Potomac Falls Baseball Falls in Semis

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Saturday, June 6, 2009

PULASKI, Va. — Kyle Crockett threw a complete game five-hitter and Poquoson ended Potomac Falls's season with a 3-0 defeat in Saturday's Virginia AA state semifinal at Calfee Park.

The Islanders (27-1) chased Potomac Falls senior starter Michael Detaranto just six batters into the top of the first, scoring three runs on two-out RBI singles from shortstop Chad Pinder, second baseman Chad Funkhouser and catcher Luke Hill. Senior left-hander Eric Dimsey threw 5 2/3 innings of scoreless relief for the Panthers, but they could never mount a serious scoring threat against Crockett.

"Very few games this season we've been held under three runs," Potomac Falls Coach Joe Terango said. "I thought there would be an opportunity for us to get to him, but he's an impressive athlete and their team came out prepared to win."

The junior lefty kept the ball down the in zone all day, recording nine of his outs on ground balls, striking out six and walking just one against an offense that averaged nearly eight runs per game this season. Crockett is committed to Virginia.

The Panthers (22-4) still had their chances, getting leadoff hitters on base to start the first, second and fifth innings, but failed move them into scoring position. Poquoson turned two double plays to erase lead runners in the first and fifth and Crockett confounded base runners with his pick-off move, which caught two Panthers before they could reach second base.

"We were not able to capitalize on mistakes because they didn't make any," Potomac Falls's Rob Malan said. "Their pitcher was just dealing - keeping everything down in the zone, not leaving anything up - and we sprayed a few hits around but they just played a great ballgame."

When Matt Rubino was caught in a run-down after his one-out single in the seventh, Potomac Falls had stranded all eight of its base runners.

"We hit the ball hard at times but we couldn't string two or three hits together to put one across the plate," Terango said.

Dimsey kept his team in the contest, working his way around eight singles without allowing the Islanders to increase their lead. But the Panthers simply could not get to Crockett, who was in control from start to finish. Poquoson, which won the 2001 state title, will be making its second appearance in the final on Sunday at Radford University.

In reaching the third state semifinal in school history and first since 2003, the Panthers set a school record for wins and entered Saturday's contest on a 14-game winning streak.

"This year we had the right mix," Terango said. "They put themselves in a position to win every baseball game we've been in this year, and that's all you can ask out of your kids."

Notes: Heading into Saturday’s game, the Panthers had been shut out only once this season. ... Four days after going the distance in a nine-inning win over Grafton, honorable mention All-Met Jacob Kline came in with one out in the top of the seventh and induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks