Ashburn, Va. — Some high school sports rivalries shift yearly, while others have been around for decades. One of the most well-documented rivalries in Loudoun County Public Schools history is the one between Broad Run and Stone Bridge High Schools.

The annual Battle of the Burn is truly a community event – one we got to see twice on the gridiron in 2018.

“I learned from the football rivalry that the greatest games come from playing your greatest rivals,” Broad Run senior first baseman Ryan Gorey said.

But it’s more than just a football rivalry. Since the school opened in 2000, Stone Bridge has turned in state-level athletic team after state-level athletic team. Broad Run – which opened in 1969 – also has a storied athletics history.

While there are a lot of commonalities between the two athletics programs, there’s one sport where Broad Run has failed to breakthrough against Stone Bridge: varsity baseball.

“The opportunities to compete in rivalry games make high school sports so special,” Broad Run head baseball coach Tommy Meier said. “The Stone Bridge game is always a big test for the mental toughness of our kids. No matter the record, Broad Run and Stone Bridge always play each other close, and always comes down to the wire.”

Over the last 19 years, the Spartans and Bulldogs have met numerous times on the diamond; Stone Bridge winning every single one of their previous match ups.

However, when the two teams met on April 23, Broad Run jumped out to an early lead which they extended to 6-0 by the sixth inning.

Then Stone Bridge stormed back with five runs in the bottom of the sixth.

“No one took anything for granted, even up 6-0. We knew that they keep fighting and they did,” Gorey said. “So did we, though.”

The Spartans, however, were able to do hold on for an important Potomac District victory and the first win for the Broad Run baseball team over Stone Bridge in school history, 7-5.

“It really gets the monkey off our back. Everybody pays attention to the Broad Run-Stone Bridge box scores, and our community expects Stone Bridge to come out on top against Broad Run,” Meier said. “A win like this is significant for our kids because they proved that they can achieve what others may think is impossible.”

Broad Run junior infielder Ethan Snyder would get things going for the Spartans in the top of the third. With two outs, senior outfielder Luke Lindenfeldar stroked a clutch single to left to plate Snyder. Lindenfeldar quickly stole second and then scored when Gorey knocked him in with a line drive to left.

The score remained 2-0 until the fifth when Snyder scored once again, this time on a single up the middle by Spartan sophomore outfielder Connor Hale. Hale would come around to score on a long sacrifice fly by junior infielder Quinn Stromberg to give the Spartans a 4-0 lead.

Broad Run senior starter Anthony Puma led off the top of the sixth with his third hit of the game for the Spartans. Senior pitcher Cameron Wayt – who had come in to relieve Puma on the mound – then launched a mammoth drive over the center field fence to extend the lead to 6-0.

The Bulldogs would not go quietly into this night. A hit-by-pitch, error, and walk loaded the bases for Stone Bridge senior outfielder Liam Joyce. Joyce – who had almost put a drive over the left fielder’s head earlier – was able to put one over the right fielder’s head this time, plating all three runs.

Hale was called in to relieve Wayt, but Joyce scored on his first pitch when it got by the catcher. With the hometown crowd now sensing a miraculous comeback, Stone Bridge pinch hitter Brennan Speier walked and scored on a Ryan Provencal base hit. With the score now 6-5, the Bulldogs were able to get the tying run to second, but Hale struck out the next two Bulldog batters to get out of the jam.

Trailing 7-5 after the Spartans tacked on an insurance run, Stone Bridge senior outfielder Paul Moore reached on a hit by pitch to lead off the seventh. Moore quickly made his way to third base but just as he had done in the previous inning, Hale struck out the final two batters to preserve the first Spartan victory over the Bulldogs in team history.

“I couldn’t be happier for this group of seniors,” Meier said. “They’ve taken their lumps against Stone Bridge for three years, and finally get to know what it feels like to win the Battle of the Burn on the diamond.”

With the win, the Spartans (5-1, 8-3) remain one-half game behind the Briar Woods Falcons (5-0, 9-2) in the Potomac District standings. The Bulldogs (3-3, 8-4) saw their five game winning streak snapped but take solace in the fact that they will get another crack at the Spartans on the last day of the regular season.

“If we’re just looking at [this win]for this season,” Meier added. “We beat a tough, well-coached opponent on the road, and it helps keep our season moving in the right direction.”