WBy Chris Carillo ’19

With only one week remaining in the CHSAA varsity baseball regular season, Chaminade squared off against Kellenberg Memorial High School.  A sweep over the Firebirds would grant the Flyers a first-round bye in the playoffs next week.

The first game was played at Cantiague Park on a beautiful Tuesday afternoon. The Flyers jumped out to a quick 8-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Patience at bat led to many walks, which propelled the massive rally. Quickly, the big bats heated up, with Anthony Molinari ’18, Aidan Larkin ’19, Jack Peluso ’18, and Logan Koester ’19 all providing critical, timely RBIs.  Mike Toohig ’18 and Anthony Raziano ’18 combined to close out the game. Kellenberg never recovered from the early offensive onslaught, and Chaminade convincingly took game one, cruising to a 10-3 victory.

The Firebirds then hosted Chaminade at Eisenhower Park on Wednesday afternoon, hoping to rebound from the loss on Tuesday.  The game featured Logan Koester ’19 matched up against Kellenberg’s ace, Jason Diaz ’19. Both pitchers were dealing, as strikeouts mounted on both sides.  Diaz racked up 10 K’s over 5 innings, while Koester threw an incredibly low 59 pitches over six innings. Paul Orbon ’19 hit a triple, driving in Anthony Molinari ’18 for Chaminade’s lone run.  The Firebirds knotted up the series, 1-1, with a promising 3-1 win.

The all-important rubber game was held on Senior Day at Cantiague Park. Senior Nick Biscardi took the mound for the Crimson and Gold in this pivotal game.  Kellenberg jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the first inning, but the Flyers battled hard, though they failed to score any runs through the sixth inning. Then, in the seventh inning, with two men on base, Logan Koester ’19 stepped up to the dish and slammed a fastball over the right-field fence to give Chaminade a much needed 3-2 lead.  Senior Nick Jaskolski, Chaminade’s closer, preserved the game and earned the win.

By winning two out of three games over the Firebirds, Chaminade clinched third place in the CHSAA with an 11-6 record.  Led by their captain, Scott McKinnon ’18, the Flyers are poised to make a deep run in the playoffs. With their potent offense and gritty pitching staff, Chaminade seeks the elusive CHSAA championship.  Be sure to come out and support your Flyers in what will surely be an exciting fun-filled week of playoff baseball. Let’s go Flyers!