Fairfax, VA - The Oakton Cougars got sweet revenge in the Northern Region Semi-Finals with a 15-4 victory over Thomas Jefferson. Oakton had lost the previous 3 meetings including a 6-4 loss in the Concorde District Semi-finals. The defending Virginia State AAA Champions seem to have that post-season magic working again. The win qualifies the Cougars for the state tournament next week. It's the Cougars second trip in as many years under Coach Scott Rowland.

Stacen Gant doubled and drove in 2 as the Cougars jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first. In the 2nd Oakton scored a run and then loaded the bases for Gant who took Hendrik Van Der Vaart deep for a Grand Slam (his second homer in as many nights) giving the Cougars a 7-0 lead. Gant went 3 for 5, scored 4 runs and drove in 6 for the day. Matt Strasburg was 3 for 4 and scored 3 runs for the Cougars. The Pitching combination of Kent Stokley, Sean O’Hara and Brian Beatty held Jefferson to 1 run and 6 hits in 6 innings. Jefferson rallied for 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th to close out the best season in the Colonials history. Jefferson went 18-5 and won the Concorde District regular season and post-season championships. The Cougars will meet Concorde District rival Centreville, who defeated Langley 3-2 in the other semi-final. The Northern Region Final will be at Fairfax High School at 3:00 on Friday, June 1st.