Broadneck Baseball Rounding Into Form

In a charged playoff atmosphere, Broadneck’s baseball team rose to the occasion.

Bodhi Samson delivered a first-inning two-run single, and Greg Miteff, Tripp Zwerlein and the Bruins defense did the rest in a 4-1 win over Severna Park on April 22.

The victory was a key marker in Broadneck’s quest to return to the county championship game and gear up for another run deep into May.

“It’s a great ball team and great pitcher, and they put up a great fight. You have to play to the last out with these guys,” Samson said of Severna Park. “The bench got loud and helped us get some momentum. First at-bat I wanted to put hard contact on it, and I sensed a curveball was coming.”

That would hold up, but the Bruins added two more runs in the later innings to provide some cushion for Miteff, who pitched the first four innings, and Zwerlein, who picked up the rare three-inning save.

The pitching tandem has worked well for Broadneck, who lost their top three hurlers from last season but has figured out a workable solution.

Having a power lineup helps as well. The Bruins have won in a variety of ways coming out of spring break, with the 4-1 win over Severna Park and 5-1 win over North County bookending six other wins, four of which saw them crack double figures in the run column — 13-5 over Southern, 10-3 over Chesapeake, 14-6 over Severn Run, and 16-8 over South River. They also squeaked out a 5-4 win over Northeast and an 8-7 victory against Arundel.

Broadneck closed county play by beating Meade 24-0, Old Mill 13-4, and Annapolis 7-3 to clinch a berth in the county championship game against Severna Park. They also had a rematch with Crofton, which Crofton won 4-1.

The Bruins played St. Mary’s on May 4 before the county championship game against the Falcons on May 5.

With the regular season in the rear view, Broadneck now turns to a challenging 4A East 2 region tournament beginning May 9 where they will be one of the higher seeds, with Leonardtown and Crofton also to worry about.

Still, they feel like the recipe is right to win the region and make a second straight trip to the state level of the playoffs.

“There’s a great friendship here and I think that is what drives us,” Samson said. “We just keep getting better and better.”