TANEYTOWN — Brandon Martin raised his hand above his Westminster teammates and led a chant of "Owl Pride." He was immediately lifted off of the ground by fellow senior Chris Lang and then received a hug from assistant coach Jesse Barnes.
After losing to Francis Scott Key twice already this season, Martin and the Owls made sure it didn't happen again when it mattered most.
Westminster took an early lead and topped the Eagles, 6-1, in Saturday night's county championship game under the lights at Taneytown Memorial Park. And for this group of seniors, Owls coach Mark Winebrunner said it was extra special.
"That's one of the things I was thinking, but I didn't tell them that. I was really hoping for them, the work they've put in, they've been here for three years," Winebrunner said. "For us to get this far after what we went through the last two years, I was really happy for them."
Unlike most of the other seniors, Martin has been with the Owls for four years. He was on the team that won the county championship in 2013. But the past two seasons, they were beat out by South Carroll.
This year, with the new Carroll County Athletic League rules pitting the first-place finishers in the Hersh Division (Westminster) and the Cowan Division (Francis Scott Key) against each other in a championship game, Westminster (14-3) had the opportunity to cap its regular season with a title.
Martin notched the complete-game win on the mound, giving up one run on four hits. He had six strikeouts and despite allowing a baserunner in every inning from the second frame on, the senior right-hander kept it under control.
"I didn't hit my spots as much as I wanted to, but I still hit my spots enough for them to put the ball into play and let my infielders and outfielders make plays for me," Martin said. "Overall, the team's just fantastic and I trust them with my life."
The Owls staked Martin to an early lead by striking for three runs in the second. Lang led off with a double to deep center field and later scored on an RBI single by senior left fielder Nathan Raver.
Junior right fielder Jordan Price broke open the lead to 3-0 with a double to left-center off FSK starter Camden Cregger, who gave up four runs in four innings.
Price, the Owls' No. 9 hitter, went 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs, two runs scored, and he reached base in all three of his plate appearances.
"When everybody contributes, we win the game," Price said. "It's just that simple. It's the perfect lineup, I think, the whole lineup just gets hits and it contributes to a great win."
Martin helped his own cause with an RBI single in the fourth to push the lead to 4-0. His RBI sacrifice fly in the sixth, along with an RBI double from senior shortstop Justin Buberl, helped build a 6-1 lead entering the final inning.
Martin went 2-for-2 with a pair of RBIs, reaching base three times.
The Eagles (13-5) beat Westminster on April 13 and April 30. But this time, they couldn't get the big hit to jumpstart their offense.
FSK left nine runners on base, including at least one in scoring position in five innings. The Eagles loaded the bases with one out in the third when trailing 3-0, but a pair of lineouts ended the scoring threat.
"We've found a way to get runners in when we have them in scoring position, when we have opportunities, and we just didn't do it," FSK coach T.J. Murphy said. "We just didn't ever grab the momentum back from them, they got to Cam early, and we never really answered them back. It just kind of got away from us."
The Eagles, amid their first winning season since 2004, failed to capture their first county title since 1984.
The Owls won their ninth county championship in the past 15 seasons.
Both teams enter the postseason with a good chance of earning a higher seed in its respective regions, as well as potentially a first-round bye. For Westminster, it looks to build some momentum off its county crown and eight wins in its last nine games entering the Class 3A playoffs.
"This is the perfect way to start the postseason for us," Price said, "just to get it rolling, just to get that energy flowing, just to get everything where it needs to be."
Francis Scott Key 000 010 0 — 1 4 1
Westminster 030 102 x — 6 11 1
FSK-Camden Cregger, Trent Copenhaver (5) and Ethan Rhoten; W-Brandon Martin and Bradley Moore. 2B: FSK-Luke Luckenbaugh; W-Chris Lang, Jordan Price, Justin Buberl. WP: Martin. LP: Cregger.
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