, second baseman Ethan Thompson jumped high in the air to snab a line drive and double up a runner on first to end the inning. The Jaguars, who had defeated Whitman earlier in the year, loaded the bases with two outs in the sixth inning but failed to score after left fielder Novak retreated to the fence to catch a ball for the final out.

The Vikings had reached the third round of the state playoffs two times in the last 10 years, but lost both times to Gaithersburg.

The Vikings came out swinging against Walter Johnson in their opening round game of the playoffs on Monday evening, played in front of one of the largest home crowds of the season. The first four batters in the lineup singled, and when the inning was over, the Vikings had scored four runs on six hits. This was more than enough as senior pitcher Ethan Thompson took control from there and never relinquished the lead.

On a night that was intended to honor Whitman’s senior players, with many baseball alumni in attendance, the first five batters, all seniors, reached base. Jesse Mates led off the game with a single, followed by singles by Max Hilbert and Ethan Thompson, scoring one run. Chris Kelly followed with another single, which scored another run, and after a base on balls by Dan Novak, one out later, Michael Flack singled, scoring the third run of the inning. Danny Lee finished the scoring for the inning with a check swing single to right, which knocked in the fourth run.

After the Vikings’ first inning barrage, Ethan Thompson took over, scattering eight hits, striking out five along the way. Thompson and the Vikings were only really threatened once--in the top of the fifth inning. Walter Johnson put together four hits and scored one run, and, with the bases loaded, threatened to score more. But Thompson got the third out by coaxing a ground ball to Chris Kelly at first base to end the inning.

Max Hilbert and Chris Kelly paced the Viking attack with two hits a piece, including a triple by Hilbert in the bottom of the fourth inning, when the Vikings scored their fifth run.

Thompson held Walter Johnson in check for his fourth victory of the season, lowering his ERA to 2.27. Robin Mowatt and Carson Kenny each recorded three hits for Walter Johnson. But they proved to be not enough, as the Vikings won their sixth game in a row, following a heartbreaking loss to Quince Orchard in mid-April.

Whitman’s next playoff opponent is Northwest, who beat the Vikings 6-4 earlier this year. The game is scheduled for 4:00 pm on Wednesday, May 13, at Whitman.

Howard Flack

Junior Reid Kellam took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of Whitman's game against Magruder, which came into the game with an 8-7 record. Two hits and two outstanding defensive plays later, he emerged with a 4-3 victory that dramatically improved the 12-3 Vikings' chances of earning an important first-round bye in the state tournament beginning next week.

After a rocky first inning, Kellam (3-0) settled down and retired 15 Colonels in a row, with Viking fielders putting on a defensive clinic in front of the home crowd. In the fourth, first baseman Chris Kelly dashed into foul territory to make a diving catch in front of the Magruder dugout. In the fifth inning, with Whitman hanging to a precarious 3-1 lead, center fielder Max Hilbert ran a long way into the left-center-field gap, catching the ball at full stride to take away an extra-base hit. In the sixth inning, shortstop Jesse Mates first ranged deep to his right, then far to his left, to gun out consecutive hitters at first.

But the Vikings may have saved their best web gems for the seventh inning. With two runners on and no one out, and Whitman ahead 4-1, left fielder Dan Novak caught a ball over his shoulder on the dead run for the first out. If Novak hadn't caught the ball, Magruder may have tied the game, because the Colonels wound up eventually scoring two runs. Then, with the tying run on second, Kelly ranged all the way to the fence in short right field, dove, and snabbed the ball to end the game.

The Vikings staked Magruder to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but tied the game in the second. Novak singled to center, his first of two hits, and stole second. On a two-strike count, Danny Williams moved him to third base with a ground ball to second. Novak scored when Michael Flack dropped a blooper down the left-field line.

Whitman broke the 1-1 tie with two runs in the fourth inning. Novak hit his second single and scored when Williams ripped a double to left-center. Williams was thrown out trying to go to third after a play at the plate. But the inning wasn't over. Flack singled again, this time floating a jam-shot into short center. He alertly took second on a bad pick-off throw and scored on a sharp single to right by Danny Lee, who improved his team-leading RBI total to 20.

