The Skinny on How the Dulles District Baseball Teams Advanced to Tonight

Baseball
No. 4 Loudoun County (10-11) at No. 1 Potomac Falls (18-2), 6 p.m.
The series: PF won 10-3 on 4.20 and 3-0 on 5.14
The Skinny on how they advanced
Loudoun County 9, Park View 2
Raiders go a fine complete-game win from Kris Pratt coupled with timely hitting and an error free game to pick up their first playoff win since 2006. Eight different Raiders scored as they made the best of their six hits including a bases clearing three-run double by Pratt. Others with singles were Matt Cunningham, JJ Levan, Taylor Cokeley (also with a double), Kelley Drews.
Potomac Falls had a bye

No. 3 Briar Woods (9-10) at No. 2 Broad Run (16-4), 7 p.m.
The series: BR won 5-3 on 4.20 and 10-2 on 5.14
The Skinny on how they advanced
Briar Woods 11, Freedom 8
The Falcons defeated rival Freedom in a game that tested the young team's mettle and earned them the school's first ever playoff baseball win.

The Falcons took the field with their ace David Phillips (Jr) on the mound, who struggled a bit. Freedom's Matt Murphy tripled in the first to score two and then he crossed the plate on Matt Malacane's sac fly for a 3-0 lead.

The Falcons responded in the home half of the inning as Austin Frattali (Sr) led off with a single to left, Michael Lord (Fr) singled to right, Gavin Scherer (Sr) walked, and all three scored on senior Kyle Haufler’s double to deep center to tie the game, 3-3.

In the top of the third, the Eagles got to Phillips again for three more runs, and Matt Irish (So) came on for the Falcons to end the threat with Freedom up now 6-3. Irish would allow only one hit over the next two innings.

In the bottom of the fourth, the Falcons struck again, loading the bases on singles by Irish and Thomas Lechler (So), and a walk by Victor Rizzardi (Jr). All three scored on Frattali’s triple down the right field line. Frattali later scampered home on a wild pitch, to give Briar Woods its first lead, 7-6.

With the Falcons up 8-6 in the top of the sixth, the Eagles rallied with singles by Teal, Chapman and Plesce to score two runs and tie the game at 8-8.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Eagles had gone to their bullpen, and secured two quick outs when things came unraveled. Lord reached base on a third strike in the dirt that rolled to the backstop. Scherer (Sr) reached on a dropped fly ball deep to right, with Lord scoring on the play, to put BW up 9-8.

Kyle Haufler (Sr) singled, Harris (Sr) walked, and Irish reached when the third baseman could not come up with the ball on his slow roller. When it was over, three Falcons had scored, and Briar Woods went into the final frame with an 11-8 lead.

Lechler (So) came on to close for the Falcons, securing two quick outs on a ground ball to sure-handed shortstop Kevin Wood (So), and a pop-up to first baseman Frattali. But the Eagles would not go quietly, with Newell and Teal reaching base on back-to-back singles. With the tying run at the plate, Lechler induced the Eagle’s Baker into hitting a ground ball to short that Wood handled to end the game.

The loss brought a close to the Freedom Eagles’ spring campaign, but it is clear that in 2011 this young Eagles team will return as a legitimate competitor in the Dulles District.

Broad Run 11, Dominion 0 (5)
Senior Shane Vlasic picked up the win on the mound for the Spartans. Vlasic threw 43 pitches through his four innings of work. He allowed 2 hits, no runs, struck out 6, and walked none. With the victory, Vlasic improved his record to 6-1 on the season. Junior Brandon Craft struck out 2 batters in relief to finish up the game for the Spartans.

Offensively, Broad Run got things going early with 4 runs in the first inning, 4 runs in the second inning, and 3 runs in the third inning. Vlasic walked twice, singled, scored 3 runs, and stole 2 bases. Junior Zach Rawson had a single, a double, a walk, 2 rbi, and scored 3 runs. Senior Johnny Meier added 2 singles and an rbi to the effort. Sophomore Conor Jessop drew 2 walks, stole 2 bases, and scored 2 runs.