Panthers recapture Cardinal glory
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By DAN CLENDANIEL
For the News & Messenger
Published: May 22, 2008
And yet Vieira’s contribution on defense played as large a role as any of his teammates as the Panthers won their first district championship in four years with a 7-2 over the second-seed Vi-kings. The win secures a Northwest Region berth and keeps Potomac’s season alive.
Vieira dived to his left to scoop up a grounder by Joey Spadell, who had already driven home both Viking runs with a single and home run, with two runners on base in the fifth inning and got the out at first base. Vieira’s play on the ball kept the tying run from coming to the plate.
“We’ve seen him (Vieira) every day get better and better,” said Potomac manager Mike Coving-ton. “He’s the same whether we get on him or praise him. He made a play (Wednesday) night (against Forest Park) to keep us in the game and he made two (in this game).”
Vieira also made a diving catch of a line drive up the middle in the final inning to back the five-hit pitching of Tyler Easterly, who recorded the complete-game win.
Easterly, who said later he never felt he had his “stuff” in any inning, held the Vikings scoreless after Spadell’s solo homer in the third inning.
“I was calling my own pitches at the beginning of the game,” said Easterly, who had seven strikeouts. “After that, the coaches called the pitches and I relaxed because I didn’t have to think as much.”
Potomac pounded out 10 hits but benefited greatly from three Viking errors that accounted for a total of six unearned runs for the Panthers (17-6).
"We made errors and we didn’t hit after the third inning,” said Viking manager Jason Ritenour, whose team finished at 16-7. “We had runners on base but didn’t come through. When you have a good pitcher somewhat on the ropes, you have to take advantage of every opportunity and we didn’t.”
A dropped throw at first base opened the door for three Panther runs in the fourth inning, as Po-tomac’s Alex Mastro followed that miscue with a two-run single.
After the Panthers’ Tyler Covington singled home a run in the fifth inning, another error al-lowed a run to score and set up a double by Easterly that scored Ryan Moriarity.
A dropped fly ball in the outfield accounted for an additional unearned run by Potomac in the sixth.
All year long, Covington’s team had frustrated the long-time coach with inconsistent play. Fi-nally, the fourth-seed Panthers put together three straight good efforts in the district tournament against Gar-Field, Forest Park and finally Woodbridge.
“We had no choice but to play well,” said four-year varsity player Josh Turner. “Our backs were against the wall. We felt that we had the best team and we came together at the right time.”
Covington said he knew how hard his seniors had worked for four years, losing the tournament final the last two years. He was frustrated for them more than he was frustrated at them.
“This one (district title) is right up there," Covington said, "because we had to win three games to do it (reach the regionals) and we had to beat the top two teams. I told them before the game that there wouldn’t be any fussing at them from me. I didn’t care if we won pretty or ugly. At this time of year, it’s all about surviving and advancing.”
The Panthers will play at Osbourn Park of the Cedar Run District in the first round of the Northwestern Region Tournament on Monday at 6 p.m.
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