“I think it just shows a lot about our perseverance because obviously with the weather it’s going to be hard,” starting pitcher Abby Rebhan said from the Madeira High field. “Nobody really let up.”

The Panthers outhit the Huskies 10-1, and seven batters recorded base hits. Four of those hits came when Potomac’s first four batters delivered first-inning singles into the outfield to generate a quick 3-0 advantage.

The rainfall increased in the second inning. Rebhan felt the lack of grip on the ball as a light drizzle turned into a downpour; she began drying the ball between each pitch and drying her hand on her sock.

“With the rain like this, when the ball comes back to you it’s wet by the time you get it,” Rebhan said. “So you have to find a way to keep it just as dry as you can and try to throw a strike even if it’s really hard.”

By conquering the elements, Rebhan kept the Huskies from ever finding their offensive form. Rebhan fanned four and allowed just one hit and one walk, stifling the Flint Hill attack as the Panthers’ offense continued to add runs.

A two-run third inning preceded a six-run fourth, and the game was called after the fifth inning with Potomac sporting a double-digit lead.

The Panthers will move on to this coming week’s Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association tournament, which has a final set for Friday in Dinwiddie. The end goal, Coach Wayne Loving and Rebhan said, is to get back to the state final and knock out perennial champion Bishop O’Connell.

The Panthers reached the state title game the past two seasons the tournament was played but fell to the Knights each time.

“Hopefully we can put some runs on the board against Katie Kutz,” Loving said of the O’Connell ace and reigning All-Met Player of the Year.

Sidwell Friends wins ISL A title

An ISL championship was not on Sidwell Friends’ radar at the start of the season, Coach Heath Simon admitted, after the Quakers (14-5) were often on the receiving end of blowout losses the past three years.

On Wednesday at Madeira, they capped a season of growth with an ISL A division title by beating St. Andrews, 7-3. The victory was especially sweet for the team’s seven seniors, Simon said.

“I think I heard one of the parents say, ‘Who would have thought four years ago that this would be here senior year?’ ” Simon said. “That’s just a testament to all the hard work and determination and belief in the system that they put in.”