In total command from the opening pitch, Calvert Hall junior Michael Dillion baffled Mount St. Joseph throughout a complete game shutout to lead the Cardinals to a 4-0 win and their third straight MIAA A Conference championship.

by Derek Toney

Thirty-three up, 33 down. Itâ??s maybe the best way to sum up the 2007 Calvert Hall High School baseball season.

In
whatâ??s maybe the greatest chapter in the history of their storied
program, the Cardinals defeated Mount St. Joseph, 4-0, to win the MIAA
A Conference title Wednesday evening at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen. In
winning its third straight championship, Calvert Hall penned what is
believed to be the Towsonâ??s school first perfect campaign.

â??Itâ??s
unbelievable, Iâ??ve never thought in my wildest dreams this would
happen,â? said Cardinals coach Lou Eckerl. â??I just got finished telling
somebody I feel a little bit humbled about it and real proud about it.�

What
Calvert Hall did the last three months was stunning. In addition to
their varsity performance, the Cardinalsâ?? junior varsity posted a 26-0
record and the freshman-sophomore team won all 16 decisions.

But
the varsity run is the jewel. Calvert Hall is the first team in
Maryland high school history to go unbeaten, and the first to collect
three consecutive MIAA baseball crowns. The Cardinals now have 23
championships (either Maryland Scholastic Association or MIAA) since
1929.

Two years ago, Calvert Hall established the state mark
with 31 consecutive victories, led by the hitting of Joe Velleggia (Old
Dominion), Scott Kreiger (Virginia Tech) and Mike Newton (Buffalo,
football). Defense and pitching was the Cardinalsâ?? calling card this
spring, and they didnâ??t leave Towson without it Wednesday.

Cardinal
junior right-hander Michael Dillon pitched the teamâ??s fourth shutout of
the season with a three-hitter and five strikeouts. He didnâ??t allow a
Mount St. Joseph runner past second base.

Calvert Hall gave
Dillon breathing space with a three-run bottom of the sixth with senior
catcher John Collingsworth taking a 3-1 pitch from Gaels’ junior Danny
Druzgala over the left field fence. Though held scoreless the majority
of the game, the Cardinals were confident they would breakthrough.  

â??Every
time we came out, we never worried because we knew we would get the job
done,â? said Collingsworth. â??St. Joe is a very good team. Theyâ??ve been
our nemesis for the past 25 years. Itâ??s a great tradition.â?

The
Gaels (17-15), who needed a late season surge to qualify for the
tournament and lost to Calvert Hall last Thursday in the winnersâ??
division, wanted to extend the Cardinals to a decisive game “if” game,
in this double-elimination event, which would have been played today. 
But the Irvington school wasnâ??t able to capitalize on a couple of
opportunities with runners in scoring positions.

â??We had a
second season and got to the championship,� said Mount St. Joseph coach
Dave Norton. â??We knew we had to win two games. We wanted to be the
first to give them a loss.�

Calvert Hall broke a scoreless tie
in the fifth inning as senior Jeff Guthridgeâ??s opposite field single to
right scored Reid Chenworth, who had walked with one out and stole
second. Chenworth singled in Patrick Blair in the sixth, and later
scored on a balk by Mount St. Josephâ??s reliever Brandon White.

All
that was left for Calvert Hall and history were three outs, which
Dillon got in nine pitches. A perfect season wasnâ??t in the Cardinalsâ??
mind when the season began, but became a possibility as the season
progressed.

Calvert Hall senior slugger Reid Chenworth had two hits, a double, a RBI and two runs scored in last night’s title clincher.

â??We knew we had something special going into the
season,� said Chenworth, who will play for the University of Maryland
starting next season. â??We sat in our senior meeting and knew there was
something special with this team and it showed.�

Thereâ??s little
sign that the Cardinalsâ?? train wonâ??t stop rolling with Blair, Dillon,
Kevin Lingerman and Joe Robak back with 17 other letter winners in
addition to promotees from their lower teams. The only question now is
whether theyâ??ll be able to match the 2007 standard.

â??We werenâ??t
the strongest team, but we were the best team every day for 33 games,�
said Collingsworth after playing his final game with fellow seniors
Chenworth, Bobby Corton, Brian Fream, Guthridge, Cody Schuchman, C.T.
Stanley and Chris Stires. â??To go out on top as seniors, you canâ??t asked
for anything better than that, you just canâ??t.â?

