Aidan Larkin broke the game open with a two-run single in Chaminade’s 6-4 victory over St. Anthony’s. He’s our @BsbLifestyle101 Player of the Game pic.twitter.com/5U9A8TTeMG
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 26, 2019
No. 1 seed Chaminade held off a seventh inning rally by No. 5 St. Anthony’s to win 6-4 and put themselves one win away from capturing the 2019 NSCHSAA Championship.
Having not played since Wednesday, the Flyers were tasked with holding down a red-hot Friars offense that put up 20 runs in the previous 2 games. The Friars took an early 2-0 lead on an RBI single by Jack Calla and an RBI double by Cameron Leary in the bottom of the second inning, but senior RHP Bobby Dahl settled in after that.
The Flyers offense answered right back in the bottom of the second inning on a two-run single by Brendan O’Hara to tie it up, but Billy Fitzgerald escaped the jam with consecutive ground outs to Cameron Dunn at short.
After a scoreless third inning for both teams, the Flyers opened up a four-run lead in the fourth thanks to an RBI single by Aidan Umhafer, a wild pitch and a two-run single by Hofstra-commit Aidan Larkin on his future turf.
Dahl threw up a zero in the fifth inning before giving way to Matt Merolla who threw a scoreless sixth inning.
Things got a bit dicey in the seventh inning when the Friars got back-to-back singles by Jack Vallario and Jack Calla to send up the top of the order but a strikeout and an infield pop out made it two outs. Marco Ali ripped a two-run double to make it 6-4 and bring the tying run to the plate but Merolla was able to escape the jam and seal the deal with a fly out to left field to end the game.
The two teams will be back in action tomorrow morning at 11am at Hofstra once again. The Flyers are now 14-3 on the season and will send ace Logan Koester to the hill seeking their first Championship since 2015. If the Friars can get past him, they will force a do-or-die Game 3 as they are seeking their first Championship since 2000.
