Stone Bridge High School’s baseball season ended June 1 with a 2-0 loss to Lake Braddock in the Northern Region semifinals at Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax.

The Bulldogs finished with a 17-7 record - including a first-place finish in the AAA Liberty District regular-season standings. 

“Great group of seniors, great team. That’s why I’m most proud of these guys. They were a team all year, one big family,” said Sam Plank, the only head coach in the 11-year history of Bulldog baseball.

“They play for each other, and you don’t always get that. But this group worked their tail end off all year.”

The Bulldogs’ senior-laden roster was playing for more than themselves this year. James “JT” Timbers, Plank’s longtime assistant and friend, succumbed to cancer in January at age 41, prompting the dedication of the season to his memory.

“He always used to say to respect the game and play it the right way,” Plank said. “A lot of these seniors, they’ll never forget him. He’ll never be forgotten.”

Luck was not on the Bulldogs’ side in the matchup with Lake Braddock of the Patriot District. Facing University of Virginia-bound pitcher Kenny Towns, Stone Bridge managed just four hits by four different hitters in four different innings.

Several hard-hit balls off Stone Bridge bats found their way directly into Lake Braddock gloves. The Bulldogs smacked into two double plays and just once pushed a man to third base, but they could not dent the plate in support of right-handed starter Steve Putnick.

Putnick, pitching with a broken finger on his non-throwing hand, surrendered a sacrifice fly in the first and an unearned run in the second. He settled down to toss five-and-two-thirds innings with five hits, three walks and four strikeouts.

“I feel okay. We had a helluva season this year,” said Putnick, a senior captain. “I thought we all bonded together very well. I’m very happy with our performance this year.”

A win over the Bruins would have put the Bulldogs into the Northern Region championship game and the Group AAA state tournament. Either accomplishment would have been a first for the program, a perennial district and regional contender.

Lake Braddock lost to undefeated South County in the region’s title game June 3.

Nine seniors graduate away from the Bulldog program, including the Liberty’s Player Of the Year in shortstop Spenser Rositano. Fellow upperclassmen Sid Harvey, Ty Lighton, Ryan Johnston, Mac West and JJ White all have college baseball in their futures.

Putnick will attend George Mason University, so he’ll be able to keep close tabs on his old high school team.

“I know they’re going to work hard this off-season and do a great job next year,” he said. “They’ll be back.”