The Vikings added what proved to be a critical insurance run in the sixth. After singles by Williams and Lee, Sam Sharpe stroked a single to left-center, scoring Williams and making it 4-1. It turned out the Vikings needed the additional run because Magruder scored twice in the seventh to close to within 4-3.

Strong defense, good pitching, timely hitting--the Walt Whitman Vikings used baseball's key ingredients to defeat last year's state champions, the Sherwood Warriors, by a 5-2 margin on Tuesday afternoon.

The Viking infield formed a leather curtain behind pitcher Ethan Thompson, who pitched a complete game for his third victory against three defeats. The infield--Danny Williams at third, Jesse Mates at short, Michael Flack at second, and Chris Kelly at first--accounted for 15 assists, some of them spectacular plays. Catcher Danny Lee repeatedly blocked pitches in the dirt to prevent Sherwood baserunners from advancing.

Thompson pitched his best game of the year, giving up only one earned run on a 280-foot homer over a short right-field fence. He took advantage of the thick, slow grass at Sherwood, keeping the ball down and coaxing ground ball outs. He only struck out two Sherwood batters, but the Warriors only managed to hit a handful of balls into the outfield. Thompson limited Sherwood to four hits.

The Vikings, who had been falling behind early, this time jumped on top in the first inning on a manufactured run. Lead-off hitter Mates opened the game with a walk, stole second, went to third on an infield out, and scored on a ground ball through the left side by Kelly.

Whitman added another run in the third inning after two were out. Mates doubled down the left-field line and went to third on a balk. Max Hilbert drove him home with a single to left.

The Vikings added two more runs in the fourth inning to push the score to 4-0. Daniel Novak lashed a double to the wall in right center and scored on a sharp single up the middle by Williams, who went all the way around to third after the ball went between the center-fielder's legs. Michael Flack drove him home with a one-out ground ball to second base.

Whitman let down its guard in the bottom of the fourth, allowing Sherwood to score twice, once on a homer, and a second time on a defensive lapse. But the Vikings regained the momentum after that, shutting down the Warriors over the final three innings.

Whitman scored an insurance run in the seventh inning, when Sam Sharpe hit a dribbler down the third-base line with the infield in that still managed to score Flack, who had singled earlier in the inning.

The Walt Whitman Vikings rolled to a 12-5 victory over Kennedy on Saturday afternoon, running their record to an impressive 9-2 on the season. Danny Williams picked up the win for the Vikings, pitching the final four innings and allowing only one hit. Virtually everyone Viking got to hit and play the field.

Williams, who also drove in two runs, entered to pitch in the fourth inning in relief of Ross Olchyk and Danny Shannahan. He struck out four and walked only one batter en route to the victory.

Kennedy, which had played a game earlier in the day, came out hitting in the first inning, scoring two runs on three hits. But Whitman returned the favor in the bottom of the first, bringing three runners across the plate.

Jesse Mates, who had walked and advanced around the base paths on a stolen base and a wild pitch, scored on a sacrifice fly by Max Hilbert. Ethan Thompson walked, stole second and third, and scored on a wild pitch. Williams singled home the final run of the inning.

The Vikings scored two more runs in the bottom of the second to take a 5-2 lead. Danny Lee crushed a triple to the warning track in right-center and scored when Jason Keene grounded out to the pitcher. Mates scored the second run on a wild pitch after doubling sharply and stealing third.

After Kennedy closed to within 5-4, the Vikings scored once in the bottom of the third, when Lee hit a sacrifice fly to score Dan Novak, who had singled. Whitman put the game out of reach in the bottom of the fourth inning. Kennedy wild pitches and errors led to several runs. The big blow of the inning, though, was a two-run single by Williams.

The Vikings capped the scoring in the fifth inning, when Thompson hit a ground ball to third that scored Mates, who had walked and stolen two bases. Mates scored three times in the game. He has nine stolen bases on the season.

As Yogi Berra was fond of saying, "It's never over until it's over." The Walt Whitman Vikings provided a reminder of the wise one's sagacity on Saturday as they appeared to beat Quince Orchard only to let the game slip away.

