Brown, Blue Devils shut down Liberty

By Jason simcoe

Published: May 7, 2008

Not even a rain delay could slow down Jeremy Brown Tuesday.

The CCHS senior pitched a complete-game shutout, leading the Blue Devils to a 2-0 win over the visiting Liberty Eagles.

Despite a burst of rain and thunder that paused the game for approximately 25 minutes after two innings, Brown was nearly untouchable. He needed just 84 pitches to blank the Eagles. He struck out 11, walked one and allowed three hits. In fact, he was sharper after the break, picking up eight of his Ks in the final five innings.

“I was sitting in the dugout (during the delay) questioning whether to get up and throw, but it didn’t seem to have any effect,” Brown said.

Brown, who improved to 2-5 on the season, dropped his ERA to 2.44 and leads the Blue Devils in strikeouts. But he’s struggled with his off-speed pitches in recent outings. Not Tuesday, when he mixed a changeup and hard-breaking curveball with a lively fastball to keep the Eagles off balance.

The Blue Devils did all their damage on the scoreboard in the second inning. Catcher Allen Beall got things started when he hit a one-out single to right field. Freshman Josh Gardiner brought him home when he rocketed a triple to centerfield. The next batter, Joey Powell, hit a sharp groundball up the middle to score Gardiner.

“Any team, from Major Leagues to Little League, has to have the timely hits,” CCHS coach Dan Nobbs said. “Timely hits are crucial.”

Then came the rain. What started as a slow drizzle quickly picked up to a steady downpour while the Blue Devils warmed up on the field for the start of the third inning. The umpires eventually halted the game to wait out the bad weather.

When they got back on the field, the teams battled to a draw over the final five innings.

Beall led the Blue Devils at the plate, finishing 3 for 3. Garret Cole doubled and Powell singled for CCHS, which finished with six hits.

Freshman Justin Reinaldo went the distance on the mound for the Eagles (3-14), keeping the Blue Devils guessing with an onslaught of breaking pitches. He struck out two and walked two.

“A guy like that is tough to hit off of,” Nobbs said. “Thankfully the guys in the bottom of the lineup picked things up for us.”

It was a big win for the Blue Devils, who are battling for the fourth seed in the district tournament and the right to host an opening-round postseason game. They host Osbourn Senior today and Loudoun Valley Friday.

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