Severna Park baseball takes down North County

No. 3 Falcons move to 11-0 with 12-2 decision; Fleisher homers twice

Pat O'Malley

Published 4/15/2023 1:18 p.m. EDT, Updated 4/18/2023 3:33 p.m. EDT

Matt Fleisher led Severna Park baseball to another victory Friday afternoon. The senior hit two home runs as the No. 3 Falcons improved to 11-0 with a 12-2 rout of North County in Anne Arundel County action.
Matt Fleisher led Severna Park baseball to another victory Friday afternoon. The senior hit two home runs as the No. 3 Falcons improved to 11-0 with a 12-2 rout of North County in Anne Arundel County action. (Pat O'Malley)

Severna Park continued its dominance in Anne Arundel County baseball Friday. North County became the No. 3 Falcons’ latest victim in a 12-2 mercy rule decision.

The unbeaten Falcons (11-0 overall, 8-0 Anne Arundel) put together a near perfect game with solid pitching, defense, and a potent offense that has rung up double-digit runs in 10 of their 11 decisions. The lone outing Severna Park failed to reach double-digits was a 6-5 decision at Southern Maryland’s Huntingtown.

Falcons ace junior Sean Williams improved to 4-0 by scattering seven hits and striking out 8. The righthander did not walk a batter in his 93-pitch effort.

“They were putting their bats on my fast ball (was in the 87 to 90 mph range), so I went to my change-up and curve more than usual,” said Williams afterwards. “My teammates gave me a lot of support by coming at them with their usual energy.”

Senior designated hitter Matt Fleisher paced the Falcons’ 13-hit attack with two homers, a two-run shot in the victors’ five-run third inning frame and a solo job in the fifth stanza when catcher Cody Phillips also delivered a solo big fly of his own.

“It was definitely my best game,” said Fleisher. “Everybody hits on this team, even our bench. It’s electric.”

Sean Williams was again solid on the mound for Severna Park Friday. The junior righthander struck out 8 to improve his record this spring to 4-0. (Pat O'Malley)

Other Falcons who contributed in their latest romp included shortstop Angel Santiago Cruz who had three hits and three others had two hits each in second baseman Nick Dinunzio, rightfielder Brooks Harris and first baseman Ethan Rodriguez.

Harris had a double and 2 RBI and Rodriguez also had 2 RBI with single and a double. Rodriguez’s double plated two Falcons in the bottom of the sixth for 12-2 advantage, invoking the 10-run mercy rule.

North County (9-2, 6-2 Anne Arundel) got to Williams for a pair in the top of the fifth as they got four hits including an RBI double by Thor Hildebrand. Number 3 hitter and third baseman Austin Carter was the only Knight with two hits.

Anne Arundel baseball followers have been talking about North County and Glen Burnie as the upstart clubs to challenge for the county crown this spring (top two finishers will play in the county championship game at regular season’s end).

Next up for the Falcons is Glen Burnie (9-3, 5-3 Anne Arundel), which had its 7-game win streak snapped in a 7-2 defeat to Arundel Friday. The Gophers, who suffered one of their losses by 4-3 in 8 innings to North County, visits Severna Park at 4:45 p.m. Monday.

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“We have to keep focus, remain humble, but keep playing at the level we’re at right now,” said Severna Park’s 11th-year coach Eric Milton. “This is a great group.”

NO. 3 SEVERNA PARK 12, NORTH COUNTY 2, 5 INNINGS

NORTH COUNTY 000 020 - 2

SEVERNA PARK 005 322 - 12

Collin Voss, Tyler Cavey (6) and Kyle Lowman; Sean Williams and Cody Phillips

2B: North County - Thor Hildebrand; Severna Park -Brooks Harris, Ethan Rodriguez

HR: Severna Park - Matt Fleisher 2, Phillips