Baseball State Finals Preview
The state baseball tournament finals will take place Friday, 5/24 and Saturday, 5/25 at Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen. Read about each matchup, including game times and how each team got here, below.
The Sherwood (22-1) boys have reached their first state title game since 2014 and will be seeking the third championship in program history. They walked off Dulaney, 1-0, to win the 4A North title, before topping Eleanor Roosevelt, 11-1, to advance to the title game. The Warriors have allowed just four runs combined in their four postseason games this spring.
Old Mill (16-8) also used some walk-off magic, this time in the state semi-finals against Walt Whitman, in their march to their first state title game since 2003. They have featured similarly strong pitching throughout the tournament, giving up seven runs in their five playoff games, including shutouts of North County and South River. A win on Friday would be the program's fourth.
The C. Milton Wright (13-9) boys have looked strong throughout the playoffs, taking down Northern, 4-2, in the state semi-finals after a pair of 10-0 wins in the previous rounds. That win secured the Mustangs' first trip to the state title game since they won their only championship back in 2010. They are the only team seeded fourth or lower to make it to this year's title game.
Recovering from a late-season losing skid, the James M. Bennett (15-5) boys have mastered the art of winning the close game in the playoffs; three of their four wins have come by one or two runs. Advancing to the state championship game for the first time since winning back-to-back titles in 2011-12, they have a chance to join St. Michael's as the only team to win three titles this decade.
La Plata (19-5) will try to avenge last season's title-game loss on Saturday after advancing to the championship game for the fourth time this decade. This year marked the eighth time in the past nine years that the Warriors made it to the state semi-finals, and they have a chance to win their second title in program history this weekend. They have yet to allow a run throughout the entire tournament, shutting out Hereford, 1-0, in the semi-finals last weekend.
Opposite the Warriors, the Middletown boys are seeking their second title in the past three years this weekend at Ripken Stadium. The one seed from the 2A West region have won in a variety of ways this postseason, including a 9-6 victory over Oakdale for the regional title and two 5-1 victories, including last week's semi-final victory over Fallston.
The McDonough (13-8) boys have started to build momentum as a program during recent years; all three of the school's trips to the state semi-finals have come since 2015, and this year, they have a shot at bringing home their first-ever baseball state championship. After winning their two previous games by a combined score of 33-0, they defeated Randallstown, 4-2, in the state semi-finals last week to secure a spot in the title game.
They will face the undefeated Col. Richardson (23-0) Colonels on Saturday, a team coming off back-to-back one-run victories in the regional championship and state semi-finals. The Colonels were victorious in the program's lone trip to the state championship game back in 2007.
Find all of the information about this week's state championship games here: https://www.mpssaa.org/ripken-stadium-primed-to-host-state-baseball-finals-friday-524--saturday-525/
4A: (1) Sherwood v. (3) Old Mill (Friday at 7:30 p.m.)
The Sherwood (22-1) boys have reached their first state title game since 2014 and will be seeking the third championship in program history. They walked off Dulaney, 1-0, to win the 4A North title, before topping Eleanor Roosevelt, 11-1, to advance to the title game. The Warriors have allowed just four runs combined in their four postseason games this spring.
Old Mill (16-8) also used some walk-off magic, this time in the state semi-finals against Walt Whitman, in their march to their first state title game since 2003. They have featured similarly strong pitching throughout the tournament, giving up seven runs in their five playoff games, including shutouts of North County and South River. A win on Friday would be the program's fourth.
3A: (4) C. Milton Wright v. (2) J.M. Bennett (Saturday at 7 p.m.)
The C. Milton Wright (13-9) boys have looked strong throughout the playoffs, taking down Northern, 4-2, in the state semi-finals after a pair of 10-0 wins in the previous rounds. That win secured the Mustangs' first trip to the state title game since they won their only championship back in 2010. They are the only team seeded fourth or lower to make it to this year's title game.
Recovering from a late-season losing skid, the James M. Bennett (15-5) boys have mastered the art of winning the close game in the playoffs; three of their four wins have come by one or two runs. Advancing to the state championship game for the first time since winning back-to-back titles in 2011-12, they have a chance to join St. Michael's as the only team to win three titles this decade.
2A: (1) La Plata v. (1) Middletown (Saturday at 4 p.m.)
La Plata (19-5) will try to avenge last season's title-game loss on Saturday after advancing to the championship game for the fourth time this decade. This year marked the eighth time in the past nine years that the Warriors made it to the state semi-finals, and they have a chance to win their second title in program history this weekend. They have yet to allow a run throughout the entire tournament, shutting out Hereford, 1-0, in the semi-finals last weekend.
Opposite the Warriors, the Middletown boys are seeking their second title in the past three years this weekend at Ripken Stadium. The one seed from the 2A West region have won in a variety of ways this postseason, including a 9-6 victory over Oakdale for the regional title and two 5-1 victories, including last week's semi-final victory over Fallston.
1A: (2) McDonough v. (1) Colonel Richardson (Saturday at 1 p.m.)
The McDonough (13-8) boys have started to build momentum as a program during recent years; all three of the school's trips to the state semi-finals have come since 2015, and this year, they have a shot at bringing home their first-ever baseball state championship. After winning their two previous games by a combined score of 33-0, they defeated Randallstown, 4-2, in the state semi-finals last week to secure a spot in the title game.
They will face the undefeated Col. Richardson (23-0) Colonels on Saturday, a team coming off back-to-back one-run victories in the regional championship and state semi-finals. The Colonels were victorious in the program's lone trip to the state championship game back in 2007.
Find all of the information about this week's state championship games here: https://www.mpssaa.org/ripken-stadium-primed-to-host-state-baseball-finals-friday-524--saturday-525/
| May 23rd, 2019 | By: Ed Waldman |