Front Royal Cardinals’ Season Wrap Up

The Cardinals ended their season on Thursday with a double header. The tenacious team, left with only 14 players, split the double header with a 5-2 win over the Purcellville Cannons, and a 13-1 loss to the Woodstock River Bandits.

Although the Cardinals didn’t earn a spot in the Valley League Playoffs this year, it was still an exciting year for Cardinals baseball fans. On the mound, Shane Scott provided plenty of thrills. He ended the season with a 2.43 ERA over 44.1 innings pitched. His three wins and one loss showcased 27 strikeouts, while surrendering 44 hits for 12 earned runs, and he walked only 13 batters. Arrison Perez, who proved to be a clutch player late in the season, pitched 15.1 innings, striking out 19 batters, while only allowing 13 hits for five earned runs.

Offensively, the Cardinals batted either very hot or very cold. The Cardinals’ bats were led by Dylan Menhennett, who ended the season with a .331 batting average. He scored 33 runs, batted in 21 teammates, and mashed four homeruns. Tre Dabney provided plenty of hit power as well. He ended the season with a .325 batting average in his 22 games, scoring 15 runs and accumulating 15 RBIs. He crushed six homeruns over the course of the season. Other standouts included Derrek Orndorff, who led the team with seven home runs, Carson Bell, who earned three round trippers, and Trip Willis, who clobbered two homeruns. Bell also led the team in RBIs, batting in 24 teammates over the course of the season.

Easton Waterman, the Cardinals’ primary, and sometimes only catcher, worked more than 200 innings behind the plate in the last two months. When he wasn’t catching, Waterman played additional positions and always contributed to the game.

Coach Tony Hurla was always proud of the team’s fighting spirit and refusal to give up, even late in the season when thinning rosters required pitchers to hit, positions players to pitch, and most of the team to play at a position that was not their primary one.

As the sun sets on the 2019 season, Cardinals fans look forward to next season and know that they can always count on exciting baseball at the Bing.