Internet Radio Broadcast of MIAA A Conference Baseball Finals

Seconds after crossing home plate with the first run of the game, St. Mary’s senior Steven knopf (#8) awaits the arrival of his twin brother Ryan, as the Saints jump out to a first inning lead.

by Derek Toney

One pitcher had tired. The other threw more than 100 pitches a couple of days ago.

With
St. Maryâ??s High holding a terse lead in the MIAA B Conference Baseball
Championship Game Wednesday afternoon, it turned to senior Korbin
Sargent, who had pitched sparsely over the last month.

He made
his final performance memorable as the Saints held off Boysâ?? Latin,
8-7, at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen.  In winning its second MIAA B
championship in four seasons, St. Maryâ??s (18-5) joins Cardinal Gibbons,
Chapelgate Christian and St. Vincent Pallotti as two-time winners.

Several
members of the Saintsâ?? 2004 championship squad met with the team
Tuesday.  Before Wednesdayâ??s first pitch, St. Maryâ??s coach Dave Lanham
had an impromptu mediation session with his squad. The Saints were
prepared for what looked like a high-wire act in the final innings.

St.
Maryâ??s held an 8-5 lead in the bottom of fifth inning, but starter
Austin Poretz faltered and Boysâ?? Latin loaded the bases with none out.
Lanham, who saw John Stewart throw 130 pitches in Fridayâ??s Division I
bracket loss to Chapelgate Christian, gave the ball to Sargent.

The
right hander induced two fly ball outs to right field, but was narrowly
beat to first base as he took a throw from first basemen Mike Tarlaian
off a grounder. Nate Saunders and Reese Hale came in to score for Boysâ??
Latin (20-3), closing the Saintsâ?? lead to one.

After allowing
the first two Laker batters to reach in the bottom of the sixth,
Sargent picked off Trey Schmitt at second base, then retired the next
two. He pitched a perfect seventh to wrap up the title.  Sargent, who
pitched 25 innings coming in, only had a couple of innings of work in
the last month.      

â??I knew if came down to me I would get the
job done,â? said Sargent, who allowed two hits in three innings. â??Iâ??ve
been behind two great pitchers this season in Austin and John. I just
knew it would probably come down to me in relief and I got mentally
prepared.�

â??Leading up to this week I talked about who was going
to be the guy to get the ball in this situation. When I talked to him
[Sargent] today, he said â??coach, Iâ??m that guy,â??â? said Lanham, who had
Sargent start in rightfield. â??I knew when he said that he was going to
get the job done when his time came.�

Though he tired on the
mound, Poretz helped spur the Saintsâ?? offense with a two-run RBI single
in the first and a run-scoring triple in third inning. Steven Knopfâ??s
bloop single to centerfield in the fifth brought in Tarlaian, and Ed
Galligan scored.

The Lakers stormed back into contention with a
five-run third as a pair of runs scored on a single by senior Matthew
Wareheim, and junior shortstop Devon Jerrard singled home Josh Winter
and Wareheim.

Though the Lake Avenue school wasnâ??t able to
produce a huge inning with the bases loaded and none out in the fifth,
and had the potential tying runs picked off and stranded in the sixth,
coach Mike Bordick was pleased with his teamâ??s effort after trailing
6-0.  

â??The boys showed a lot of character,â? said Bordick, the
former Baltimore Oriole shortstop. â??You got to tip your hat to that
team, they beat us twice this year. We played strong all year, and that
team whooped on us at our home park. They deserved to be the champs.�

Lanham
said losses to Pallotti and Severn School on consecutive days in the
regular season helped put the Saints on the championship path. Fridayâ??s
loss to Chapelgate was their only setback in their final 10 games. St.
Maryâ??s should be back in the hunt in 2008 with six starters returning
as Steven and Ryan Knopf and Sargent graduate.    

â??Itâ??s awesome
to end my high school career with a championship,â? said Sargent. â??It
came down to me, and Iâ??m just glad I got the opportunity.â?

