Oak Hall Baseball Advances to District Championship

The Oak Hall baseball team stayed hot Tuesday afternoon by taking down Countryside Christian in the 1A-District 5 semifinals.

In a rematch of regular season opponents, the hot bats of the Eagles drove them to a 16-5 victory against the Minutemen at Roger Maris Field.

After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first off an error by third basemen B.J. Johnson, the Eagles had six consecutive batters reach in the inning off five walks and an infield single that plated three runs.

The Minutemen (9-8) put another runner across off an error in the second, but the Eagles (7-10) responded with two runs in the third.

Johnson got two of his four stolen bases of the game in the third, constantly setting up Oak Hall batters with runners in scoring position.

“As soon as the pitcher lifts his leg up too high I’m running,” Johnson said. “But, I’m running either way.”

This confidence on the basepaths is crucial to his impact helping him score a team-leading three runs in the game.

Trailing 5-2 entering the fourth, the Minutemen were desperate to close the gap. They did just that, collecting four of their five hits in the game in the fourth to score three and tie the game at 5-all.

Just as it felt like the tide had turned in Countryside Christian’s favor, left fielder Owen Jeroloman threw a laser home off a Minutemen single to catcher Cameron Currier, who applied the tag to prevent the leading run from scoring.

The Eagles exploded for eight runs in their fourth off five hits, including a base-clearing bunt from Currier that involved two Minutemen errors.

Inspired by the strong showing from the offense, freshman pitcher Chase Wilson tossed a dominant fifth in striking out the first two batters then forcing a fly out. When asked what his approach was on the mound, Wilson kept it straightforward.

“Throw the ball over the plate, throw it hard … that’s the secret to pitching right there,” Wilson said.

The Eagles put another three across in the fifth inning to get to the mercy-rule victory.

This win pushed the Eagles into the district championship game, where they will meet the Saint Francis Catholic Academy Wolves (20-4) for the third time this season, with the Wolves taking the first two matchups. 

But Oak Hall is keeping its eyes ahead.

“What happened in the regular season doesn’t matter right now, we’ve just gotta play one game at a time … and get to the next round,” Johnson said.

The district championship is set for 5 p.m. Thursday at Saint Francis.

2026 FHSAA Baseball District Tournaments 1A District 5

Category: Baseball, High School Sports, Oak Hall High School