Beth Tfiloh baseball edges Concordia Prep to force C Conference 'if' game
by Derek Toney
Beth Tfiloh baseball has faced a series of one-game seasons over the last week, as the Warriors have battled their way through the elimination bracket of the MIAA B Conference's double-elimination championship tournament. On Sunday, the Warriors earned one more.
Beth Tfiloh defeated Concordia Prep, 3-2, in the opening game of the finals, at Joe Cannon Stadium Sunday afternoon in Harmans, to force a winners-take-all showdown with the Saints, on Monday at 4:00 p.m. at Joe Cannon.
Solid pitching from Mason Hoffman and a three-run third inning was enough for the Warriors (13-9 overall), who’ve won four straight after opening the tournament last Monday with a 6-4 home loss to St. Vincent Pallotti.
“This team has just shown heart all year long, all playoffs long,” said Beth Tfiloh coach Don Wright, “and one more to go.”
“We knew it was going to be tough, but we knew we had the depth,” said Hoffman.
The Warriors are in position for their first title since 2008, thanks to Hoffman, a freshman right hander. He allowed two runs on four hits over six innings.
Wright wasn’t surprise with how Hoffman answered the call in another do-or-die match for Beth Tfiloh.
“We wouldn’t be here without him…it was another incredible performance,” said Wright. “He’s just a top-end starter.”
Beth Tfiloh got on the scoreboard first, opening the third with back-to-back doubles from Jordan Gladstone and Ami Bresler. Bresler scored with Adam Steinberg, who reached on a throwing error and came all the way home as Concordia Prep had trouble retrieving the ball.
The Saints, who didn’t get their first hit off Hoffman until the fourth, broke through in the sixth. RJ Samuels led off with single and scored on senior Jordan Mentzell’s inside-the-park home run.
Concordia had runners on first and second with one out later in the sixth, but Hoffman got a strikeout and a hard line out to center, ending the inning and his afternoon.
Steinberg replaced Hoffman in the seventh and had runners on first and second with one out. Bresler corralled a pop out in medium right field to end it.
The Warriors, who placed first in the MIAA B Red Division, kept their season alive with a walk-off 9-8 win over St. Frances on Tuesday. They eliminated Pallotti Friday to secure their place in the finals.
“I think a hour after the game (lossto Pallotti), we were a little down, but we realized we have the team to do this,” said Bresler, a junior. “We have the depth, everything you need.”
Samuels finished with two hits for Concordia (12-2), which missed the opportunity to claim its first title since 2021. The Saints topped Key School and Pallotti to advance to the final round.
Concordia coach Peter Couser said his team is confident heading into Monday’s finale.
“We’ve both been the top team in our divisions. Three years ago, we did what they did and had to come back the next day,” said Couser, whose team was tops in the Black Division during the regular season. “We’ve been resilient all year so I’m looking forward to see what we have tomorrow.”