Blue Devils shut out Fauquier

By Jason simcoe

Published: April 25, 2008

Something clicked for Brad Settle this week. In the last two games, he’s gone from good to great and has quickly asserted himself as one of the district’s top pitchers.

Just days after a dominant relief appearance against Battlefield, the CCHS left-hander took the ball against Fauquier. With his two-seam fastball running away from right-handed hitters Friday, the senior led the Blue Devils to an 8-0 win over the Falcons.

“You just have to believe in yourself mostly,” Settle said of his big week. “You don’t really change anything, you just believe you can do whatever you put your mind to.”

Settle threw four innings. He allowed two hits, struck out three and left with a 3-0 lead. The outing came on the heels of a four-inning relief appearance at Battlefield in which the senior struck out 11.

Throw in a strong offensive performance at the plate and the Blue Devils (6-8, 3-5) had the recipe for success against the Falcons.

Allen Beall led the way for CCHS at the plate, slapping three singles between the shortstop and third baseman. He drove in runs in the first and fifth inning.
The Blue Devils got started right away, scoring twice in the first. Brandon Scott took a free base when he was hit by a pitch with one out in the inning and moved over on Hunter Kenney’s single. Brandon Mack lined a shot to right field to score Scott before Beall hit the first of his singles to score Kenney.

On a day when Settle and relief pitcher Cody Whitlock were on top of their games, two runs were more than enough.

Whitlock pitched the final three innings, allowing two hits and a walk. He struck out two.
“Brad did a great job with his changeup,” said Beall, the catcher. “Cody hit his spots really well.

“We need pitching. We need strong defense. Pitching and defense win games.”

Jeremy Brown helped the Blue Devils put the game away. The senior centerfielder hit an RBI single in the fourth and a two-run double to right-center in the fifth.

Beall added his second RBI in the fifth.
Recent junior varsity call-up Josh Gardiner rounded out the scoring with an RBI single in the sixth.

The Blue Devils totaled 12 hits on the day and appear to be hitting their stride at the right time. After a narrow loss to district leader Battlefield Wednesday, the Blue Devils wasted no time with the Falcons.

“Our bats and our pitching are feeding off each other,” CCHS coach Dan Nobbs said. “The last two games, we’re starting to get hot.”

It’s been a mixture of young and old leading the way for the Blue Devils this season. While upperclassman like Beall, Brown, Settle, Mack and Kenney are the carrying the load, the team has gotten strong contributions from sophomores like Scott and pitcher Matt Ward. Even Gardiner, a freshman, is chipping in.

“I didn’t expect in a million years to see Josh Gardiner up here,” Settle said. “Then he comes up and does a phenomenal job.”

Jason Simcoe can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 166 or