STATE EXTRA: Blonde Bombers’ bats hammer away at Calfee

By Bill Meade Correspondent
Published: June 6, 2008

PULASKI
Last season’s Powhatan juniors grew into this year’s “Blonde Bombers” as the Indians moved into the Group AA baseball finals after eliminating Waynesboro in the semifinals Friday morning.
The Indians’ bats were as hot as the broiling sun beating down on the beautiful Calfee Park.
Powhatan put the hammer down on the Little Giants in the first inning and never let up.
The Indians put three on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first.
The Little Giants answered the initial salvo with three runs of their own in the top of the third, but senior shortstop Brent Mikionis hit the first of two mammoth home runs over the left field wall in the bottom of the inning.
Waynesboro never recovered, but Powhatan kept on hitting.
The two teams battled in the state quarterfinals last year at Powhatan with Waynesboro moving on with a 2-1 victory.
The 2008 meeting was completely different.
“We’re a lot more confident this year,” Mikionis said.
Mikionis was one of the main reasons that the Indians came away with the lopsided 15-3 victory.
He hit a grand slam in the bottom of the fifth when Powhatan was already way ahead.
“We have fallen into a dream season,” said Indians’ head coach Greg Conner. “Plus we have a few big boys that could hit today.”
The Indians pounded out a total of 12 hits, with Mikionis slamming two home runs and a double and starting pitcher Hunter Gordon smashing another home run and a double.
“We do a lot of hitting at practice,” Gordon said.
Friday’s win put the Indians into the state final for the first time, marking a milestone for long-time coach of the Indians, Bob Baltimore, who has been involved with the baseball program at Powhatan for 41 years.
“It’s a surreal kind of feeling,” Baltimore said at the conclusion of the game. “We couldn’t have a nicer bunch of kids this season and they have great chemistry.”
Powhatan will face Region III champion Alleghany in Saturday’s Group AA final.