Kline Outduels McCowat, In 5-2 Panther Victory
STERLING, VA - Monday night was a good old fashioned pitching duel between two aces, Jacob Kline for Potomac Falls and Geoffrey McCowat for Dominion. In the end, after 9 innings only Kline was left standing on the mound and the Panthers staged their best comeback of the year for the win.
Kline and McCowat dominated the game right from the start as McCowat only gave up 2 hits through the first 6 innings. Kline matched McCowat pitch for pitch, giving up 3 hits, and recording 14 strikeouts.
The score would stay knotted at 0 for the first 2 innings, but the Panthers started to gain a little push. In the top of the 3rd inning, Potomac Falls shortstop Greg Woodlief hit a blast to deep center field...a sure extra base hit... but Dominion centerfielder Matt Sherrill turned in the defensive play of the game, when he pulled the ball in, over his shoulder, in a full sprint to the fence, to record the out, and end the Panther threat.
Dominion used that attitude burst to break the ice in their half of the 3rd. Shortstop Bubba Noro hit a ball up the middle that was fielded by Woodlief. The throw pulled first baseman Aaron Sweger off the bag and the umpires had to confer as to whether Sweger's swipe tag got Noro. The umpires ruled Noro safe. He was promptly moved to third when freshman outfielder Ryan Doyle hit a double down the third base line. With runners at 2nd and 3rd Jonathon Knight hit a fly ball to right field that Panther Chris Pelto lost in the sun and the ball glanced off his glove to score Noro. Knight ended up on 2nd and Doyle on 3rd with no outs. Matt Sherrill then ripped a single up the middle to score Doyle and gave the Titans a 2-0 lead. Kline then struck out Chris Taylor and Anthony Bartolotti before getting McCowat on a groundout to end the inning.
Both pitchers continued to cruise through the game until the 7th inning. Chad McMichael led off for the Panthers with a walk, and after a strikeout, scored on a single to left field by Eric Dimsey. Rob Malan then hit a grounder to third and Taylor's throw to second pulled the fielder off the bag and Dimsey was safe. With that, McCowat's night was done and he would not get a decision in the outcome. Dominion brought in Chris Taylor to pitch and with runners on 1st and 2nd, Woodlief hit a ball up the middle that Noro knocked down but could not make a play on. Sweger then followed with a drive to the fence in right that was caught by Steve Smucker, but Dimsey scored easily from third to tie the game at 2. Taylor walked the next batter to load the bases but then struckout Pat Nightingale to end the threat.
Kline continued to mow down the Titan hitters in the 7th and 8th innings. In the top of the 9th inning, with Ryan Skeffington now on the mound for the Titans the Panthers finally broke the game open. Rob Malan ledoff with a single to rightfield and scored from 1st when Woodlief laid down a perfect bunt to 3rd base. The throw was in the dirt at first and McCowat could not come up with it as Malan circled the bases to score. Mike Spring then hit a double off the fence in leftfield to score Woodlief. Nightingale then reached on an infield error that moved Woodlief to 3rd. Pelto executed a suicide squeeze and Skeffington's only play was to first scoring Woodlief and giving the Panthers a 3 run lead.
In the Titan's half of the 9th, Kline recorded strikeouts # 13 and 14 to end the game. The win moves Potomac Falls (12-5\9-2) back into a tie for first place with Broad Run and drops the Titans (11-6\7-4) back two games into third place. However, there is no time to relax as these same two teams square off again Tuesday night at Potomac Falls. Game time is 6:00, and will be broadcast live, worldwide, on the Gameday Radio Network. Join Tom Whipple and Justin Waddle for the AOC Solutions Pregame Show, beginning at 5:45.
