24-05-2025
Walter Johnson walks off with its first Maryland baseball championship
The ball hadn't yet landed in right-center field, but Shaun Rudick's hands were already raised. The ping of his bat had echoed through Prince George's Stadium in Bowie, followed by a growing roar from the third base side as Grant Matalia sprinted around third, chugging home for glory.
Matalia slid home headfirst, beat the tag, and the call was safe. Game over. Walter Johnson was the Maryland Class 4A baseball champion, and it was Rudick, a senior, who had provided the most consequential swing in the North Bethesda program's 68-year history: a walk-off single that secured a 7-6 win over Urbana on Friday, earning the Wildcats their first state title.