The Saturday action was the continuation of a suspended game that started at Quince Orchard on Tuesday. The score was tied 1-1 in the top of the eighth, with Whitman runners on first and second and one out, when the rain came down. The game was picked up at Whitman rather than QO because Whitman had played at home earlier in the day and the field was ready.

Both teams elected to bring back their starting pitchers (Ethan Thompson for Whitman and Mike Ryan for Quince Orchard) since they had had three days rest. The pair had locked in a tense duel on Tuesday, which they continued on Saturday.

Whitman failed to score in the top of the eighth, despite opening with two men on base. The Vikings put a runner on in the ninth inning as well. Michael Flack opened the inning with a single to left, his second hit of the game. But QO turned a double-play on a sacrifice bunt to end the threat.

Meanwhile, Thompson picked up where he left off on Tuesday, keeping the Cougars off stride with a befuddling mix of curve balls, change-ups, and splitters. Thompson struck out four and walked two in 9 and two-thirds innings of work.

The Vikings finally scored in the top of the 10th inning to take a 2-1 lead. Jesse Mates led off with a single down the left-field line, his third hit of the game. He took second on an errant pick-off throw by Ryan. The bases were loaded after an intentional walk to Thompson and an infield single by Kelly. That brought the infield in. Mates was forced at the plate on a ground ball to second base. Two pitches later, Ryan threw a curveball in the dirt that eluded the catcher and Thompson ran home to score the go-ahead run.

Thompson retired the first batter in the bottom of the 10th, but the second reached on an infield error. The second out was recorded on a long fly ball. QO had two runners on base when Thompson appeared to strike out Ryan on a ball in the dirt for the final out. But Whitman couldn't get the runner out at first, which loaded the bases for QO's clean-up hitter. He lined a single to left to score two runs and win the game 3-2.

The roughly 150 fans who came out to watch Whitman play Churchill on Thursday night were treated to all the excitement and spectacle one would expect from our national pastime. They also got to see a great baseball game, as Whitman defeated Churchill 12-6 to improve its record to 8-2. Michael Flack (3-0) recorded the victory for Whitman, assisted by two strong innings of relief from Danny Williams.

Even the weather cooperated as Principal Dr. Alan Goodwin shook off some pre-game jitters and fired a perfect strike to Danny Lee in a ceremonial first pitch. Announcer Dan Shannahan got virtually every name right as the players on each team stepped forward to take a bow, then stood at attention as the national anthem played.

The carnival-like atmosphere was interrupted by the sound of stinging steel in the bottom of the first as the Vikings put an early hurt on the Bulldogs, scoring three times. With the crowd cheering each hitter, Whitman opened the game with three straight rockets to left field. By the time it was over, Jesse Mates, Max Hilbert, and Ethan Thompson had scored to make it 3-0.

As lines at the Armands concession formed, and the souvenier booth sold out of white Whitman hats, Churchill struck back with two runs in the top of the second inning. The slugfest was on. The Bulldogs, who brought out dozens of fans themselves, would have scored more if not for an inning-ending play at the plate. A long double to the wall in right field scored two runners, but a third was gunned down at the plate on a perfect relay from Daniel Berman, to Thompson, to catcher Danny Lee.

Undaunted, Whitman stormed back with three more runs in the second inning. Mates walked then swiped second and third base. Hilbert singled, his second of three hits on the night, then stole second. Thompson drove him home on a two-strike count, ripping a high fastball down the left-field line, stole second, and, two wild pitches later, scored the third run of the inning, making it 6-2.

Meanwhile, burritos were flying out of the ballpark, thanks to a raffle of Chipotle gift certificates. And, as if the parental units needed further proof evidence that all the children of Bethesda and Potomac are above average, virtually every kid asked to participate in a ball toss between innings fired it into the bucket to win candy.

But the real excitement was the baseball game. After the pesky Bulldogs came right back with three runs of their own in the top of the third to make it 6-5, the Vikings scored another three runs in the bottom of the third to run the score to 9-5. Senior third baseman Williams clobbered a double into the gap in left-center field, his first of two long doubles on the evening. The bases were loaded after Flack walked and Lee hit an infield single. Sam Sharpe drove in the first run. Two other runs scored on Churchill errors.

