Baseball: Kline, Panthers outlast Titans 5-2
By Jason S. Rufner
On Dominion's home field Monday, the Titans found themselves holding a precarious 2-0 lead, three outs away from defeating the Potomac Falls Panthers.
The visitors, however, forced extra innings by pushing two across home plate, then took the 5-2 victory with a three-run ninth inning.
A Titan victory would have evened the two Sterling schools in the heated Dulles District baseball race, a game back of first-place Broad Run.
Instead, the Panthers (9-2) pulled even with the Spartans (9-2), while Dominion (7-4) fell two games behind.
A boisterous assemblage of fans representing both schools vociferously reacted to each pitch, aware of the contest's implications.
Broad Run had a keen interest in the contest's outcome. Several Spartan players took in the action, scouting the teams' ace moundsmen, Dominion's Geoff McCowat and Potomac Falls' Jake Kline.
McCowat entered the seventh inning having allowed just two hits, effectively mixing a fastball and curve. He walked the Panthers' Chad McMichael before allowing a one-out RBI single to Eric Dimsey, cutting the Titan lead in half.
After an infield error put the tying run on second and the go-ahead score on first, Dominion coach Jay Raines relieved McCowat with hard-throwing Chris Taylor.
Lefty-swinging Greg Woodlief bounced a grounder past Taylor toward second base. Shortstop Jonathan "Bubba" Noro bobbled it, leaving all hands safe and loading the bases for 2007 Dulles Player of the Year Aaron Sweger.
Power against power, Sweger drove a Taylor fastball high and deep toward the right field fence. Steve Smucker made the catch, but Dimsey tagged and scampered in from third with the game's tying run.
With the potential go-ahead run on third in the person of Rob Malan, the Panthers nearly executed a perfect steal of home which was negated by Patrick Nightingale's swinging third strike to end the inning.
The sides traded quick outs in the eighth, as Ryan Skeffington came on to hurl for the Titans and Kline, relying primarily on off-speed tosses with an occasional sneaky fastball, continued keeping Dominion at bay.
Malan singled to open the ninth, scoring on a throwing error when Woodlief's bunt pressured the Titan infield defense. Woodlief scored on a double by Michael Spring, who himself scored on Chris Pelto's squeeze bunt, giving Kline and the Panthers a three-run cushion.
Kline set down the Titans in order in the bottom of the ninth, finishing the herculean effort with 14 strikeouts and keeping the Panthers' tied for first atop the district standings.
McCowat received a no-decision, giving up three hits in 6.1 innings, striking out five while allowing just two unearned runs. Skeffington threw two innings of relief, absorbing the loss.
A rarity in high school baseball, the Titans and Panthers get another crack at each other tonight on Potomac Falls' diamond. Taylor is expected to start for the Titans, while the Panthers will counter with Mike Detaranto.