When Severna Park and South Carroll met last year in the Class 3A state semifinals, the Falcons managed only three hits in a one-run loss to the Cavaliers, who went on to win the state crown.
Last night, fourth-ranked Severna Park pounded out 11 hits, including five doubles, as the Falcons advanced to their first state title game with a 9-3 win over No. 11 South Carroll at Joe Cannon Stadium in Harmans.
Severna Park (20-4), the Class 3A East champ, will meet Patuxent, the Class 3A South champ that beat Fallston in the other semifinal yesterday, on Saturday at Joe Cannon Stadium.
The game time is to be determined, as Severna Park's prom conflicts with the game's original 7 p.m. start time.
"If we weren't playing South Carroll today, it would have been a little bittersweet," said Falcons coach Jim McCandless, whose team was supposed to open the season against the Cavaliers (13-7), but saw that game and two other rescheduled dates rained out. "We thought we needed to play them to make up for last year."
Severna Park got all the runs it needed early, scoring three runs each in the first and second innings.
Sophomore designated hitter Chris Crum had an RBI single in the first and a two-run double in the second.
Center fielder Andrew Jensen was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored, and second baseman Greg Drenning was 2-for-3 with an RBI and two runs.
Patuxent 6, No. 9 Fallston 4: Three Cougars errors paved the way for the Panthers' four-run fifth inning as Patuxent (10-12), from Calvert County, advanced to its first state championship game with a victory over Fallston (19-4) at Joe Cannon Stadium.
Fallston led 3-2 after junior shortstop Dan Przybylski (2-for-4) tripled in sophomore third baseman Ryan Kent in the fifth.
But in the bottom of the fifth, the Panthers got an RBI single from pitcher Mike Higdon (two RBIs), and Cougars starter Brandon Hart (5-1) then walked in Delonte Janey.
With two outs in the inning, senior Adam Canning came on to relieve a hard-luck Hart, who gave up five hits and struck out five in 5 2/3 innings. Five of Patuxent's runs were unearned.
Severna Park 9, South Carroll 3
SC 100 000 2 -- 3 7 3
SP 330 003 x -- 9 11 0
Mead, Parker (6) and Payne; Doot and Zimmerman. 2B: SP--Drenning, Sells, Crum, Ferris, Samuel.
Patuxent 6, Fallston 4
F 200 011 0 -- 4 7 5
P 011 040 x -- 6 7 1
Hart, Canning (6) and Spry; Higdon and Elliott. 2B: P--Davis. 3B: F--Przybylski.
