Gilman beats Loyola, 2-1, for spot in championship round

Willis, two-run 6th help Greyhounds advance

The Gilman baseball team knew it would take a lot Sunday to keep playing this season.

Up against defending Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference champion Loyola Blakefield in an elimination game, it turned out the Greyhounds needed and got close to their best to pull through.

Senior pitcher Michael Willis allowed one run on four hits in 61⁄ innings before giving way to Max Costes for the last two outs as the No. 14 Greyhounds made a two-run sixth inning hold up in defeating the No. 13 Dons, 2-1, at Harford Community College.

Gilman (15-13) advances to the championship round against No. 1 Archbishop Curley, which has yet to lose in the double-elimination tournament. The Greyhounds will have to beat the Friars (27-4) twice, starting tonight with game time set for 7 at the same site.

With Willis and Loyola senior starter Will Glock shutting down the opposing lineups through five innings, the Greyhounds used the long ball and aggressive base running to score the two needed runs in the top of the sixth.

Joe Melancon led off with a tower- ing home run over the high wall in left field. Then, with one out, Tyler Martinez tripled to the gap in right-center field and scored an out later on a passed ball.

“It was two teams just battling each other and trying to push a run across,” Gilman coach Larry Sheets said.

“Joe’s hit some home runs for us this year and that was a big one to go up1-0, especially the way Mike was throwing the ball. And then to push across that other run — two sounds better than one and it certainly turned out to be better.”

The Dons made it 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth when Owen Reynolds singled with one out, stole second base and scored on a two-out single by AJ Holcomb.

In the seventh, Willis got the first out before walking Emmett Reynolds, who took second on a wild pitch.

Costes came on in relief and got Glock to ground out to third, with Reynolds taking third base on the play. Jeff Snider grounded out to third, ending the game.

This season, Sheets has typically used multiple pitchers in games with each going two innings per outing. On Sunday, Willis was pitching too well to throw just two innings. He got support from a defense that handled every play cleanly.

“Last year’s champs, so we knew coming in we’d have to play a really good baseball game because they’re a great team,” Willis said.

“I knew I was going to have to make my pitches — have all four for strikes — and today, fortunately, I did. It’s easier when you have an infield and outfield like we have. Our fielding is incredible, every position on the field. I can just throw the ball and I know they’ll make the plays.”

The Dons close the season with a 16-11 record. In yielding one earned run on five hits, Glock did all he could to keep the season alive, including working his way out of a no-out, basesloaded jam in the top of the seventh to keep the deficit at one run.

“You really can’t ask for much more from your team. We just didn’t hit as well. They had one more big hit than us,” Loyola coach Mike Kelly said.

Gilman’s next challenge is beating the Friars, who have won all three games this season against the Greyhounds, including a 4-3 victory in Wednesday’s winners’ bracket. If Gilman wins today, the teams would play for the championship Tuesday at an undetermined location.

“We’re going to have to play an almost perfect baseball game,” Willis said. “Coach Sheets always talks about having trust in each other and I think the past two games against them — they’ve been one-run games — and we’ve had that trust. I think we’re just one hit away from beating them and pulling off the upset.”