The Patriots secured a
16-13 overtime win against Jesuit Prep of Dallas, Texas in their second
round game, coming from behind as they wore down Jesuit in the hot, dry
conditions.  A series of mauls close to the line were rewarded when
hooker Zach Chell bulled his way into the try zone.  Zach Barker added
the conversion. In the overtime, the sure-footed kicking of Barker, and
captains John Flagg and Rich English produced the victory.

â??I
was really proud of our team,� said John Carroll head coach Chris
Powell. â??All season long, we showed the ability to come from behind and
play our very best rugby when the chips were down. Getting a win on the
national stage proved we belong at the top level of high school rugby.�

In
their final match, the Patriots went down to Greenwich High School
(CT), 27-7. â??They were the best team we played at the tournament,â? said
Powell. â??On the plus side, we did get to play all our subs. It was
important to us that all the boys got the chance to play at Nationals.�

The
highlight of the Greenwich game was a team record 17th try of the
season by senior prop John Von Paris. Von Paris, headed to Bucknell
where he will play football, powered over after the Patriots were able
to recycle the ball quickly from a series of rucks.

â??Overall, I
am delighted with our season. We are the first team from the Baltimore
area to make it to this level. This was a great step forward for rugby
in this area and reflects the tremendous growth in the sport in recent
years.�

Junior attackman Steele Stanwick, who led
Loyola to the 2007 MIAA A Conference crown, heads the team, along with
senior attackmen Travis Reed and Brett Weiss from Boys’ Latin, which
faced Loyola in the MIAA title game.

Also on the squad are
seniors Andrew Feinberg (A) and Tyler Fiorito (G) of McDonogh, senior
Chris Clements (M) from St. Paul’s, senior Nick Elsmo (M/A) from Severn
and senior Peter Fallon (D) from Gilman.

Rounding out the team
were Ryan Shuler, Kevin Ridgeway and Brey Malphrus from Georgetown Prep
and Matt Kugler from Robinson (VA).

Each member of this team
will be honored at the 7th annual Tewaaraton Awards Banquet, which will
take place on May 30, 2007 at the National Geographic Society
Headquarters in Washington.

The highlight of that banquet is the
announcement of the 2007 Tewaaraton Trophy winner, symbolic of the
nation’s top college lacrosse player.  Among the five finalists is
Virginia junior Ben Rubeor, a former MIAA star at Loyola.

Stewart was a giant for St. Mary’s in this one.  Not
only did he drive in the winning run, he pitched all nine innings,
striking out 11 and walking just one as he improved his personal record
to 7-1 and lowered his ERA to 1.87.

On the other side,
Chapelgate received a similar performance from its ace, as Matt
Siggins, throwing on two days rest for the second time in less than a
week, also went nine innings.  After allowing a single run in the
first, Siggins blanked the Saints until the ninth, allowing just six
hits while striking out five.  On Friday, Siggins had pitched a
complete game in Chapelgates’ 3-2 win over St. Mary’s, which forced
yesterday’s contest.

Thus far in the tournament, Chapelgate is
the only team St. Mary’s has faced.  It also defeated the
Yellowjackets, 7-5, in the opening round.

Perhaps the play of
the day occurred in the top of the eighth when Chapelgate’s Josh Sachs
drove a Stewart offering deep into right-center for an apparent
extra-base hit.  However, St. Mary’s center-fielder Brendan Kelly made
a spectacular running catch before colliding with the outfield fence at
full speed.  He suffered a mild concussion and had to leave the game,
but he held onto the ball to undercut a Yellowjacket rally before it
ever got started.

For Chapelgate, its season ends at 17-5, while
St. Mary’s (16-6) will face Boys’ Latin for the title, tomorrow at
Ripken Stadium.  Boys’ Latin (20-2) is the top seed in this tournament,
but its only loss of the year against B Conference competition came
against St. Mary’s, as the Saints defeated the Lakers, 9-5, on the
final day of the regular season.

Tomorrow’s first pitch is scheduled for 4:00 pm.

St. Paul’s regained the championship it
surrendered to Gilman last year with a 12-9 victory over the
Greyhounds.  The victory increased the Crusaders’ league high number of
titles to six, while no other school has more than two.

In
yesterday’s opening group, St. Paul’s Kyle Wheeler defeated Gilman’s
Brad Miller 2.5-.5, and the Crusaders’ Tim Prey edged Jason Frankel,
2-1.

