NORTON – Three Cape Cod high school baseball teams will make a bid for the MIAA Division 4 South Sectional Championship title in today’s South Sectional Semifinals, as the upstart #13 seed Monomoy Regional Sharks (13-7) head to James V. Sidell Stadium at Wheaton College to tackle defending Division 4 state champion and top seed St. John Paul II (21-1).
Dave Nichols was spectacular with 17 Ks in the tourney opener.
Sean Walsh/Capecod.com Sports
The Lions have not yet been challenged in the postseason and have ended both games via the mercy rule, both at six innings apiece. The Sharks have revealed some exceptional pitching in both of their postseason victories with right-handers David Nichols and Brandon Hamilton – both juniors.
St. John Paul II has averaged over 10 runs per game this season with just as many if not more hits and one through nine each Lion has shown some prowess with the lumber.
But Monomoy is equally well-coached and Nichols showed he is as legitimate a hurler on the Cape as there is with 17 strikeouts against Millis in the preliminary round. Hamilton followed suit with 12 whiffs to eliminate the Upper Cape Tech Rams.
The smart money is on Lions’ ace Joe Oriola to take the hill this afternoon. It should be battle to the end.
The underrated #6 seed Mashpee Falcons (17-7) have a few tricks up their sleeve as well, and will likely send southpaw ace Joe Demers to the hill at Rockland Memorial Stadium this afternoon (4:00 pm) against the #10 seed Abington crew (15-7). Abington is certainly no stranger to the postseason but for the first time in school history the Falcons have advanced to the semifinal round.
Both games should be exceptional to watch.
— Sean Walsh is the sports editor for www.capecod.com. His email is [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @coachwalshccbm
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