WINCHESTER — James Wood and visiting Sherando baseball opened their seasons on Thursday night in a matchup between the best two teams Winchester and Frederick County had to offer last season.
A year ago, the Warriors went 15-9 and reached the Class 4 state quarterfinals, while the Colonels went 17-5 and fell in the Region 4D quarterfinals. Looking to find further success in 2026, James Wood got off on the right foot by defeating its rival 4-1.
The Colonels were led by junior shortstop Owen Neal and junior center fielder Tyler Prusik, who accounted for four of the team’s seven hits and all its runs. Neal finished 2 of 4 with two runs, while Prusik finished 2 of 3 with two runs, an RBI and a stolen base.
Junior pitcher Parker Kerns picked up the win, striking out three batters across five innings while surrendering an earned run, three hits and two walks. Kerns also batted 1 of 2 and walked once.
James Wood head coach Adrian Pullen said that, although there were areas the team could’ve performed better in, he was happy with the result.
“Tonight, we beat probably the best team in the district. We had some things that went our way and didn't necessarily go their way,” Pullen said. “We pretty much, for the most part, executed our plan offensively, which was to attack fastballs … we're being aggressive on them. We're trying to be in good hitter's counts and attack and swing the bat like you're supposed to when you're ahead in the count.”
With the game tied 1-1 heading into the bottom of the third, Neal attacked the ball the way Pullen envisioned. After working a 3-1 count on Sherando senior pitcher Dean Lamb, Neal sent the ball flying to center field for a triple.
Prusik dug in next and rallied from an 0-2 count to hit an RBI single with a full count to give his team the lead. Prusik excelled running the bags, stealing second before advancing to third and home on a pair of wild pitches. His baserunning gave the Colonels a 3-1 lead at the end of the third.
Neal said his teammates were energized by his big hit and added that he was glad to see teammates like Prusik excel with their base running.
“Coach has always preached attack the fastball, so that's what I was hunting. Once the team sees a little bit of an opportunity to take over, that's when we take over, and it just energizes the whole rest of the team,” Neal said. “It's great hustle, great reactions. Great job by them. We've been working all offseason on running, getting faster, and it showed tonight.”
Neal also singled in the first inning and progressed to third after singles by Prusik and Kerns. With no outs, Lane Herring grounded into a double play, but brought Neal home to tie the game.
Prusik was left on third to end the inning, becoming the first of seven Colonels to be left stranded on base.
Pullen called that part of the Colonels’ offense “sloppy,” but also said “the likely reason” James Wood didn’t score more was because Lamb did a good job of escaping tough scenarios.
Though he gave up six hits and three earned runs, Lamb finished with five punchouts in four innings, proving capable of shaking off tough moments.
Lamb sent batters down one-two-three in the second inning before forcing three straight outs after allowing Kaden McCullough and Brady Smith to get on base to open the bottom of the fourth.
Pullen said getting more reps will be the key to finding more offensive consistency, adding that he felt recent weather challenges set the Colonels back at the plate.
“This was our first day actually on this field,” Pullen said. “We were in the hitting cages and doing defensive work on the soccer field, just wherever we could get it. We just need reps, see live speed action normally. By now, we've [normally] played two games, two scrimmages, and a couple winter squads, but we didn't have any of that … but that’s no excuse. We’ve been playing the game since we were 4. We’ve just got to execute.”
James Wood kept struggling to bring runners home when Aaron DeHaven replaced Lamb in the bottom of the fifth.
After Prusik reached on a dropped third strike, DeHaven walked Kerns before striking out Herring for the inning’s second out. He then hit McCullough with a pitch to load the bases before walking Smith and advancing Prusik home for the final run. Kerns soon tried stealing home, but was caught stealing, leaving another two runners on base.
DeHaven gave up a double in the bottom of the sixth before forcing three straight outs to end his day.
Sherando head coach Craig Bodenschatz said he felt Lamb and DeHaven could’ve been “a little sharper,” but said the offense needed to find more success to give the pitchers breathing room.
“I feel like sometimes, when we're in a tight ball game, our pitchers try to be just so perfect instead of being able to attack hitters,” Bodenschatz said. “When we're not scoring, that kind of creeps in. So we'll keep hammering at it.”
Sherando only recorded three hits across seven innings, with two coming in the first. Senior first baseman Nick Usa singled with one out, then stole second and third, before DeHaven hit a RBI single to bring him home.
Usa finished 1 of 2 with two walks, a run and four stolen bases, which Bodenschatz said he did despite dealing with a swollen ankle.
The early 1-0 lead was as good as it got for the Warriors, who struggled to attack Kerns or sophomore pitcher Nolan Landry, who relieved Kerns in the final two innings. Bodenschatz noted that Sherando’s leadoff hitter didn’t reach in any inning, which put its offense “behind the eight-ball.”
“I felt ike they out-executed us as far as their leadoff batter of every inning,” Bodenschatz said. “We didn't have any out of seven, so that doesn't allow us to do a whole lot with the bunting game, the running game or any of that, because we didn't have a guy on early on.
“I felt like we had an opportunity there in the first to get Kerns, and we didn't get him, and he settled in after that and kept us off balance. I felt like that was a big chance for us, and we needed to get more than one there.”
After the first inning, Kerns sent batters down one-two-three in the second, and gave up just two walks and one double across the next three innings combined. He said he counted on his teammates to help him finish strong.
“I think it’s relying on my teammates," Kerns said. "I might not have had the best strikeout stuff, but if they're hitting the ball like [they were], everyone else in the infield, outfielders, I trust them completely. They can play, they can get my back. I’ve just got to trust them.”
James Wood will return to action when it visits 0-1 Manassas Park on Monday. Sherando will get back on the diamond on Friday by visiting 1-0 Strasburg.
Pullen said, with a roster featuring just two seniors, he’s excited to take each game as an opportunity to grow and improve.
“We'll look for better execution offensively, and defensively I thought we played pretty well,” Pullen said. “We're young team, we'll have ups and downs. We'll try to stay consistent and just continue to move along, one game at a time.”
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