It?s uncommon that a single game in the second round of a regional high school playoff could open eyes. But Arundel?s 1-0 loss to Thomas Stone Monday in the Class 4A East Region was a noticeable explosion on an otherwise calm horizon.
“I think everybody in the county will tell you the same thing: They?re shocked,” Chesapeake-AA coach Jim Simms said of Thomas Stone?s 1-0 upset of Arundel. “Thomas Stone shocked this area.”
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Simms? club, which beat Glen Burnie, 4-2, behind a small-ball approach, will host Thomas Stone (Charles County) today at 4 p.m. in the 4A East semifinals.
Chesapeake-AA won the state title in 1997. The Cougars toppled Old Mill, which won the 2003 4A title and was the last Baltimore area champ in that classification until Arundel?s 10th title last year, in the first round.
Arundel?s loss, though, doesn?t just affect its individual bracket, but the entire 4A classification. C. Milton Wright, which lost to Arundel in the 4A state championship last May, is playing a crucial regional semifinal against Parkville today at 4.
“They?re a very good team,” Mustangs assistant Joe Stetka said. “We?re taking nothing lightly. We know we?re going to face [Parkville?s ace pitcher Kevin] Jacob.”
Parkville and C. Milton Wright both have the pitching and the résumés necessary to make a run at a state championship. Neither team has won a state title, but the Mustangs have an experienced team that made quite a run last year after a so-so regular season. They beat Parkville, 2-1, in last year?s playoffs. This year, C. Milton Wright went 17-1 with an Upper Chesapeake Bay Athletic Conference championship.
But Arundel was nearly perfect this year, too. If nothing else, ninth-seeded Thomas Stone has proven that the regular season means nothing when it comes time for the playoffs.
“The scouting report tells me they?re a pretty good baseball team,” said Simms, who admitted his team was “fortunate” to get past Glen Burnie. “We?re just looking for a pretty hard game.”
