Lions Sweeps Eagles To Advance To 2A Regional Final

Coming into their 2A regional semifinal match up, Chaminade-Madonna and St. John Paul had some off-field drama that had the potential to be a distraction.

After working through the process of gamesmanship regarding start times for the games in the series, the two teams finally laced up and played on Friday.

The results on the field all went the Lions way, as they played nearly flawless baseball for two straight games, and secured the regional semifinal series win, defeating St. John Paul 13-0 and 10-0.

“There was a little bit of noise throughout the week, some peripheral things going on,” said Lions Manager Jerry Albert. “But our kids were able to follow our lead, quiet the noise, take a total business-like approach to go up there, take care of business, execute our game, and come out on top.”

The “outside noise” began when the two teams attempted to agree on a game time for Friday’s game. The Eagles had prom on Friday night, and requested to play the game early in the day Friday. The Lions were concerned about their players missing school, and pushed for a later start. Eventually, the two teams agreed on a 2:30 game time.

When the game began, Chmainade ace Spencer Krasner made sure to instantly squash all the outside talk, and threw six shutout innings, allowing only three hits. Krasner struck out 11.

Offensively, the Lions scored in six of their seven innings, putting up seven runs in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Joshua Wright, Chase Potter, and Dylan Goris all had two hits for Chaminade. AJ Vargas had two RBIs. The offense received RBIs from eight different hitters in the lineup.

“What I am most proud about is that the approach of our kids was outstanding,” said Albert. “Spencer was tremendous yesterday to set the tone for the weekend, and then Santi was equally as impressive today,”

The “Santi” that Albert was referring to was Saturday’s starting pitcher Santiago Arismendi. The senior threw a five-inning complete game, matching the zeroes Krasner and reliever Ryan Galinis put up the day before.

The offense also brought back their best, with Saturday’s performance being even more impressive, as it came against St. John ace Jack Wilhoit. Seven of nine in the lineups had hits, led by Potter, who went 3-for-3, with two runs and three RBIs.

“To come on the road and play with the focus they did this weekend, is all you can ask from your guys as a coach,” said Albert. “I am hoping we have a good week of practice, and we can carry this focus and momentum into next weekend.”

With the win, the Lions will now face True North in the 2A regional finals. The teams have not met since last season, when Krasner threw five innings, and the Lions defeated the Titans 5-3.

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