McMichael Blasts Panthers Over Patriots 4-2
ASHBURN, VA - On a rainy night at Broad Run, Park View and Potomac Falls found themselves in a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the 6th inning. With Jonathon Mason and Jacob Kline on the hill, both pitchers were struggling with their footing and their grip on the ball as a light rain fell. With Patrick Nightingale on first after a base hit to right field, Chad McMichael ended all the drama when he lofted a Mason fast ball to left field that Zach Anderegg drifted back on but ran out of room as the ball cleared the fence for a two run homerun to send Potomac Falls into the Dulles District Championship game against Broad Run. The victory secures a spot in the Regional Playoffs for Potomac Falls as Broad Run has already qualified by winning the regular season. It also sets up a final showdown between the first and second place teams who split wins in the regular season.
Park View got to Kline in the first inning when Billy Bradley, and Mason both hit sharp singles. Dulles District Player of the Year Dylan Smith then moved the runners on a deep fly ball to right field. With the runners in scoring position, Kline struckout Jimmy Kerby to end the threat.
Rob Malan led off for the Panthers and delivered a Mason fastball over the left field fence for a homerun to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead before the rains game and delayed the game for more then a half hour.
Both teams got a run in the third to make the score 2-1. The Patriots Adam Flees started the inning with a single to right field. He advanced to second and then third on two consecutive passed balls before scoring on Drew Mason's groundout. The Panthers answered in their half of the inning when Malan hit a single to right field. He advanced on a passed ball and then a groundout by Greg Woodlief. With Malan on third, Aaron Sweger singled to left field to drive in Malan to retain the lead.
In the fourth inning, Park View benefitted from the sloppy conditions when Chad McMichael slipped while reaching for a Kerby line drive to center filed. The error proved costly as Adam Foltz followed with a single and Ben Rosado knocked Kerby in with a single to center field to tie the ball game.
All this setup the drama for the sixth inning when McMichael more then redeemed himself with his shot to left field. Kline then shutdown the Patriots in the 7th with two strikeouts to finish the game with 11 strikeouts and no walks to put the Panthers back into the Championship game, and the automatic Region II tournament berth, for a second straight year. The Dulles District championship game is scheduled for Thursday night, at Freedom high school, at
