Spalding rallies to claim series win over Calvert Hall, St. Joe sweeps Curley

by Nelson Coffin

Junior center fielder Drew Kittelberger’s walk-off homer lifted Calvert Hall to a 5-4 victory over Archbishop Spalding in the series opener between the A Conference powers last week. 

Junior third baseman Anthony William’s homered and finished a single shy of hitting for the cycle for the Cardinals while senior Braeden Martin, junior Tyler Jones and sophomore M.J. Marl had two hits each for the Cavaliers.

Junior Cole Kantorski earned the win in relief of junior classmate Hunter Dunst.

The Cavaliers picked themselves up after that gut-wrenching defeat to record 11-3 and 5-1 victories over the Cardinals to take the series and draw even with the Cardinals and red-hot Mount St. Joseph atop the standings.

St. Joe senior Peyton Wholey blanked Archbishop Curley on a one-hitter, striking out six Friars over five frames of an 8-1 verdict. Braden Ashburn and Chase Nemec each knocked in runs for the Gaels, who unleashed a potent lineup in the final two contests, routing Curley by a combined 27-10  to complete the sweep.

A series-ending 15-6 verdict included coaxing 14 walks and jumping on top early on RBIs by Trevor Mentz and Nemec to build a 3-0 lead in the second inning. 

By the time the Gaels were in charge, 6-0, the Friars fought back in the third on Eric Miller’s two-run double, although a four-run uprising in the sixth inning, featuring two-run hits by Carson Byers (4 BB, 5R) and Mentz, ballooned the visitors’ bulge to 12-2.  

Junior Ryker Marsell pounded a two-run homer for Curley in the sixth before Miller and Marsell added RBIs in the seventh after St. Joe crossed the plate four more times in the top of the seventh. 

Senior Pierce Quinn started on the hill for John Carroll in a 9-2 triumph over Loyola Blakefield, shutting out the Dons on one hit and fanning nine over five innings. 

The Patriots’ lineup, which produced four homers, exploded again in the middle game of the series to claim a 16-6 victory over Loyola, despite hot hitting from junior Ben Francis (HR, 2B, 2R, 4 RBIs) and senior Colby Shilling (1B, 2B, 2R). That strong performance at the plate by the Dons carried over to a 13-5 win in the final game of the series. 

McDonogh coach Zach Rowe said that inexperience at the A Conference level and a roster with fewer players will be issues for the Eagles to overcome this season.

So far, those issues have been overwhelming for Rowe’s squad, which suffered 5-2 and 9-6 losses to Gilman in the first two games of the series.

Severn’s season-opening blitz continued by beating Glenelg Country School, 2-0, and Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 14-0, to remain unbeaten in the B Conference.

Still, Park made an equally big impression on Red Division fans with an 11-3 triumph over Boys’ Latin behind  Jack Rogers’ 10-strikeout performance in a five-inning shutout. He backed his own pitching by knocking in a run. Isaac Shapiro (3-for-3, SB, R, RBI) and Josh Downs (1-for-3, 2R, SB) were also stellar at the plate for a disciplined Bruin lineup that had only a pair of K’s in the contest.

St. Paul’s remained unbeaten in the Black Division after dismantling St. Mary’s, 13-1.

Concordia Prep maintained its stranglehold on the C Conference Black Division by knocking down Saints Peter & Paul, 16-3. The Saints have outscored their last three league foes by a combined, 48-13.