Ketz Murray picked up where he left off last summer by leading a different baseball team to a victory with another strong individual performance.
The senior right-hander started and pitched eight innings and had two hits with the bat to help lead the visiting Yorktown Patriots to a 4-2 extra-inning nine-frame win over the Chantilly Chargers in the opening game of the season for the high-school teams in non-district action.
Murray, who will play college ball at the University of Mary Washington, allowed four hits, did not walk a batter, struck out eight, gave up one earned run and threw 91 pitches to get the win.
James Pilot pitched the hitless ninth inning with a strikeout to earn the save.
“Ketz just kept going strong, so we left him out there a while, and he wanted to keep pitching, and got out of some jams,” Yorktown coach John Skaggs said. “It was a good first game for us.”
Murray pitched and hit well throughout the playoffs last summer to help the Arlington Post 139 American Legion baseball team win the District 17 tournament, then finish third in the state.
In Yorktown’s win over Chantilly, Murray had two of the Patriots’ five hits. Ben Langsam and Jonah Carlson (two RBI) doubled and J.J. Foti singled. Kyle Langley had two of Yorktown’s five stolen bases with Bradley Labant having one and adding an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Foti and Mateo Cardinale had sacrifice bunts.
Yorktown scored the two go-ahead runs in the top of the ninth inning. It scored single runs in the first and seventh innings, after Chantilly plated two in the bottom of the sixth to move in front, 2-1.
Yorktown is the defending Liberty District tournament champion, but graduated multiple starters from that team. Yorktown’s season ended last spring with a home loss to Chantilly in the region tournament.
“It was nice to play them again and win this time,” Skaggs said.
Murray and fellow senior pitcher James Tallon are two top returners, in addition to Trevor McAndrews, for Yorktown. Many of the other players have limited varsity experience. Skaggs said the team is still a work in progress.
“We lost a lot. But if we play good defense and attack the zone pitching, we will be OK this season,” Skaggs said. “I think we will hit well and we will definitely play small ball, bunt, run a lot, steal and try to take extra bases.”