The Vikings added solo runs in the 4th, 5th, and 6th. Flack singled sharply to left to score Williams who had doubled in the fourth inning. In the fifth, Hilbert, who had three line-drive hits, roped a long double to left, stole third, and scored when Thompson grounded to short. Williams smacked a double that nearly reached the wall in right-center to open the sixth, went to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sac fly by Flack.

Williams came on in relief of Flack in the sixth inning and retired the Bulldogs 1-2-3. After he worked out of trouble in the seventh inning to end the game, the teams lined up to shake hands, the last pizza slices were given away, the t-shirt concession shut down, and the fans filed out, knowing they'd experienced more than just a great high school baseball game. They'd been treated to an ageless piece of American culture. It's as Whitman said, "The game of ball is glorius."

The "grounds crew" (mostly Whitman position players) stayed after to rake the dirt around their stations and put away the equipment. By the time coach Cassidy turned off the lights and locked the gates at 9:30, everyone had gone home. Besides the crumpled up pizza wrappers under the stands, there were few clues that a game had even been played.

Walt Whitman battled Quince Orchard to a tense 1-1 tie on Tuesday afternoon in a game that was suspended due to lightning in the top of the 8th inning with Viking runners on first and second base with one out. The game will be completed on Saturday afternoon at Whitman.

The pitcher's duel pitted Whitman's Ethan Thompson against QO's Mike Ryan, a pre-season all-state selection. Both pitchers were supported by fabulous defensive play, including several double-plays and long fly balls run down by outfielders. The game was played under what felt like playoff conditions.

With one out in the top of the eighth, Thompson reached on a rare error by QO's third baseman, who was otherwise stellar. Pinch-runner Jason Keene took second on a wild pitch. Chris Kelly was walked intentionally to bring up Daniel Novak, a left-handed hitter to face the left-handed Ryan. Play was halted after lightning struck in right field.

Quince Orchard got on the scoreboard first, scoring its lone run in the second inning on a sacrifice fly to center. Whitman scored its run in the fifth inning, when freshman Michael Flack led off with a long double over the left-fielder's head that rolled up the embankment. Danny Lee dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Flack to third, and was safe at first when the peg to third failed to get Flack. Flack scored after Jesse Mates, who had two hits on the day, hit a comebacker to Ryan that he threw to second to get Lee. Flack broke for home on the play. The throw to the plate was too late to get him.

Whitman used some great defense to get out of trouble in the second inning. With runners on first and second and one out, third baseman Danny Williams fielded a ground ball and threw to second for one out. Second baseman Michael Flack's throw to first was in the dirt, but Kelly scooped it to make the double-play. Later in the game, Hilbert ranged deep into center field to make an over-the-shoulder catch on a ball that otherwise might have gone for a home run.

Whitman had two good opportunities to score a second run but couldn't convert. The Vikings stranded two runners in the first, after Mates led off with a single and Kelly walked. In the third, Mates reached second base with one out. The next two batters, Max Hilbert and Thompson, lined out sharply to right.

Down 7-1 late in the game, the Walt Whitman Vikings (6-2) rallied for four runs in the fifth inning and four more in the sixth to defeat the Walter Johnson Wildcats 9-7 in the first half of a day-night doubleheader on Saturday at Whitman.

Senior Ethan Thompson laced a sinking liner to right field that scored two and tied the game in the sixth inning. Later in the inning, Dan Novak drove home the winning run with his third single of the game, and Danny Lee hit a sacrifice fly to cap the scoring.

The outburst made a winner out of Ross Olchyk (1-0) who came on in relief of starter Reid Kellam and held the Wildcats scoreless. Freshman Michael Flack earned the save. Entering with one on and no one out in the seventh, he struck out the first two batters on fastballs and coaxed a ground ball out from Robin Mowatt, one of the county's leading hitters, to end the game.

This was the second time in as many games that the Vikings, faced with big deficits, refused to go quietly. Held to only three hits through four innings by Walter Johnson's crafty starter, the Vikings seem to sleepwalk early. They woke up in the fifth inning, after Jesse Mates hit what looked to be a routine grounder to shortstop.

