Baseball: Big 4th Inning, Complete Game from Clarke Advances Spartans to State Semfinals; Potomac Falls Falls at York

Ashburn (June 7, 2011) - The Broad Run High School baseball team defeated Jamestown in a VHSL AA state quarterfinal playoff game in Ashburn on Tuesday night to move within two games of the program's first state title in 20 years. Potomac Falls. looking for a third straight trip to the Final Four, fell at York, 9-7.

The Spartans (23-3) sent Dulles District Player of the Year Taylor Clarke (Towson University) to the mound and he was outstanding on the evening. Clarke threw an 86-pitch complete game striking out 9 batters, allowing 6 hits, and walking none. With the Win, Clarke improves his pitching record to 10-1 on the year with one save.

Offensively, the Spartans plated all five of their runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. The offense was led by junior Connor Jessop (single, double, run scored), senior Nick Richardson (2 singles, run scored), and sophomore AJ Powell (2 singles, 2 RBI, stolen base).

The Spartans now move on to Radford where they play Tunstall in the state semifinals. Game time is set for 1 p.m. on Friday.

Potomac Falls (22-5) finished AA runner-up in 2010 and made the state semifinals in 2009 but the Panthers fell behind 9-3 Tuesday on the road and could not catch up. After closing to two runs, the Panthers left the bases loaded in the 5th and 5th and stranded two runners in the 7th.  Wrap-up plus video.