It WCAC playoff time, and for the past two years, that has spelled a time for some “Cardinal magic”. Whether that continues is open to debate, but the “good guys” got two and third innings from starter Jake Gutman, then Andrew Bladen came on to hold St Mary Ryken in check for an 8-5 win on the road in Leonardtown.
“I don’t know what it is, but we have played our best baseball in May these past few years,” said Ireton’s Mike Gallagher. The coach pointed to key two-out hitting in the Monday night contest in St Mary’s County as a turning point, adding, “It seemed like we went the whole month of April without a two-out hit, then get key two-out hits from Patrick O’Connell and Corey Phillips today.”
Ireton fell behind 1-0 in the first, tied the game in the second, then surged to a 5-3 lead headed into the final frame. The Cardinals tacked on 3 in the 7th and though the Knights added a pair in the home half of the final stanza, it wasn’t enough to save their season. With the win Ireton advances to the quarterfinals on Wednesday at St Johns.
The Cadets are the league’s top seed, but Ireton has played them 4-3, and 3-1 in their previous meetings. “No doubt that St John’s is a tall order, but Wednesday we don’t have to be the best team in the league, we only need to be the best team on the field.” Gametime is 4pm. Winner advances to the semifinals at the University of Maryland on Friday. Semifinals are scheduled for 4pm and 7pm.
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