St. Paul’s and Park advance in B Conference baseball tournament; Pallotti and Concordia Prep do the same in the C

It was a big day across the baseball diamonds of the MIAA, on Monday, as postseason action heated up in all three conferences. In the A Conference, Archbishop Spalding moved within one victory of a title with a 10-3 victory over Mount St. Joseph in the opening game of th conference's best-of-three-championship series. Meanwhile, St. Paul’s and Park school each advanced to the winner’s bracket final in the B Conference, while St. Vincent Pallotti and Concordia Prep did the same in the C Conference.

Spalding trailed 3-1 entering the top of the fourth of its opener with the Gaels, in Irvington, before erupting for nine runs over the next three innings to power its way to a 10-3 win.

AJ Marll was at the center of the offense, going 4-for-5 with a double and a triple. The right fielder scored two runs and drove in four. In addition, Cruz Luna, Braeden Martin and Michael Thompson each added a pair of hits.

The Cavaliers, who have played five times in the last six days, used four pitchers to navigate the contest with Josh Meyers earning the win with 3.1 innings of scoreless relief.

The two teams will meet again on Wednesday at Joe Cannon Stadium (4:00 p.m.) with Spalding having an opportunity to take the championship with a victory. Should the Gaels prevail, the two teams will return to Joe Cannon on Friday to determine the champion.

St. Paul’s opened its B Conference title quest with a 4-2 home win over Severn. The Crusaders scored three times in the bottom of the first and never trailed. Catcher Jaidyn Thornes drove in the first two runs with a double and his courtesy runner, Seth Perks, scored on a double by Antonio Carpenter. Colton Krause started for the Crusaders and earned the win with six strong innings, which included five strikeouts.

The Crusaders will travel to Park School on Wednesday to determine the first team to reach the tournament finals and that team will have two chances to get the one additional win it will need to claim the title.

Park advanced with a 12-0, six-inning win over the St. Mary’s. The game was a close 2-0 battle in the fifth, but the Bruins scored five times in the home half of the fifth and they scored five more in the sixth to end the contest with the run rule.

Noah Tomasino had two hits, including a home run, and added five RBI to power Park, while Jack Rogers tossed a shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out five.

In the elimination bracket, Mount Carmel survived with a 2-0 win over Gerstell Academy. The Cougars will now face St. Mary’s on Tuesday and the winner of that contest will meet Severn on Wednesday as the double-elimination action continues.

In the C Conference, top-seeded Concordia Prep out-slugged Key School, 18-9, while St. Vincent Pallotti edged Beth Tfiloh, 6-4. The Panthers will now visit the Saints on Wednesday in the winners’ bracket final.

In Towson, visiting Key scored in five of its seven at-bats, but could not survive the big innings from Concordia. Trailing 7-6 entering the bottom of the fourth, the Saints plated six runs and added six more in the sixth to pull away.

Ben Burton and RJ Samuels homered for the Saints, while Samuels, Carter Milam and Jonathan Couser added doubles. Samuels finished with three hits in four trips, two runs scored and seven RBI. Jordan Mentzell and Ben Burton had four RBI each. Alden Nix drove in three runs to pace the Obezags.

Pallotti won for the second time in the tournament when it erased a 2-1 deficit with a five-run fifth inning and held off host Beth Tfiloh in Pikesville.

Amari Cook started the fifth inning rally for the Panthers with a solo home run. Later Matthew Noll singled home a run before Makhai Barber chased home three with a bases loaded double.

In the elimination bracket, St. Frances pounded Friends School, 15-4. The Panthers will now visit Beth Tfiloh on Tuesday and that winner will play Key School on Wednesday, at the higher seed.