by DAVE FACINOLI

Staff Writer

Many were on hand to watch the blazing 95-mph fastball of Langley High School senior right-hander Jay Sborz. But by game’s end, Madison’s Matt factor became the real story of the Liberty District contest.

BASEBALL

Sborz (1-1) wasn’t his sharpest as he took the loss in Madison’s 5-1 win in Vienna. He struck out eight and allowed just three hits, but he walked six, was charged with a run-scoring balk, allowed two earned runs, and threw 115 pitches in five innings of work.

In the meantime, Madison junior right-hander Matt Riffee and senior catcher Matt Foley led the Warhawks defensively. Riffee (2-0) pitched five innings of shutout ball and fanned six to get the win. With his quick release and cannon arm, Foley, Riffee’s batter mate, gunned down nearly every Langley runner who tried to take an extra base.

Foley threw out two Langley players attempting to steal second, and picked off another at first. The defending Northern Region and state champion Warhawks improved to 3-1 and 2-0 in the Liberty District with their third straight win.

At bat, Madison applied pressure on Langley by stealing six bases in six attempts.

“One of the things we say is ‘We like to apply pressure but we don’t feel pressure,’ ” Madison junior shortstop and leadoff hitter Johnny Ayers said. “We applied pressure early on them and it paid off.”

Ayers led off the game for Madison by slapping an opposite field single to left field on a two-strike pitch.

“I knew I was going to get a fastball there, so I wanted to go the other way with the pitch and jump on it quick,” Ayers said. “If I didn’t, as hard as he throws, the ball would have been in the catcher’s mitt if I hesitated.”

Ayers stole second, took third on Riffee’s deep fly out to center, and scored when Sborz was charged with a balk.

An error, a passed ball and two more stolen bases helped Madison score two more runs in the second inning. In the fifth, two more steals, another passed ball and an error helped set up Madison’s final two runs.

“We played like sophomores, we worried too much about what the umpires were calling, and we were way too tight early in the game,” Langley coach Jeff Ferrell said. “Riffee threw well. Every time we got on base with a chance to do something, we got someone thrown out or we made a mistake.”

Ferrell made the reference about sophomores because Langley started four 10th graders against Madison, and some of them struggled in the game. Ferrell admitted that Sborz didn’t have his best game either.

“Jay was slow throwing to home, and he knows that’s something he needs to work on,” Ferrell said. “He got a little frustrated tonight and that started to show a little.”

Langley’s three hits, all singles, went to juniors Nick Houston and Russell Blankinship and junior Alex Schneider, who had a run-scoring single in the sixth off of reliever Josh Canova.

Senior center fielder Andrew Baird and junior second baseman Nick Tomasetti had Madison’s other hits. Tomasetti had an RBI on a fielder’s choice.

Earlier last week, Madison nipped the host W.T. Woodson Cavaliers, 8-7 in nine innings, in its district opener. Foley belted a three-run homer and Riffee got the win in relief. Baird, Canova and Adam Bechtold all had two hits each for Madison.

“Woodson gave us their best shot, but in the ninth inning we felt like it was time to win the game,” Madison coach Mark Gjormand said.

Gjormand has been especially pleased with the play of Riffee, who missed most of last season with a stress fracture in his back.

“Teams think because they get to face Matt Riffee that they are going to have an easy time,” Gjormand said. “He is a very good pitcher. He’s been on varsity for three years. People just haven’t heard much about him.”

Riffee threw 75 pitches in five innings of work against Langley. He walked four and allowed two hits.

“My curveball was real good, I was keeping the ball down, and I was hitting my spots,” Riffee said.