Washington County Nationals wrap up season

The Washington County Nationals 18-under team wrapped up the season with a second-place finish at the sixth annual Black Monster Brigade Tournament in Hershey, Pa. The Nationals finished the tournament with a 3-1 record.

In the first game, the Nationals got off to a slow start but then heated up in the third inning. Trailing the Eckly Reds of Pennsylvania, 4-0, the Nationals struck for a pair of runs when Evan Hoagland and Kris Payne each singled in a run. In the fourth, Colton Zavistaski doubled in 2 to tie the game.

In the fifth, the Nationals put the game away with three runs. John Stewart and Payne singled, and Ethan Kelsey doubled them home. Kelsey later scored on a wild pitch to close out the scoring at 7-4. Michael Resetar pitched the complete game striking out eight and giving up only two earned runs.  In the second game of the day against the Jersey Titans, Nate French led the Nationals with a triple, single and a pair of RBIs, and also entered the game on the mound with the bases loaded, no outs and the score 7-4 and got out of the jam to pick up the save. Kelsey tripled and singled and Stewart added a double. The win gave the Nationals the No. 2 seed after first round play.

On Sunday, the Nationals faced the South Jersey Bulldogs with a trip to the finals on the line. Evan Hoagland pitched a complete game, giving up one earned run in a 5-2 victory. Hoagland helped himself at the plate with two hits and two runs scored. He finished the season with a 5-0 record on the mound. Kelsey and Resetar each drove in runs in the game. In the championship game against South Jersey Elite, the Nationals ran out of steam and lost by a 6-1 score in a rain-shortened five-inning game. Carl Rehm had the only hit for the Nationals. The loss earned the Nationals a second-place finish and ended their season with a 17-13 record.