Baseball: Falcons Edge Arundel 1-0

It was a game that could have gone all day without a runner crossing the plate. Stingy pitching and defense were the theme of the game Wednesday, as Severna Park edged Arundel 1-0.

The teams' bats were not nearly as hot as the game time temperature, as the lone run came on a sacrifice fly by Severna Park's Tom Weyand in the sixth inning. 

Severna Park pitcher Reid Kowalski was stellar, giving up just four hits on the day. Arundel's Cooper Hibbs matched him toe-to-toe, allowing only two hits and two walks while striking out four. 

"I knew Cooper was a good pitcher and I knew there was a good chance that'd be how the game [would go]," Kowlaski said. 

The defenses for both teams also helped. Severna Park picked off two Arundel runners, while Arundel centerfielder Syeed Mahdi ran down several tough fly balls, snaring one with a sparkling leap against the fence.

It appeared that Arundel would break the tie in the sixth inning, when AJ Robinson walked and Bradley Hovatter was hit by a pitch. Mahdi then laced a single to left and Anderson looked to score from second on the play, but he was thrown out on a perfectly executed relay throw. 

Severna Park responded in the bottom half of the sixth with a leadoff single by Danny Fulton. He moved to third on a groundout and wild pitch. Weyand then lofted a high fly ball to left, scoring Fulton without a throw. 

For Arundel, the loss puts the team at 4-3, and coach Jason Lively said he is left with some mild concern about the team's hitting. Wednesday's game was the third in which the team has scored two runs or fewer. 

"We'll fix that," he said. "We have to figure out which guys are going to do it. I told the guys, it's like a school of penguins. Once one jumps, they will all jump. We just need one person to take the lead." 

Severna Park will travel to Meade on Friday with the first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.