A big five-run first inning gave Coastal Car Connection a lead over RHFP Law Firm and an explosive five-run rally in the fifth allowed it to keep it and go on to win the Washington Cal Ripken League Major Division title 12-6 on Wednesday.
Coastal Car, the regular season runners up, clinched the crown thanks to some hot batting that produced 12 hits and some timely defense that staved off a late-charging RHFP team.
“We’re real happy,” Coastal Car coach Keith Boyd said. “We were the regular season runners up and we battled back, got in the tournament and got on a roll. We faced a really good team and we were lucky to come out on top tonight.”
RHFP struck early as it posted two runs in the first inning. Coastal Car was quick to respond as Zack Griffin drilled a two-run double to left-center to tie the game up. Coastal Car would take the lead when Cameron Cahoon followed up with a two-run double of his own. The team would tack on another run when Cahoon stole home to put his team up 5-2.
After RHFP went scoreless in the second, Coastal Car would score two more runs thanks to a Zack Caton triple.
Down 7-2, RHFP would not go down quietly and strung together a two-out, three-run rally highlighted by Darius Blackledge’s RBI double and Frederick Holscher’s two-run single. Holscher would finish the game going 3-3.
RHFP coach Greg Crisp, whose team was the regular season champions, said he was proud of the way his squad competed.
“We had a great season,” Crisp said. “I’m so proud of them. We were down 7-2 but we came back. They haven’t given up all year.”
RHFP threatened to complete the comeback in the top of the fourth when it had bases loaded with one out. However, a clever coaching move by Boyd to move leftfielder Alex Waters closer to home and the foul line left him in perfect position to catch the ensuing fly ball and double up an RHFP runner at third to end the threat as well as the inning.
“Alex Waters probably made the play of the game,” Boyd said. “We’re up 7-5 and they got the bases loaded and he made the catch and was smart enough to double (the runner) up at third. To me that was the play of the game.”
After fending off the RHFP would-be rally, Coastal Car locked down its victory with a five-run fifth inning that was led by Parker Boyd’s RBI double and theft of home, along with a two-run double by Dawson Boyd and a run-scoring double by Cahoon to put the team up 12-5.
RHFP would score a run on a fielder’s choice to cut the lead to 12-6 but the team would not get any closer.

RHFP    205    001    —    6    9
Coastal Car    520    05X    —    12    9
WP: Parker Boyd; LP: Frederick Holscher
Hitting: R — Cody Pinkham 1-2, Darius Blackledge 1-3 (2B), Frederick Holscher 3-3, Cameron Wallace 1-1; C — Logan Jarvis 2-2 (2B, 3B), Parker Boyd 2-3, Zack Griffin 1-2 (2B), Dawson Boyd 1-2, Cameron Cahoon (2B), Zack Caton 1-2 (3B).