St. Mary’s is the first team to reach MIAA B Conference baseball final
Park School claims its place in the C Conference final; first game of A Conference championship series moved up to Friday
The 2024 MIAA baseball post-season marched on Thursday afternoon as St. Mary’s earned the first ticket to the MIAA B Conference finals and Park School did the same in the C Conference tournament.
Also of note, the first game of the MIAA A Conference best-of-three championship series between Archbishop Spalding and Calvert Hall, originally slated for Saturday, was moved forward one day and will now be played on Friday at 4:30 p.m. at Spalding.
In the winners’ bracket final of the double-elimination B Conference tournament, McDonogh grabbed a 1-0 lead with a single run in the second, but St. Mary’s countered with two in the third and five more in the fifth as they went on to an 8-1 win which secured its spot in the finals, Sunday at Joe Cannon Stadium. The Saints need just one win to secure the crown, while whoever advances to face them will need to win on Sunday and again on Monday to claim the championship.
No Saint had more than one hit but Teagan McDonough drove in two runs with a double and scored one, while Dominic Hicks scored three times. Brian Sands was excellent on the mound, tossing a complete game, scattering six hits and allowing just one run, while striking out five and walking two.
McDonogh now falls into the elimination bracket and will face Boys’ Latin on Friday to determine who will challenge St. Mary’s in the finals. McDonogh opened the tournament by blasting the Lakers, 18-0, but BL has bounced back to win two straight in the elimination bracket, including a 10-0 win over Severn on Thursday.
In the C Conference, Park, fueled by a two-run double from Max Rogers scored four times in the bottom of the first inning and built its lead steadily from there in an 8-1 win over St. Vincent Pallotti. Rogers finished with four RBI in the contest.
The Bruins are now in the same position that St. Mary’s holds in the B Conference. They need just one win in the C Conference finals, which will also begin on Sunday at Joe Cannon.
Pallotti will now host Concordia Prep on Friday with the winner also advancing to Sunday’s final. Concordia Prep stayed alive in the elimination bracket with a thrilling, 8-7, victory over Beth Tfiloh on Thursday.
On Sunday at Joe Cannon, a triple-header of baseball finals will begin at noon with the B Conference game. The second game of the A Conference final will be played at 2:30 p.m. and the C Conference final is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. If one or two of the conferences continue on Monday, those games will be played at Joe Cannon. If all three conference need an additional game on Monday, the A and B Conferences will play at Joe Cannon while the C Conference will shift to a site and time to be determined.
For more informaton or to purchase tickets visit www.miaachampionships.com/baseball.