Pot Falls Baseball's Going to States

By Matt Brooks (Contact)

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Jacob Kline barely flinched as the ball rocketed back towards his head from the direction he had just thrown his fastball. With a lightning-quick reflex, the senior pitcher raised his left arm beside his head, stabbed the line drive out of the air and nonchalantly trotted back to the dugout, ending the sixth inning and putting his team three outs away from the Virginia AA state tournament.

Potomac Falls' senior ace did it all in Wednesday's Region II semifinal against Western Albermarle, showcasing why the coaches of the Dulles District named him the 2009 Player of the Year. He was dominant on the mound, scattering five hits in yet another complete game. He showed off his glove in the field, either recording or assisting on four outs. And he got it done at the plate, too, driving home two runs on a third-inning single to help propel the Panthers into the region final with a 5-1 victory.

"Overall, Jacob's just a baseball player," Potomac Falls Coach Joe Terango said. "And when you show up every day and work as hard as he does, the result is going to be what happened today."

The Panthers (20-3) got on the board early, scoring three runs in the first inning by displaying plenty of patience at the plate against Warriors junior starter Dillion Via. After sophomore Ben Sweger worked the count for a nine-pitch leadoff walk, sophomore center fielder Ryan Mahoney singled to center and senior shortstop Rob Malan was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Senior catcher Mike Spring tallied an RBI walk to plate Sweger and sophomore first baseman Ryan Miller grounded out to second to drive in Mahoney. Sophomore third baseman Matt Rubino's sacrifice fly to center field brought Malan around and Potomac Falls had a 3-0 lead after one, which was all their workhorse on the mound would need.

Kline blew through the Warrior lineup the first time through, allowing just one hit and one walk through the first three frames. He located his fastball well down in the zone, fooled hitters with an effective changeup and had his curveball and cutter both working to keep batters guessing.

"He kept them off balance most of the evening," Terango said. "The people that did make contact, the contact wasn't very hard, it was more soft contact. Anytime you can do that – you're keeping hitters off balance and throwing strikes, I think we're going to have an opportunity. He certainly did that tonight."

In the bottom of the third frame, Kline made the most of a rare spot in the lineup, padding his lead with an opposite field line drive down the right field line. Spring, Miller and Matt Hoover had the bases loaded for their pitcher and Kline delivered with a two-run single to push the Panthers' advantage to 5-0.

Western Albermarle Coach Skip Huggins pulled Via after the third and his replacement, senior Wade Hughes, had much more success against the potent Panther lineup. He pitched three innings of scoreless relief, allowing just one hit while walking three.

But Kline was just as impressive, gaining steam in the later innings and overpowering the Warriors' lineup the second and third times through. After striking out just two hitters through three innings, Kline kicked up his velocity the rest of the way, striking out five batters in the final four frames. His highlight catch came with a runner on and two outs in the sixth inning.

"That was all luck," Kline said. "I was just – 'Oh, ball, catch.' That was pretty much it. That was all there was time for."

He worked around trouble at times, stranding hitters in all but the first inning and leaving eight Warriors on the base paths for the night. Western Albermarle finally got on the board with two outs in the seventh as Kline began to labor a bit, losing his release point on the fastball and trying to overthrow a bit. With all the innings he logged this season, late-game fatigue would hardly be a surprise. But Kline said he'll give as many innings as he can to help his team continue its playoff run.

"Usually I bear down in the seventh inning, but there I was just like, 'You know what, the last batter, I'm not throwing strikes right now, I'm just going to let him hit it and let my defense take care of the rest,'" Kline said.

"I threw a lot more pitches than I usually do but I’m not too worried about it. As long as we keep winning, I'll keep throwing."

Mahoney had two hits to lead a Potomac Falls offense that averages 7.7 runs per game but has now been held to five or fewer in five consecutive contests.

"We've cooled off some since midseason," Terango said. "We've been just trying to get the kids to focus on cutting their swings down and putting the ball in play and we did that tonight. We didn't swing at bad pitches and we got a few walks and when you combine walks with putting the ball in play, and a dink here and a dink there, it's going to work out for you."

The Panthers, who have now won 12 straight, will face the winner of Thursday's second semifinal between Orange County and Sherando. If Orange County wins, Potomac Falls will be on the road for Friday's region final, and if Sherando pulls the upset, the Panthers will be hosting another contest in Sterling. Whichever opponent they get, Terango said he's excited for his team to be back in the state tournament for the first time since 2003.

"I guarantee everyone here wants it," Kline said. "There's not a doubter on our team who thinks we can't go into states and really make a splash there. Everyone has got their head in the right direction and we're all looking toward the same goal, and that's winning a regional championship and a state championship. As long as we stay focused in all the games, I think we'll go pretty far, knock on wood."

Extra Points

By Paul Tenorio and Matt Brooks