Mercy! Mercy! Potomac Falls Baseball, Softball 10-Run Rule Broad Run for Big Wins

Sterling (May 6, 2011) - The Potomac Falls High School baseball and softball teams not only swept Broad Run Tuesday night but the Panthers did it in dramatic style, ending both contests early by the 10-run mercy rule as the Panther softball team won, 12-2, in six innings and the Panther baseball team blanked the Spartans, 10-0, on Jackson Rodgers' 2-hitter and Michael Lascomb's 3-run walk-off home run in the sixth inning.

It was Lascomb's second home run of the contest as Potomac Falls 9-2 in district, 13-3 overall) pulled to within one game of Broad Run (11-1, 13-2) in the Dulles District race. Both teams won on Thursday with Potomac Falls beat Woodgrove, 2-0 for the Panthers fourth straight shutout, and Broad Run bouncing back with an 11-0 win over Dominion as A.J. Powell threw his third no-hitter of the season.

Dulles District Baseball Standings
Broad Run 11-1
Potomac Falls 9-2
Briar Woods 8-4
Freedom 7-6
Dominion 5-6
Loudoun County 5-6
Woodgrove 6-7
Tuscarora 1-10
Park View 1-11

For the Panthers softball team it opened a stretch where the district leaders will face Broad Run, and Woodgrove and Briar Woods twice. The Panthers opened a two-game lead in the district standings Thursday with a 13-inning, 2-1, win over Woodgrove

Dulles District Softball Standings
Potomac Falls 10-1
Woodgrove 10-3
Briar Woods 9-3
Broad Run 9-3
Loudoun County 7-4
Dominion 4-6
Tuscarora 2-10
Park View 2-10
Freedom 0-13

Baseball: Potomac Falls 10, Broad Run 0 (6)
courtesy Panther baseball

Potomac Falls pitcher Jackson Rogers talks about the big win

When Potomac Falls dropped their second game of the season to Freedom HS and then lost the following Friday to Broad Run to go 2-2 many people wrote them off for the season. The Spartans were riding an undefeated Dulles District season at 9-0 before Tuesday’s game at Panther Park. Potomac Falls came out focused and behind the 2 hit pitching of Jackson Rogers and two home runs by Michael Lascomb, the Panthers handed the Spartans their first District loss of the season 10-0 in 6 innings. Broad Run still holds a one game lead and the Panthers have to hope that someone else can beat the Spartans to hope for a chance at being the regular season champions.

Potomac Falls started the game with a nifty Rice to Sweger to Lascomb double play in the first and the Spartans had a bad sense of things to come. In their half of the first, Sweger drew a lead off walk off of Taylor Clarke and scored on Ryan Mahoney’s triple to left. Mahoney then scored on Rogers groundout. After Ryan Miller was hit by a pitch, he stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by Clarke. 

Miller then scored when Tyler Caldwell hit a ball to second basemen Chris Johnson whose throw was high to first for an error giving the Panthers a 3-0 lead.

In the second, Sweger reached on an attempted sacrifice bunt and promptly stole second. He advanced to third on a fly out and scored on Rogers single to left. In the third, Colin Deely singled to center before

Michael Lascomb postgame after his 2-HR performance

Lascomb drove Clarke’s first pitch over the right field fence for his third homerun of the year but he wasn’t done yet. After scoring another run in the fifth inning, Lascomb stepped to the plate in the sixth inning with two men on base and the score 7-0. He then turned on a 1-2 pitch and promptly ended the game with one swing of the bat as he crushed a three run homerun to right field for his fifth RBI of the night.

Meanwhile Rogers threw a great game as he kept the Spartans off balance all night. He only gave up two singles on the night while recording five strikeouts and did not allow the Spartans any fly ball outs. Ben Sweger recorded 8 assists at shortstop to go along with his two putouts on the night.

Softball: Potomac Falls 12, Broad Run 2 (6)
courtesy Panther softball 

Carlyn Hanzel (#10) and Anna Zembar (#9) postgame

The Potomac Falls Panthers defeated district rival and second place Broad Run Spartans 12-2 to remain in sole possession of first place in the tightly contested Dulles District race. The Panthers, off to its best start in school history, won its seventh consecutive game by run ruling the Spartans in six innings.

 The Panthers are hitting an amazing .343 as a team and added 13 more hits this evening from eight different batters. Potomac Falls was led on offense by junior Lauren Fulcher (2-4, 3 runs, 3 RBIs, double), senior Kayla Guttridge (1-3, 3 RBIs) and senior Kaitlyn McClung (2-4, run, 2 RBIs). Five Panther batters had mulitple hits including McClung, Fulcher, senior Heather Kiefer (2-4, 2 runs, RBI), junior Carlyn Hanzel (2-3, run, RBI) and junior Caitie McClay (2-4, run, RBI). Panthers pitcher Kiefer limited the Spartans to one earned run on five hits while striking out four.

Big week for Heather Kiefer (#7) and Lauren Fulcher (#11)!

Kiefer struck out the side to start the game. In the bottom of the first, the Panthers sent 10 batters to the plate and scored seven runs on two walks and seven hits. McClung led off with a slap to the left side followed by two consecutive walks. Fulcher then hit a bases loaded double to left center to clear the bases and take a 3-0 lead. Kiefer followed with a single up the middle driving in Fulcher but was thrown out trying to stretch it into a double.

Hanzel and McClay singled before sophomore Anna Zembar (1-3, RBI) hit a double down the left field line to score Hanzel. McClung finished the inning with a single up the middle scoring two more runs and a 7-0 lead but was thrown out trying to stretch a single into a double.

The Spartans responded with an unearned run of their own in the top of the second to make the score 7-1. 

The Panthers added another run in the bottom of the inning when senior Erin Frasca (1-2, run) walked, advanced to second on a fielder's choice, and scored on Hanzel's RBI single to left center to make the score 8-1. Spartans starting pitcher Ashley Ferrara was lifted for Kate Sims in the third inning. The Panthers added two more runs in the fourth to take a 10-1 lead.

Fulcher walked, Kiefer got on by an infield error and Hanzel walked to load the bases for Guttridge who singled to right field scoring Fulcher and Kiefer. Broad Run scored another run in the fifth inning on and RBI single by SIms to make the score 10-2. In the bottom of the sixth, Potomac Falls scored its final runs with back-to-back singles by Fulcher and Kiefer who both advanced on a wild pitch. Fulcher scored on a suicide bunt play by Guttridge and Kiefer scored on a walk-off single by McClay up the middle to end the game.