Cards extend winning streak

By Greg Brill -- sports@nvdaily.com

FRONT ROYAL -- Aaron Swenson sure looked like one of the Valley Baseball League's top pitchers through the early innings Sunday night.

The Staunton righthander had faced the minimum of 11 batters, getting two quick outs on Front Royal to begin the fourth. But Cardinals slugger Jared Simon then stepped up and changed the complexion of the game with one swing.

Simon launched a Swenson pitch well over the wall in left-center for his ninth homer of the season, then added a two-run double in his next at-bat to help lift the Cardinals to a 4-1 win at Bing Crosby Stadium.

"Swenson throws a lot of different pitches and I was just trying to see something up in the zone," Simon said. "He was throwing a lot of pitches low, then he got a few pitches up and I drove them."

The Cardinals have won five straight for the second time and own the best record in the VBL at 21-13. Keeping that winning attitude is important for Front Royal, as North Division rivals Winchester, Fauquier and Haymarket are still all within striking distance.

Another quality outing from No. 1 starter Rob Nixon (4-2) was key in shutting down one of the league's top hitting teams. Ranked in the top three in several team offensive categories, Staunton managed just one run against Nixon in his 6 2/3 innings. Nixon, 3-0 over his last four starts, spaced five hits, walked four and struck out seven in what Front Royal manager Joe Scarano called his best outing.

"I told our guys that we won a series [3-1] against one of the best teams in this league and we won a series against a pitcher [Staunton] is going to hang its hat on," Scarano said. "Robby Nixon was very, very, very good tonight. It seemed like he was getting ahead of more hitters with his curveball, and that was a good adjustment for him. He's showed he has enough ability to win big games and it's fun to see him match that kid Swenson."

Even with fairly good stuff, Nixon did not have a winning decision locked up until Ryan George came on and got his second save in as many nights.

Staunton (17-15) got leadoff batter Will Owens aboard in the ninth on a five-pitch walk given up by Jeff DeCarlo. When DeCarlo fell behind 2-0 in the count to Donovan Huffer, the Cardinals brought in George.

On Saturday, George gave up a ninth-inning homer to Rockbridge before closing down a 3-2 win for Front Royal. Faced with another lock-down spot, George kept Staunton in the park.

"Rob pitched a great game," George said. "I wanted to come in and do well. [Saturday] night I made a mistake and left that fastball [for the home run] a little too fat. So I was conscious of being on the corners tonight and keeping them off-balance. I wasn't going to let them get too good of a piece [on pitches]."

Using his off-speed pitches to near perfection, George threw three straight strikes to sit down Huffer. A pop out by John Dishon followed before George got another punch-out, this one on Anthony Mesa, to close down his fifth save.

"I'm throwing the ball really well" George said. "My slider is really effective right now, which is kind of the key for me. I mean, I don't throw 95 [mph]. So if my slider is working, I'll work off that and be fine all day."

Though the Cardinals have been successful of late, winning 12 of their last 14, George went nearly two weeks between saves before this weekend.

Front Royal had to make the most of the few opportunities it got against Swenson, who entered with a league-best 1.39 ERA and .159 batting average against.

"We didn't hit him real well," Scarano said. "He kept us down the whole game."

Simon's homer was the first given up by Swenson, who had allowed only four extra-base hits (all doubles) in six previous starts. In the sixth, the Cardinals used some nifty baserunning by Brandon Brewer and another clutch hit from Simon to gain some distance.

On Anthony Ottrando's high hop over the pitcher and to the shortstop, Brewer raced home from third and got around the tag of catcher Anthony Porter to put the Cardinals ahead 2-1.

"[Brewer] didn't get the best jump -- the pitcher kind of froze him a bit," Scarano said. "The defense has to get the out on the groundball. We were aggressive, scored that run right there, and that brought Jared Simon up. If there's any guy you want up in that situation, it's Jared Simon."

True to his manager's confidence in him, Simon drilled a Swenson (4-2) pitch into the right-center alley to plate both Buddy Sosnoski and Ottrando for a three-run lead.

The Cardinals had just seven hits, with Simon going 3-for-4. The rest of Front Royal's lineup went a combined 4-for-27 against Swenson, who struck out a season-best nine batters.

The Cardinals' last nine games will be within their division, beginning Tuesday night with Haymarket.

"Hopefully we'll keep playing well in divisional games," Simon said. "They're big. I don't see why we can't win most of them."