Maryland O's Upset No. 1-Ranked Senators

By: Keith Mills

Believe it or not there is a national poll for summer amateur baseball teams. The Virginia Senators were ranked No. 1 in National Scouts Crosscheckers Poll until the Maryland Orioles Under-18 team, coached by Bill Fritz and Nemo Lingerman, beat them last Saturday at Archbishop Curley in the second game of a doubleheader.

The Orioles are loaded with area high school players and bounced back from a 6-0 loss in Game 1 to beat the Senators, 4-3, in Game 2. Jason Patten of Archbishop Spalding, who is headed to Radford this fall, picked up the win thanks to two strong innings of relief from Keith Fritz, Bill's son.

Patten pitched five scoreless innings before tiring in the sixth while Fritz, a standout pitcher and shortstop at Curley who is headed to Northwest-Shoals Community College in Alabama, came in to shut the door and hand the Senators just their third loss of the year. Kevin Lingerman of Calvert Hall, who is headed to George Mason, pitched five shutout innings in Game 1 for the Orioles and drove in two runs with a double while Kylinn Simms of Dundalk High whacked a two-run home run.

Issue 3.29: July 17, 2008