Battlefield wins 4 out of 5 big playoff games Friday

The varsity baseball, lacrosse, girls soccer and softball teams all won key post-season matches at home in Haymarket Friday while the boys soccer team lost in Loudoun.

First came the girls soccer team, which led off the evening with a 1-0 victory over Broad Run in the Cedar Run District tournament championship. Team co-captain Alexa Wagoner headbutted in a corner kick pass from senior midfielder Bri Toelle with 33:24 remaining in the second half for the game's only goal.

Meanwhile, those same two schools fought to a different outcome up in Ashburn during the Cedar Run District tournament championship boys soccer game, with the Spartans prevailing 4-1. Both the Battlefield boys and girls teams advance to the Northwest Regional tournament, however, though the girls will have home-field advantage and a first-round bye while the boys will be on the road. The opposite goes for Broad Run.

Battlefield swept the other three playoff games it hosted on the evening of May 17.

Over on the softball field, sophomore Teresa Wagner pitched a complete-game shutout against Patriot in the Cedar Run District tournament consolation game for third place, helping lead the Bobcats to a 4-0 win against cross-county rival Patriot. The do-or-die match means that Battlefield will continue on to the Northwest Regional tournament while the season is over for the Pioneers.

Patriot also fell to Battlefield on the baseball field 3-1 minutes for the Cedar Run District tournament championship after the softball game ended.

It took a long hustle and acrobatic catch over the left shoulder from BHS left-fielder Matt Conway in the top of the seven inning with two outs and two on to secure the win for starting pitcher Nick Wells (6.2 IP) and the save for closer Dylan Gerdts. Junior catcher Nick Feight produced all three of the Bobcats' runs, driving in Josh Flaherty in the first inning and Flaherty and himself in on a home run in the third inning.

Closing out the night, the Battlefield boys lacrosse team picked up the biggest win of them all by topping North Stafford 12-5 in the Northwest Region quarterfinals. Senior Ryan Swingle netted four goals while teammate Anthony Fraga added a hat-trick of his own. Cameron Maples added two goals and an assist while also winning 15 faceoffs for the home team. Aaron Turner, Michael Hanlon and Zach Windsor each claimed a goal of their own, though Windsor also picked up three assists.

Battlefield's victory puts the undefeated Bobcats one win away from claiming an automatic berth to the Group AAA state playoffs for the third year in a row. They are scheduled to play Osbourn Park right after the Battlefield girls host their own quarterfinals match on May 21. Both of the boys teams are 17-0, having won their district regular season and post-season titles. Osbourn Park and Battlefield also both won the regular and post-season girls lacrosse district championships.

By the numbers, the spring sports season may be one for the record books at Battlefield. Both lacrosse teams, the girls soccer team, and the baseball team all claimed both the regular season and post-season district titles while both the boys soccer and softball teams advanced to regional play as well.

Check back online this week and in the print edition of the Gainesville Times on Wednesday for full recaps of each of the home games played Friday night.