South River is making its first appearance in the state semifinals in 25 years today, and there are a number of similarities between the 1983 team and this one.
Ken B. Dunn is still the South River baseball coach, now in his 31st season. Twenty-five years ago, Dunn's team went from 4-14 in the previous year to set a school record for wins (15-7) and were ranked No. 9 by The Sun.
The team was 9-13 in 2007 and this year broke the 1983 record for wins (16-7) and is ranked No. 6 by The Sun. The ace of the '83 team was a left-hander who went on to be All-County and second-team All-Metro in Mike Lindon. Eric Aumann, a junior left-hander, is this year's ace, and he is on target for some postseason honors.
Dunn can only hope the current team can go as far as the '83 team - and perhaps one step further.
The 1983 Seahawks routed Richard Montgomery, 11-5, in the state semifinals but lost, 13-9, to Thomas Johnson in the Class A (now 3A) final.
The current team won the program's second regional title - the Class 4A East on Saturday at Leonardtown in St. Mary's County - 2-0 in 10 innings.
Kevin Loftis hit a two-out, two-run single in the top of the 10th inning, and Aumann notched the 8-1 win in relief, with Zach Morris pitching a scoreless 10th for the save.
*Northeast baseball: Northeast hoped to join South River in the state tournament, but after winning close games all season, the No. 9 Eagles lost to No. 8 Fallston, 5-4, in the Class 3A regional semifinals Saturday. Coming back from deficits was the Northeast routine all season, as it used superb bunting, smart base running and the power of Brody Kean and John Hodges to prevail. In a must-win situation to return to the county championship game, the Eagles nipped Old Mill, 3-2, with the winning run scoring on a double play in the fifth. In the county final, the Eagles trailed defending champion Arundel, 2-0, into the fifth inning before scoring single runs in the fifth and sixth and three in the top of the seventh to win, 5-3. Then, in the 3A East quarterfinals, the Eagles fell behind North Harford, 4-0, in the first inning.
"Playing in a great county like Anne Arundel, it has prepared us all year for moments like this," Northeast coach Adam Bolling said after the game. "We've been down a lot this year, and we've battled back. And it's testament to these kids and their will to win." The Eagles' season-long good fortune ran out Saturday, as Fallston beat them at their own game by coming back from a 3-1 deficit in the sixth inning and prevailing on a squeeze bunt.
