You can do it once to the state’s most state’s most storied high school baseball program, but you can’t do it twice.
That was the message Arundel had for Quince Orchard, Tuesday in the 4A state semifinals. Erasing the memory of last year’s horrific loss to QO in the state championship game, Arundel subdued the Cougars, 9-4, at Prince George’s Stadium.
Sophomore Tyler Hibbs, the losing pitcher when QO rallied from a 9-0 deficit to win 10-9 last year, was composed and motivated this time as he limited the Cougars to seven hits and three walks.
“They were talking stuff, thinking they were going to go all the way. That really pumped us up,” said Hibbs. “From last year, I knew how they hit. And I’m a little bit more experienced.”
This time, Hibbs (12-1) prevented any late heroics as he set down the last eight Cougars he faced. Mixing his fastball and sharp-breaking curve, Hibbs held three of the first four batters in the Cougars’ lineup hitless.
“He was tough. He was better than last year,” said Towson-bound center fielder Kevin Collins, the Cougars’ cleanup hitter who went 0 for 4. “A year of experience obviously made him a better pitcher.”
Arundel (22-3) will try to win its 10th state championship Friday night against the winner of last night’s other semifinal between Eleanor Roosevelt and C.M. Wright. No other team in the state has won more than five state titles.
“Last year was last year. We had a very young team,” said Arundel coach Bernie Walter. “Most of the guys in this game played in the game last year. Several of [QO’s] players graduated. We were a little bigger and a little stronger than we were last year.”
Another advantage Arundel had this time was Corey Overholtzer. Last year the outfielder missed the postseason with an injury. Tuesday the Wildcats’ leadoff man blew open the game with a three-run home run in the second inning. When 6-foot-4 first baseman Shawn Pleffner followed with his first of two solo home runs, Arundel had a 5-0 lead.
Arundel battered two of QO’s best pitchers. In his previous outing, Matt O’Keefe (7-1) fired a no-hitter at Walter Johnson in the region quarterfinals. Tuesday afternoon, however, he was gone by the second inning.
QO (21-1) reduced the lead to 6-4 with three runs in the bottom of the fifth as Mike Celenza ripped an RBI double and David Moldawer brought in a run with an infield single.
But Arundel retaliated with three in the top of the sixth, on three singles and two walks off reliever Andy Moldawer (8-0).
“We came in down 5-0 and we said, ‘We’ve been here before,’ said QO coach Jason Gasaway. “We were able to stay loose and put together a couple. But we flat out left too many guys on base.”
Milestones
» The defeat halted Quince Orchard’s 34-game winning streak.
» QO coach Jason Gasaway has lost only two games in two seasons as head coach.
» Walter coached Arundel to its first state championship in 1976.
