MSJ and Calvert Hall each move closer to the MIAA baseball championship series

Mount St. Joseph and Calvert Hall each advanced to within one win of earning spots in next week’s MIAA A Conference baseball championship series, Wednesday, with victories in the winner’s bracket finals of their respective divisional double-elimination playoff tournaments. The Gaels and Cardinals now have two chances to pick up one win which will clinch their places in the league finals.

St. Joe, the No. 1 overall seed after finishing first in the regular season, defeated fourth-seeded John Carroll, 9-4, in the Red Bracket in Irvington, while Calvert Hall, the third-seed, stunned second-seeded Archbishop Spalding, with a six-run two out rally, in the top of the seventh, to steal a 7-3 win in the Black Bracket.

Down to its final out in the seventh inning and trailing 2-1 at Spalding, Calvert Hall sent pinch hitter Cole Kantorski to the plate and he delivered a game-tying home run, which he blasted over the centerfield fence. The Cardinals, however, were not done.

A walk, a double, an intentional walk and another walk pushed the Cardinals in front and set the stage for a dramatic grand slam home run by Anthony Williams to push Calvert Hall’s lead to five. It was the second grand slam launched by the Cardinals in as many playoff games, after Jake Lindsey hit one in Monday’s win over Gilman.

Spalding loaded the bases in the home half of the seventh, getting one run back on a RBI walk by Judah Shirlen, but Williams, who pitched the final inning, was able to close it out with a strikeout and secure the win.

Spalding took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth on back-to-back RBI singles by Shirlen and Tyler Jones. Calvert Hall manufactured a run in the top of the fifth when Cooper McDonald reached on a fielder’s choice, stole second and third and scored on another fielder’s choice. That was all the Cardinals could muster against Spalding starter Arian Vargas, who worked six brilliant innings, allowing only one hit while striking out 11.

In Irvington, St. Joe carried a 5-3 lead into the later innings and secured its victory over John Carroll with a pair of two-runs home runs, one in the bottom of the fifth and another in the sixth. Evan Whipp, who was 2-for-2 with five RBI in the win, delivered the long ball in the fifth and Carson Beyers, who was 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored, had the two-run blast in the sixth. Braden Ashburn added two hits and scored three runs for the Gaels.

Colin Harrison was the winning pitcher for MSJ. He started and pitched four innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and collecting eight strikeouts.

Brycen Altland hit a two-run home run for John Carroll and Chase Selznick added a solo shot for the Patriots.

On Friday, John Carroll will host Loyola Blakefield in a Red Bracket elimination game, with the winner traveling to St. Joe on Saturday. Friday’s winner must defeat the Gaels twice. The “if necessary” game would be on Sunday at the lower seed.

The Black Bracket elimination game will see Gilman visit Spalding. If Spalding wins, it would host Calvert Hall on Saturday, as the higher seed. If the Cavaliers were to win on Saturday, the “if necessary” game would be at Calvert Hall on Sunday. If Gilman wins on Friday, it would visit Calvert Hall on Saturday and host the Cardinals, if necessary, on Sunday.

The MIAA A Conference best-of-three championship series is schedule to get underway on Monday on the home field of the higher seed. Te second game will be played on May 13 at Joe Cannon Stadium, at 4:00 p.m. If a third game is needed, it will be played on May 15, also at Joe Cannon.