HERNDON, VA—The Vienna Senators are on a roll again.  They went into Sunday’s doubleheader with Herndon knowing that if they swept both games, they would put themselves back in first place for the second half of the season.  The Senators did exactly what they set out to do and swept both games to place them atop the standings at 5-2.  The losses drop the Braves a game behind the Senators in the loss column.  The Senators can thank dominant pitching and timely hitting for the victories today.

            In game one, the Senators used a big first inning and a dominant pitching performance by starter Caleb Barton to defeat the Braves 7-2. 

            In the top of the first inning, the Senators made a statement for how the day was going to go.  Michael Rivera led off the game with a single.  Guillermo Martinez followed with a single to put men on first and second with no outs.  Tim Guidry then drew a walk to load the bases.  Justin Bunkis singled to drive in Rivera and make the score 1-0.  With the bases still loaded, Brandon Daguio singled to drive in Martinez and give the Senators a 2-0 lead.  Kevin Hansen then reached on an error that scored Guidry and gave the Senators a 3-0 lead.   After two strikeouts, Matt Lesyk singled into right field to drive in Bunkis and Daguio and give the Senators a 5-0 advantage after the top of the first.

            Caleb Barton did not need much with the stuff that he had.  He dominated the Herndon hitters by hitting his spots and throwing perfect pitches.  He was pitching a perfect game until the seventh inning when the Braves put together three consecutive hits to score their only two runs of the game.  Other than those three hitters, Barton was absolutely masterful. 

            The Senators added to their lead in the fourth inning.  Martinex tripled to and was driven in two batters later when Justin Bunkis singled.  Martinez’s run gave the Senators a 6-2 lead.

            The Senator scored their final run in the sixth inning when Brandon Daguio drew a walk with the bases loaded to score Martinez.  Martinez’s third run of the game gave the Senators a 7-2 advantage.

            Hunter Hall came into pitch the ninth inning and quickly took care of the Herndon hitters to give the Senators the victory.   Martinez led the way with three hits while Bunkis and Daguio added two RBIs apiece. 

            The Senators used another dominant pitching performance in game two of the doubleheader.  Billy Tinsley absolutely shut down the Herndon hitters while registering a four hit shutout in a 3-0 victory to complete the Sunday sweep. 

            The Sentators grabbed the lead in the second inning.  Brandon Daguio began the inning by taking a pitch in the back.  Donald Brown then drew a walk to move Daguio to second base.  AJ Lamonda followed by bunting back to the mound, but the Herndon pitcher overthrew the first baseman to allow Lamonda to reach and load the bases.  Leighton Autrey then hit into a double play, but Daguio was able to score on the play and give the Senators a 1-0 lead.

            The Senators extended their lead in the sixth inning.  Michael Rivera singled to start the inning.  Martinez then executed a perfect sacrifice bunt to move Rivera into scoring position.  Wes Schirtzinger followed with a single to drive in Rivera and give the Senators a 2-0 lead.  They scored their final run when AJ Lamonda singled to drive in Schirtzinger and give the Senators a 3-0 lead. 

            Tinsley made short work of the Braves in the top of the seventh to give the Senators the victory.  The sweep allows the Senators to move ahead of the Braves in the second half standings at 5-2 and gives them a 22-5 record overall.  The Senators have another doubleheader tomorrow when they make up two games against the Fairfax Nationals at Waters Field.  The first game is scheduled to start at 4 p.m.