CARY, N.C. – Jacob Thomas and Trevor Bradley allowed just three hits in a combined shutout to lead St. Johns Country Day (Orange Park, Fla.) past Huntington Beach High School (Huntington Beach, Calif.), 1-0, in the semifinals of the 2022 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance on Friday, April 8, in Cary, North Carolina.

With the win, the Spartans – who are making their first-ever tournament appearance – have secured their spot in Saturday night’s NHSI championship game.

Kyle Boylston’s RBI single in the bottom of the second inning was the only offense that the Spartans needed, as Thomas and Bradley combined to shut down Huntington Beach in dominant fashion. The Oilers reached third base only once in the game, putting the tying run just 90 feet away in the fourth before Thomas struck out Marco Martinez to maintain the shutout.

The teams combined for just five hits in the game. Boylston (1-for-2) and Kody Daneault (1-for-2) were the only Spartans to notch a hit in the win, while Trent Grindlinger (1-for-2) and Ventimiglia (2-for-3) accounted for the Oilers’ only offense. Carpentier, Aidan Espinoza, and Grindlinger all reached base via walks for Huntington Beach but the Oilers were unable to take advantage of the free passes.

Thomas earned the win, throwing five shutout innings with four strikeouts and becoming the third Spartans pitcher to pitch five innings in the tournament. Bradley picked up the save in relief with two hitless frames, adding a strikeout.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Both sides went down in order in the opening inning, as Ian Van Holt and Thomas each registered a strikeout.
• Ventimiglia singled and stole second to put a runner in scoring position for the Oilers in the top of the second, but Thomas kept the game tied with a strikeout to escape trouble.
• Finn Howell walked to open the Spartans’ half of the second inning and came around to score on a base hit by Boylston to score the game’s first and only run, giving St. Johns a 1-0 lead.
• Grindlinger and Ventimiglia both singled with two outs in the top of the fourth to put the tying run in scoring position for Huntington Beach, but Thomas struck out Martinez to get out of the jam and preserve St. Johns’ one-run lead.
• Carpentier drew a leadoff walk to start the top of the fifth for Huntington Beach but the Oilers were unable to capitalize as the Spartans maintained a 1-0 lead.
• Bradley relieved Thomas in the sixth inning and allowed just one baserunner, a two-out walk in the sixth. He threw a perfect seventh inning to earn the save and clinch St. Johns’ spot in the NHSI title game.
• NOTABLE INFORMATION
• After his RBI single for St. Johns in the second inning, Boylston’s tournament batting average now sits at .625 (5-for-8) with five RBIs.
• With the shutout, St. Johns now owns a 1.40 team-ERA through the tournament’s first three games. The Spartans have allowed just four runs in 20 innings of play and have held opponents to a .194 (14-for-72) batting average.
• Van Holt suffered the loss for the Oilers after allowing one run in four innings. He held the Spartans to just two hits before handing the ball to Hunter Drake, who kept Huntington Beach within a run with two perfect innings of relief.
• Ventimiglia’s two hits for Huntington Beach were a game high, as the catcher raised his tournament batting average to .500 (3-for-6) in the win.
• The game was the Oilers’ third appearance in the NHSI semifinal round in program history. They own a 1-2 record in such games, with the win coming during their 2016 title run.
• St. Johns is just the second Florida school to make it to the NHSI title game after The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.) won the tournament in 2014.

ON DECK

• St. Johns Country Day advances to the championship game of the 2022 NHSI on Saturday night. The Spartans will face the winner of Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.) vs. Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla.). The title game will be streamed live on USABaseball.com, @USABaseball on Facebook, and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.
• Huntington Beach falls into the consolation bracket with the loss. The Oilers will take on The First Academy (Orlando, Fla.) on Saturday.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2022 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI22 in their posts.