St. Paul’s also won both matches in group two, as Steven
Albright defeated Matt Mighty and Mike Kelen, who won this year’s MIAA
Individual Stroke Play title, downed Hunter Reif, by identical scores
of 2.5-.5.

Gilman, which took the team point in all three
groups, won its only individual match in the third pairing, as Doug
Williams scored a 2-1 win over Jon Zorn.  In the other third group
match T.J. Scott of St. Paul’s and Arthur Worthington of Gilman tied,
1.5-1.5.

At St. Paul’s, Jason Patten
shutout the host Crusaders with a complete game, three-hit effort, as
he struck out seven batters.  The Cavaliers (27-9) pounded out 12 hits,
including five for extra-bases.  Eddie Palmer led the way with two hits
and a home run, while Steve Brinkley had a pair of hits, including a
triple, and two RBI.

Spalding now returns home to host Mount St.
Joseph (16-14) on Monday and the winner of that game will advance to
the finals on Wednesday at Ripken Stadium, where they will have to
defeat Calvert Hall twice to claim the championship.  Not only is
Calvert Hall undefeated in this double-elimination tournament, they are
32-0 on the season.

St. Paul’s concluded its season at 19-13.

Boys’
Latin (20-2), a school well known for its lacrosse prowess, defeated
Pallotti (21-9) for second time in the the double-elimination portion
of this tournament to reach its first MIAA baseball championship game.

Junior
Devon Jerrard pitched a complete-game six-hitter, allowing just a pair
of third inning runs.  The Lakers took the lead with a three-run second
and scored in every inning the rest of the way to guarantee the
victory.  Huntley Mitchell doubled and homered for the Lakers, junior
Austin Knight also hit a home run and sophomore Paul Mellinger added a
double to the cause.

BL is led by first year head coach Mike
Bordick, the man who replaced Cal Ripken, Jr. as the Baltimore Orioles’
starting shortstop and now he will lead his team into Ripken Stadium as
it attempts to win a championship.  However, the Lakers will have to
wait until Monday to learn their opponent because Chapelgate Christian
defeated St. Mary’s, 3-2, in the opposite division, to force an if game
for the other spot in the final.

Following a 7-5 loss to St.
Mary’s (15-6) on Tuesday, Chapelgate (17-4) stayed alive with a victory
over Friends, on Thursday, to earn its way back to Annapolis for a
rematch with the Saints.

Pitcher Matt Siggins was the star for
the Yellowjackets as he tossed a complete game gem.  He allowed just
three hits and after giving up a single run in the bottom of the first,
he shutout the Saints until the seventh.  Scott Moran doubled in
Chapelgate’s three-run third, which proved decisive.

Here are the box scores and remaining schedules for both tournaments.

A Conference

Archbishop Spalding 8, St. Paul’s 0
AS 021 023 0 – 8 12 0
SP 000 000 0 – 0 3 0
Patten
and Palmer; Perkins, Carey (6), Carlson and Roane. 2B: AS-Hines,
Hillsinger, Summerfelt; SP-Carey, Mari. 3B: S-Brinkley. HR: AS-Palmer.

Monday
Mount St. Joseph at Archbishop Spalding, 4:00 pm

Wednesday
MIAA A Conference Finals
Calvert Hall vs. Spalding/St. Joe Winner @ Ripken Stadium, approx. 5:00 pm

Thursday
MIAA A Conference “If Necessary” Game @ Ripken Stadium, 4:00 pm

B Conference

Boys’ Latin 9, St. Vincent Pallotti 2
SVP 002 000 0 – 2 6 3
BL 031 122 x – 9 12 1
Flannery and Hughes; Jerrard and Trimmer. 2B: SVP-Martindale, Flannery, Hughes; BL-Mitchell, Mellinger. HR: BL-Knight, Mitchell.

Chapelgate Christian 3, St. Mary’s 2
CC 003 000 0 – 3 4 0
SM 100 000 1 – 2 3 0
Siggins and Ruzzi; Poretz and Henry. 2B: CC-Moran; SM-Poretz.

Monday
St. Mary’s vs. Chapelgate Christian @ Corridor Park, 4:00 pm