CHESAPEAKE — Busted plays usually prove costly, but that wasn’t the case for the Ocean Lakes High baseball team Friday night.
The Dolphins and Great Bridge were tied in the top of the sixth inning of the Class 5 Region A semifinals. Ocean Lakes was threatening with runners on base, including Jack Marchesi on third.
“Our batter thought it was a safety squeeze when it should have been a suicide squeeze, and he pulled it back,” said Marchesi, who came barreling down the third-base line. “I just saw the plate and the catcher with the ball. I just knew I had to get down and get around it, so I put my best swim move, and I was in there.”
Marchesi was called safe to the dismay of Great Bridge. The fifth-seeded Dolphins went on to score six runs in that inning to beat the No. 1 seed Wildcats 12-5 in a nearly three-hour contest and advance to next week’s region championship game. But more importantly, Ocean Lakes clinched a berth in the Class 5 state tournament.
“I’ve been a varsity player for four years, and a starter for the past three seasons,” Marchesi said. “And this is the first time that we’re going to the state tournament. I’m so proud of everybody. It was a complete team effort.”
The Dolphins, however, weren’t the only surprise of the tournament because No. 3 seed First Colonial beat No. 2 seed Cox 7-3 on Saturday in a game that was suspended from Friday because of lightning. The Patriots scored four in the top of the ninth to beat the Falcons, who were the defending Class 5 state champions.
“I didn’t expect a letdown from them. I knew these guys would compete,” said Patriots coach Scott Stubbe. “I almost felt like (playing Saturday) helped us because we had to wait for so long to get the game in (Friday night). It was good just to start off fresh.”
Now, First Colonial and Ocean Lakes are moving on.
“It just feels great to go back to state again,” said Ocean Lakes coach Pete Zell. “These guys were kind of underdogs all season. Last year’s team had all of these expectations with high-profile guys. This year’s team is just scrappy.”
On Friday, the Dolphins jumped out to a 5-0 lead as they scored three runs in the first on Daved Holloway’s double, then added a run in the second and the third.
But Great Bridge (19-3) came back with five runs in the bottom of the third, including Calvin Mabry’s two-run single that tied the game.
The Dolphins came right back with six runs in the sixth inning, sparked by Marchesi’s gutsy play.
“He should have been out, but (Marchesi) slides under it,” Zell said. “The umpire calls what he sees, and it was a huge call and 100% the right call. And then (Great Bridge) just kind of lost their composure there for a minute. And we kept the short game rolling and then just do what we do.”
Ocean Lakes beats Great Bridge 12-5 to advance to Class 5 Region A final and state tournament berth pic.twitter.com/IXDSvlsqR2
— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) May 24, 2024
First Colonial (18-4) had to overcome great odds to advance Saturday. The Patriots led 3-2 in the ninth inning and needed three outs for the win. But Cox loaded the bases with three consecutive hit batters. Then the Falcons got an RBI single to tie the game and had the bases loaded with no outs.
“Honestly, normally I get amped up and overwhelmed in that situation, but I just knew I had to calm myself down,” said First Colonial junior reliever Cade Howlett. “I was taking my time, taking deep breaths and slowing the game down. And I just focused on the catcher.”
First Colonial beats Cox 7-3 to advance to Class 5 state tournament. Patriots play Ocean Lakes in next week's region final pic.twitter.com/qdmex5NOn2
— Larry Rubama (@LHRubama) May 25, 2024
He struck out the next three batters to end the inning.
After a scoreless eighth, the Patriots put together a four-run ninth inning on four consecutive RBI hits.
Howlett did the rest as he retired the next three batters to end the season for the Falcons, who finished the regular season as the No. 1 team in Hampton Roads. Cox finished 17-5.
“I felt like it was meant to be, like we were supposed to finish the game like that,” said Howlett, who retired nine in a row after giving up the game-tying hit. “It feels amazing. I feel like we deserve every little bit. We’ve put in so much work. And just beating Cox, nothing feels better than that.”
Larry Rubama, 757-575-6449, larry.rubama@pilotonline.com