The ball was thrown high to first base and when the first baseman tried to tag Mates the ball flew out of his glove. Mates alertly took second on the play. Max Hilbert followed with a single into the hole at shortstop. Thompson drove in one run with a soft liner to right-center. Chris Kelly had the big blow of the inning--a line drive double over the centerfielder's head that scored two.

Olchyk pitched himself out of a jam in the top of the sixth. Mates started the Whitman rally again in the bottom of the sixth, driving a double into the right-centerfield gap. After Hilbert walked, Thompson hit his two-run double to right. Kelly walked to put runners on first and third, then Novak singled home the winning run. Danny Lee put the icing on the cake with a sacrifice fly to left, making it 9-7.

The Vikings played another great defensive play. Senior third baseman Danny Williams had six assists, knocking down two balls that appeared headed down the line for extra-base hits. Centerfielder Hilbert ranged far and wide to track down fly balls. Flack had the defensive play of the game, gunning down a runner trying to take third from right field.

Once again, Walt Whitman fell behind early, giving up three runs in the top of the first. But once again the Vikings rallied, this time to defeat Gaithersburg 12-6 in the second half of a day-night doubleheader played at Whitman on Saturday.

The victory was especially sweet for Whitman (7-2) given that Gaithersburg had knocked them out of the playoffs the year before. Freshman Michael Flack picked up the victory for the Vikings, with the help of some strong relief from Ross Olchyk, Danny Shannahan, and Danny Williams.

Lead-off batter Jesse Mates was the hitting star for the Vikings. He cleared the bases with a screaming line-drive double to center in the six-run Whitman second inning. And he hit a solo, inside-the-park homer over the center fielder's head to lead off the sixth inning. Stroked to the deepest part of the park, there wasn't even a play on Mates at the plate.

Nearly every Viking hitter contributed to the attack. With his team down 3-0 in the second, Chris Kelly roped a double to left-center to open the inning. Daniel Novak, who has been on a tear, hit one off the end of the bat that fell in front of the third baseman for an infield single. With the first baseman holding Novak, Danny Lee drove a single through the right side of the infield to make it 3-1. In one of the key at-bats of the inning, Sam Sharpe walked on nine pitches, fouling off several nasty pitches on the outside corner. Mates then followed with his bases-loaded double to put Whitman ahead 4-3.

Max Hilbert drove home Mates with a solid two-strike single up the middle. Hilbert eventually scored on an infield single by Ethan Thompson that was bobbled momentarily by the short stop, giving the fleet Hilbert enough time to round third and scoot home, making it 6-3.

The game, however, was far from over. The Trojans struck for a run in the top of the fourth and may have scored more if not for Shannahan, who came on in relief to get the final two outs against the middle part of the Trojan order.

In the bottom of the fourth, after singles by Sharpe and Hilbert, Thompson drove in what proved to be the winning run with a single to left field, his second of three hits on the day. He is hitting .567 on the season.

Gaithersburg scored two more times in the top of the fifth to close to within 7-6. Ross Olchyk entered in relief with the bases loaded. He gave up one run on a squeeze play. But then, with the infield playing in, he coaxed a weak ground ball to short for the second out, and struck out the next batter for the final out of the inning.

Whitman scored a solo tally in the bottom of the fifth to make it 8-6. After Danny Williams reached on an error, Michael Flak doubled to move him to third. Williams scored on a ground ball to first base by Danny Lee, who has 17 RBI for the Vikings, one of the highest totals in the county.

The Vikings put the game out of reach with four runs in the sixth inning. After Mates' lead-off homer, Hilbert was hit by a pitch, stole second, and moved to third on Thompson's infield single. He scored when an errant pick-off throw went into foul territory. Later in the inning, Flack delivered a two-run single to cement the victory for himself.

A valiant seventh-inning comeback effort came up just short and the Walt Whitman Vikings fell 6-4 to the Northwest Jaguars on Friday afternoon in a battle of 5-1 teams.

The Vikings (5-2) trailed 6-2 going into the seventh inning. With one out, Jesse Mates drilled a single to right-center, Max Hilbert drew a walk after falling behind 0-2, and Ethan Thompson singled to load the bases. Clean-up hitter Chris Kelly walked to force home one run and make it 6-3 with the bases still loaded.

