by Joe DiBlasi
(Scroll down for video highlights, interviews and more photos)
When it comes to locking down baseball championships at Calvert Hall, senior Mike Dillon is the man.
Last night, Dillon made his third consecuitve outstanding championship start at Ripken Stadium and got his second straight complete game win in a final, as Calvert Hall edged Archbishop Spalding, 2-1, in a tremendous high school baseball game, to capture its fourth straight MIAA A Conference crown.
Dillon threw a complete game three-hitter at a prolific Spalding lineup and sophomore
second baseman Patrick Fitzgerald singled in the winning run in the bottom of
the fifth inning.
It was Dillon’s
ninth win of the year for coach Lou Eckerl, whose record over the last four
years is 118-15.
“I give all of the credit to the kids,” said the proud
skipper, as the Cardinals mobbed one another on the infield to celebrate another
title.
At one point during the season this championship edition was
actually ranked #1 in the country by Baseball America. An early season trip to the Anderson Bat Classic in California, however, produced just a 1-3 record, the program’s first losses since 2006. When the Cardinals returned home, they found a much improved MIAA A Conference, filled with teams willing to take on the challenge of dethroning the Cardinals. They were pushed every step of the way and actually took on three conference losses as they finished at 26-7 overall. And, in the end, they extended their reign over the MIAA.
Calvert was ranked #1 in Baltimore by DigitalSports.com every week but one, the week it lost
to Spalding, 10-3, at home. The Cards and Cavs split two regular season
games, but the Cardinals gave the Cavs both of their losses in the double elimination playoffs. Last Friday,
senior Kevin Lingerman won his 20th game on the mound, without a loss in his stellar four year career, when the Hall beat the Cavs, 7-2, at Carlo Crispino
Stadium to reach the finals.
Lingerman concludes a brilliant four year career by celebrating
his fourth consecutive MIAA championship.
Last night, Spalding scored quickly and had Dillon in serious first inning trouble, but he calmly worked out of the jam.
Lead-off hitter Matt Hillsinger (.453) lined
a solid double to left-center to start the threat and the Cavaliers loaded the bases when Adam Sumerfeldt was hit by a pitch and Kody
Hines drew a one out walk. Catcher Eddie Palmer followed with a sac-fly
to center, to plate Hillsinger, but that was all Dillon would surrender. Spalding also mounted a small threat in the second, but again Dillon closed the door. After the second inning, he allowed just one more hit and finished with 12 strikeouts, as he mastered the Cavs with a good breaking ball and a sharp fastball.
Calvert
Hall also scored in the first inning, as junior Pat Balir singled and came
around to score on a double by clean-up hitter Greg Bryant. It was Bryant’s
27th RBI of the year.
The Cardinals got the go
ahead run in the fifth after initially squandering a golden opportunity.
Justin Anderson led off the inning with a triple into the
left-field corner. John Hornberger was sent in to pinch run and stood at third with nobody out. However, he was caught off the base when the next batter, Luke Sawyer, hit a hard grounder to third that was speared by Spalding’s Adam
Summerfeldt. Summerfeldt then made a heady play as he lunged to tag out Hornberger and relieve some of the pressure on starter Jeff Kemp. The Cardinals, however, kept plugging.
Mike Blackwell ran for Sawyer, who had reached
first on the fielder’s choice. Blackwell advanced to second on a wild pitch,
and scored the go-ahead run on a line single to right off the bat of
Fitzgerald.
“I was just looking to put the ball in play,” said the
scrappy second sacker. “Spalding has a great team and they battled all the
way.”
Eckerl moved Fitzgerald to the top of the order in the
middle of the season, when he saw that the sophomore had an on-base percentage
over .500.
Kemp, a senior who made just one other start this spring for
coach Steve Miller, pitched well enough to win. He held the Cards to six hits, and struck
out five, in a contest that was played in a light rain from the second inning forward.
“They are a great team,” said Kemp. “They always seem to come
up with the big play.”
Spalding finished at 28-8.
Calvert Hall 2, Archbishop Spalding 1
AS 100 000 0 – 1 3 1
CH 100 010 x – 2 6 1
2B: CH-Bryant; AS-Hillsinger.
3B- CH-Anderson.
Kemp and Palmer; Dillon and Sawyer.
WP-Dillon LP-Kemp
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