CARY, N.C. – Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School (Parkland, Fla.) scored eight runs in the fifth inning en route to a 12-1 quarterfinal round victory over Yucaipa High School (Yucaipa, Calif.) at the 2022 USA Baseball National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance on Thursday, April 7, in Cary, North Carolina.

Every Eagles batter recorded at least one hit in the win. After tying the game on an RBI single by Grant McDonald in the top of the fourth, Stoneman Douglas exploded for eight runs in the fifth to break the game open. The scoring onslaught started when Roman Anthony scored on a wild pitch, followed by five consecutive singles by the Eagles to plate five runs. Chris Arroyo’s RBI single was the first of the five straight hits, as Niko Benestad, McDonald, Rylan Lujo, and Anthony added base hits of their own to continue the rally and pull away from Yucaipa. 

Cameron Harris (3-for-3) and McDonald (3-for-4) were the offensive leaders for the Eagles. McDonald, whose single in the fourth tied the game, had a game-high four RBIs. Chris Arroyo (2-for-3) added three RBIs for Stoneman Douglas, who scored all 12 of its runs in the final three innings. Yucaipa’s offense was paced by Owen Egan (2-for-3), who had the only multi-hit game of the day, and Jacob Reimer (1-for-3) who drove in the Thunderbirds’ only run in the first inning.

Christian Rodriguez got the start for Stoneman Douglas and turned in a complete game, allowing five hits and striking out eight. After surrendering a run in the first, Rodriguez settled in and let up just three hits in the final five innings. 

With the win, Stoneman Douglas moves on to the NHSI semifinal round on Friday.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Yucaipa rattled off back-to-back hits in the bottom of the first to open the scoring. After Owen Egan singled, Jacob Reimer sent a double down the left field line to give the Thunderbirds a 1-0 lead.
• Egan and Rodriguez exchanged zeroes for the next two innings until McDonald’s two-out, RBI single in the top of the fourth tied the game at one.
• The Eagles took their first lead of the game in the top of the fifth, when Anthony led off with a walk and scored on a wild pitch.
• Chris Arroyo’s RBI single to plate Jake Clemente was the first of five consecutive run-scoring singles by the Eagles. Benestad, McDonald, Lujo, and Anthony’s base knocks gave Stoneman Douglas an 8-1 lead, and Clemente’s sacrifice fly capped off the inning to give the Eagles an eight-run advantage.
• Dillon Moquin led off the top of the sixth with a single, the first of three straight hits for Stoneman Douglas to open the frame. Arroyo added his second RBI single of the game in the inning, and McDonald delivered a two-run double to give Stoneman Douglas a 12-1 lead that it would hold onto to win.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• Stoneman Douglas has now scored 27 runs and allowed just one through its first two NHSI games. The Eagles beat DH Conley High School (Greeneville, North Carolina), 15-0, in the opening round.
• The Eagles had at least one hit in every inning of the win, including a six-hit output in the big fifth inning. They are now batting .483 (27-for-60) through two NHSI games.
• With three more stolen bases in tonight’s win, Stoneman Douglas is a now a perfect 8-for-8 on stolen bases in the tournament.
• Egan now owns a .600 (3-for-5) tournament batting average after picking up a pair of hits in the defeat.

ON DECK

• Stoneman Douglas advances to the semifinals of the 2022 NHSI on Friday. The Eagles will face three-time defending champion Orange Lutheran High School (Orange, Calif.), who beat Basic Academy (Henderson, Nev.) in the quarterfinal round. The semifinal game will be streamed live on USABaseball.com, @USABaseball on Facebook, and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.
• Yucaipa falls into the consolation bracket with the loss. Their next opponent will be announced this evening.

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.