That brought up Dan Novak, who calmly delivered his second single of the day, a line drive to right. Hilbert scored easily, but Thompson was called out on a controversial play at the plate for the second out. The final batter struck out with the tying run on first base.

Northwest took an early lead, scoring twice in the first inning. But Whitman battled back to tie with single runs in the third and fourth.

Whitman scored in the third when Danny Lee reached on an error by the left fielder, went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Daniel Berman, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Mates. Whitman scored with two out in the fourth inning. Danny Williams blasted a two-hop double off the wall in left-center and came home when Lee dropped a bloop single down the left-field line.

The game was notted at 2 in the fifth inning, when Northwest broke it open with a four runs, including a two-run home run. Thompson (2-2) took the loss for the Vikings.

The Vikings played a sterling defensive game, defusing several Jaguar rallies with great plays. Thompson twice picked lead-off runners off first base. Danny Lee threw a runner out stealing to open the fourth inning. And the outfield made several tough plays on long fly balls.

Danny Lee recorded four hits, including a 400-foot home run to right-center, powering the Walt Whitman Vikings to a 17-7 pasting of Paint Branch (4-2) on Tuesday afternoon.

Ethan Thompson (2-1) picked up the victory for the 5-1 Vikings, going five innings and allowing only two earned runs. The game was played under frigid conditions, with snow flurries and swirling winds. Wind chill at game time: an unofficial 29 degrees.

The game was actually much closer than the final score would indicate. The Panthers struck first, stringing together three hits in the first inning to score two runs.

The Vikings returned the favor in top of the second. After Danny Williams reached on an error, Danny Lee smacked a run-scoring double to right-center. Later in the inning, Michael Flack coaxed a single through the left side of the infield and eventually scored on a passed ball.

The scored was notted at two in the top of the third inning when Thompson roped a double to left-center. Dan Novak singled him home and took second on a play at the plate. He eventually scored on a single by Williams, who had three hits and four RBI on the day.

The Panthers clawed back in the bottom of the third. With runners on second and third and one out, Thompson fell behind 3-0 to the Paint Branch clean-up hitter, who eventually hit a sharp come-backer to the mound. Thompson caught the runner at third in a run-down and flipped to catcher Lee who made the tag. Shortstop Jesse Mates Jesse Mates caught a tailing liner on his backhand for the final out of the inning, the ball showing through the web of his glove.

The momentum turned after that half inning. Whitman errupted for five runs in the fourth to put the game out of reach. Lee and Mates singled to start the festivities. They were on second and third with one out when Thompson drilled a fast ball to left to score them and make it 6-2. After two more runners reached on errors, Williams doubled to center to drive in two more runs, making it 9-2.

The Vikings scored runs on errors in the fifth and sixth innings. Lee also singled home Chris Kelly who had walked in the sixth inning.

Whitman broke it open for five more runs in the seventh frame. Sam Sharpe tripled to right, scoring Jason Keene who had walked and Brett Morgenstern who had singled. After Williams tripled home Sharpe, Danny Lee put a fitting punctuation on the game, clobbering a home run to right center that may have rolled onto Colesville Pike.

The Walt Whitman Vikings continued their offensive ways, shutting out Springbrook 13-0 in a rainy afternoon game.

Junior Reid Kellam (2-0) picked up the victory for the Vikings, who improved their record to 4-1. Kellam gave up only one hit in a game ended by slaughter after six innings.

The offense was led by Max Hilbert, who belted two triples, which both reached the fence in left-center. Catcher Danny Lee drove in four runs. Ethan Thompson drove in two on two hits. Lead-off hitter Jesse Mates recorded two solid hits.

Whitman played flawless defense behind Kellam, who recorded about nine strikeouts. The Vikings didn't commit an error. Left-fielder Daniel Novak made a good catch on a line drive and on another occasion threw out a runner at third.

Whitman started off slow. Base-running mistakes ended the first two rallies. But the Vikings struck for eight runs in the third inning to put the game out of reach.

The Walt Whitman Vikings regained their winning ways pounding out 17 hits en route to a 21-1 slaughter of Poolesville under drizzly conditions at Whitman on Wednesday night.

Michael Flack led the way for the Vikings on the mound and at the plate. The freshman pitched five innings to earn his first high school victory, striking out 10 and allowing only two hits. He also drove in two runs with two hits.

