By Roy Harper
KEYSER, W.Va. — Potomac State came to play. With multiple home runs and commanding performances on the mound from Gabe Jansen and Gavin Bennett, the Catamounts swept Lakeland Community College, 13–3 and 12–0 on Friday afternoon at Golden Park.
Potomac State turned the opening inning into a showcase of patient at the plate and timely hitting. Brayden Harris led off with walks and moved to third on a double from Lex Wescott. John Mallow then laced a triple into the gap, driving in two. After a walk and hit-by-pitch, Callen Miller punched a single through the infield to bring home two more. The pressure never relented—after an error allowed another run to score, Lex Wescott delivered the defining swing of the game, launching a towering grand slam to left that blew the game open at 9–0.
Lakeland showed life in the second inning, manufacturing runs with a pair of groundouts, cutting into the deficit. In the third, Lakeland capitalized on a Potomac State miscue, scoring on an error to make it 9–3.
The Catamounts returned to form in the fifth inning, once again stringing together quality at-bats. Wescott sparked the rally with a run-scoring double, and Mallow followed with a sacrifice fly that pushed the lead. Aggressive baserunning allowed another run to score before Miller capped the inning with an RBI single, stretching the advantage to 13–3 and effectively closing the door.
On the mound, Gabe Jansen delivered a poised and controlled performance, navigating early traffic before locking into a rhythm.
In the second game, Potomac State again struck early in the first inning with a sequence of disciplined and aggressive at-bats. John Mallow opened the scoring with an RBI double, and Jaxon Drennen followed with a triple that brought him home. A sacrifice fly added another run before Callen Miller turned on a pitch and drove it over the fence for a solo home run, giving PSC a commanding 4–0 lead by the end of the inning.
The Catamounts continued to apply pressure in the third inning, where a well-placed double from Seth Healy plated another run. In the fourth, Mallow struck again—this time with authority—crushing a two-run homer that extended the lead to 7–0.
In the fifth, after a run-scoring single from Dylan Rice pushed the lead to eight, the Catamounts loaded the bases and set the stage for Jaxon Drennen who delivered by launching a grand slam that sailed beyond the outfield fence to end the game via the mercy-rule.
Meanwhile, Gavin Bennett was dominant on the mound. Bennett overpowered Lakeland hitters, piling up ten strikeouts and allowing just three hits across five shutout innings.
The two teams will be back in action on Saturday morning at Golden Park for a pair of games beginning at 11:00 a.m.