Baseball: Potomac Falls Has More "Pow" than Powhatan, Punches Return Ticket to State Semifinals

Click the photo above to view the complete gallery with almost 300 photos from the game by Scott Shepherd.

Sterling (June 9, 2010) - The Potomac Falls High School baseball team once again broke out their big bats, scoring nine runs in the third inning Tuesday night, to blast their way to the AA state semifinals with an 11-6 win over Powhatan. Jackson Rogers went the distance for the Panthers against the Region I runners-ups.


Potomac Falls faces Jefferson Forest (winners over Tunstall) on Friday at 10 a.m. at Calfee Park in Pulaski.

Potomac Falls got on the board in the first inning on consecutive hits by Thomas Rea and Ryan Mahoney. Ryan Miller then hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Rea and give the Panthers a 1-0 lead.

Powhatan came back in the third, scoring three runs, as Rogers started to have some control problems. After giving up a single to Doug Jamerson and walking Jake Bowlin, Tyler Allen and Luke Scherzer came through with clutch singles to give Powhatan the 2-1 lead. Rogers then walked the next two batters forcing in the third run of the inning in before recording the last out.

The Panthers then responded in their half of the third ... in a big way.

Ben Sweger started the inning with a single up the middle. Rea followed with his second hit of the game and Mahoney then hit an RBI single to left. With runners on the corners, Miller hit a 2-run double to right to give the Panthers the 4-3 lead.

The Panthers were just getting started as Sam Bass then hit a single up the middle to score Miller before Rogers reached on an error. Matt Hoover then hit an RBI single to right. Tyler Caldwell followed with a walk to load the bases before Sweger stroked his second hit of the inning up the middle to score Rogers. Rea then followed with his third hit of the game -- and second hit of the inning -- scoring Caldwell and Sweger, giving the Panthers a 10-3 lead.

Given such a huge cushion Rogers settled down and began working the batters to his advantage. He cruised through the fourth inning before surrending two runs in the fifth on a two-out triple to center by Cole Phillips that just eluded the diving attempt of Mahoney.

Potomac Falls tacked on an insurance run in the sixth inning on a double by Dulles District Player of the Year Michael Lascomb and an RBI single by Colin Deely.

Powhatan got a leadoff home run from Tyler Allen in the seventh before Rogers retired the side for the 11-6 victory.