The game was something between a tag-team slugfest (Whitman batted around the order twice) and a swamp romp (both teams had trouble with the rain-soaked conditions). Whitman set what must be a record: All 15 players who batted managed to score at least one run.

The 3-1 Vikings quickly put the game out of reach, scoring eight times in the first inning. They struck for nine more runs in the third inning. They batted around the order in each of those innings.

The Vikings had several hitting stars. Jesse Mates and Daniel Berman each recorded three RBI. Berman was a perfect 3 for 3 at the plate. Clean-up hitter Chris Kelly hit a memorable, towering double over the centerfielder’s head in the third inning.

DH Jason Keene got it started. With Whitman in the unlikely position of being behind 4-2 to Einstein, Keene dropped a 2-2 fastball down the right-field line to open the Whitman fourth inning. Ethan Thompson promptly scorched a double to the center-field wall to score Keene. Thompson later came home to tie the score at four on a ground ball to second by right fielder Daniel Berman.

But that was only the beginning of the fourth inning. By the time it was over, the Vikings had sent 14 batters to the plate, scored 10 times, and taken an insurmountable 12-4 lead. Whitman managed to score 10 times before Einstein even recorded the first out of the inning. The Vikings scored two more times in the fifth to record a 14-4 slaughter.

The 10-run outburst was enough to make a winner out of junior Reid Kellam, who struck out seven in four innings of work. A couple of defensive lapses (a fly ball that was lost above the lights) and some walks (Kellam had tremendous movement on his fastball) resulted in four Einstein runs in the second inning.

Whitman jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the first inning. Thompson opened the frame by ripping a single to left. He reached base all four times in the game. After a Berman sacrifice, Max Hilbert singled Thompson home. Danny Williams drove in the second run of the inning with an infield single.

Catcher Danny Lee delivered the key blow in the fourth inning, a two-run triple the opposite way. Lee drove in the final run of the game in the fifth inning, after Williams and Jesse Mates stroked line-drive singles up the middle.

Ross Olchyk came on in relief of Kellam in the fifth, facing the minimum number of batters. He was helped by a double play, Mates-Thompson-Kelly, to end the inning.

Danny Lee singled sharply to center, driving home the game-winning run in the sixth inning, and the Walt Whitman Vikings opened the season with a convincing 4-3 victory over Blake behind the five-hit pitching of Ethan Thompson.

Played with temperatures in the 40s, the game was mostly a pitcher's duel between senior Thompson and Blake's Tommy Cuningham, who was named to the pre-season all-state team by Maryland coaches. Despite the cold conditions, both pitchers exhibited strong command on the mound, effectively mixing picthes and allowing only 10 hits on the day. The scored was tied at zero through the first three frames.

Whitman jumped on top in the fourth inning, when freshman Michael Flack delivered a key, 2-run single. Senior Daniel Novak led off the inning with a single the other way, to left field. Danny Williams reached on an infield single, and the runners advanced to second and third on a throwing error. Flack drove home both runners with a single to right-center and scored later in the inning on a wild pitch.

Thompson, mixing a curve ball and change-up, faced only one more than the minimum number of hitters through four innings. He was helped by some strong defensive play. Catcher Danny Lee threw out two runners trying to steal second. And the left side of the infield, with Williams at third and Jesse Mates at short, played a nearly flawless game.

Blake strung together three hits in the fifth inning to tie the score. The Bengals were helped by a Viking overthrow and a controversial call on a runner at first. When the dust settled, the score was tied at 3.

But the Vikings, who had beaten Blake in the second round of the state playoffs last year, came right back in the top of the sixth inning. Williams walked and went to second on a wild pitch, setting the stage for Lee, who stung his hands singling to center.

Thompson settled down in the sixth inning, retiring the side with relative ease. But the first Blake batter singled down the third-base line to open the seventh. He was on second with one out when Thompson saw him trying to steal third, stepped off the mound, and gunned him down at third. The final out was recorded on a come-backer to the mound.

Both teams recorded only five hits. But the Vikings made all their hits count for runs. Thompson struck out four and didn't walk a batter to record the victory.