Woodbridge baseball team rallies from early deficit to top North Dorchester, 9-4

The Woodbridge varsity baseball team entered last Friday’s home contest against North Dorchester with a 2-0 record following shutout wins over Hodgson (9-0) and First State Military (4-0). The Blue Raiders fell behind, 2-0, in the top of the first before scoring six runs in the bottom of the inning in the 9-4 win.

“We had to start 3-0 with our conference games coming up,” said Woodbridge head coach JD Messeck. “We’ve got to respond when teams put runs up on us and we did just that.”

Woodbridge started a pair of freshmen in the first two games. On Friday sophomore Cale Hudson took the mound.

Courtesy runner Evan Judy slides safely into third base following a single by Cale Hudson in last week’s home win.

“It felt great. I just had to go out there and throw the ball and let the defense do their thing,” Hudson said. “We’re going to hit the ball the whole game.”

North Dorchester scored two runs on a double, triple and an error in the top of the first inning. Woodbridge answered in the bottom the inning as Austin Griffith was hit by a pitch and scored on a wild pitch, Daulton McCabe was hit by a pitch and came home when Logan Moran was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, Ryan Scott walked and came home on a groundout by Cameron Anthony, Cale Hudson singled in Evan Woodall (hit by pitch), courtesy runner Evan Judy scored on a wild pitch, and Anthony Clairmont hit a sac fly to plate courtesy runner Hayden Meisinger for a 6-2 lead.

Hudson stranded a North Dorchester runner in the top of the second inning with a strikeout following a leadoff single. Scott doubled in the bottom of the second but was left on third base.

Hudson picked up a flyout and a strikeout to strand runners on first and second in the third. North Dorchester opened the fourth inning with an infield single but Hudson recorded a strikeout and the Raiders turned a 5-4-3 double play to end the threat.

Following a leadoff single by McCabe in the top of the fourth, Scott reached on a fielder’s choice and Woodall was hit by a pitch. Anthony and Hudson each delivered a two-out RBI single for an 8-2 Woodbridge lead.

North Dorchester collected two hits in the top of the fifth inning but Hudson struck out a pair to leave the runners on second and third. Scott came on in relief in the sixth and allowed a hit and recorded a strikeout in relief of Hudson.

The Raiders added a run in the bottom of the inning when Woodall walked and came home on a wild pitch. In the final inning, North Dorchester scored two runs on two hits and an error before Scott got two strikeouts to end the game.

Hudson struck out eight and allowed two hits in five innings while collecting two hits and two RBIs at the plate. Scott doubled and scored two runs, Woodall scored three runs, and Anthony added a hit and two RBIs.

Woodbridge was scheduled to face Delmar, Caesar Rodney and Glasgow this week.

“Our approach to the game is where it has to be,” said Messeck. “We just have to step out and play our best baseball.”