State Playoffs: Eagles Downed in Six Innings by Catonsville, 11-1

Fortunately for Catonsville baseball, it’s getting starting pitcher Ian Baker back on the mound at just the right time.

Baker, who only appeared in three regular season games (as a pitcher) due to an arm injury, allowed just one unearned run on four hits and fanned seven Aberdeen hitters as the Comets parlayed a four-run first inning and a five-run fifth into an 11-1 victory over the Eagles in six innings via the ten-run mercy rule.

Catonsville (8-7) advances to the 3A North quarterfinals and will hit the road to take on second-seeded North Harford on Monday.

“This is the only thing I really care about,” Baker said of finding his groove come the postseason. “Now that it’s the playoffs I felt completely different before the game. I’m so excited about it. It’s playoff time.”

After Baker allowed his only run in the top of the first—an RBI groundout by Zach Litsch after D.J. Budnick led off the game with a single and advanced to third when stealing second—the Comets responded with four in the bottom half of the inning.

Three of those runs came courtesy of shortstop Nathan Carpenter (3 for 4, 5 RBI, 1 run). With the bases loaded, the sophomore smacked a two-out triple that split the outfielders in left-center and plated all three runners.

In fact, it was Carpenter—batting out of the seven hole—that essentially finished what he started, delivering the game's final two runs in practically the same fashion.

Again with two outs and the bases loaded, he deposited another extra base hit to left center, bringing home runs 10 and 11 to put the slaughter rule in effect and abolish any chance of an Aberdeen come back in the top of the seventh.

“He’s a good baseball player,” Catonsville head coach Rich Hambor said of Carpenter. “I’ve been watching him since he was a little kid…so I knew he could play. He’s 100 percent more confident than he was in March, and he’s going to be that much better in his junior and senior year. He’s not a sophomore anymore really.”  

Although the Comets five-run fifth blew the game wide open, the Eagles (5-12) kept it close and had scoring chances, but couldn’t cash in.

Aberdeen put two runners on base in consecutive innings prior to Catonsville’s big inning, but Baker struck out Brian Felts to end the fourth and set down three-hole hitter Ben Ensor (with runners on the corners) on a hard line drive to right fielder Robbie Wheeton to escape the fifth.

“They came up with some defensive plays and got us out of the inning,” Aberdeen head coach Charles ‘Rigor’ Mortis said. “Some bad breaks came our way.”

After eluding the fifth inning threat unharmed, Catonsville turned its 4-1 lead into a 9-1 rout, sending nine to the plate in the frame and chasing Eagles starter Griffin Godbey—who allowed three of the five runs on wild pitches—out of the game.

Friday’s result brings a tough end to the year for Aberdeen, which envisioned a close contest ahead if it could get past Catonsville in the opening round.

“It definitely is disappointing,” Mortis said. “We hoped that we would be able to win today and play North Harford, who we played tough last week.”

Advancing to the region quarterfinal, Hambor has Catonsville looking at its scenario one game at a time.

“We can’t look too far down the road in the playoffs,” Hambor said. “Aberdeen plays in a real tough league. They’re a good team and we’re not looking past anybody.”

BOX SCORE

Catonsville 11, Aberden 1, 6 innings

A 100 000----1 4 3

C 400 052----11 10 2

Pitching

A                             IP            R             H             BB           K

Godbey  (L)          4.2          9              8              2              2

Ensor                     1              2              2              2              2

C

Baker                    6              1              4              0              7

Batting

RBI: A-Litsch.

        C-Carpenter 5, Hunt, Wheeton.

2B: C-DiPace, Carpenter.

3B: Carpenter.

SB: A-Johnson.

       C-Hunt, Wheeton.