CARY, N.C. – In their opening game of the USA Baseball National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance, St. Johns Country Day School (Orange Park, Fla.) used a trio of two-run innings to take down Servite High School (Anaheim, Calif.), 8-4, on Wednesday, April 6, at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

The two teams traded runs in the first inning to take a 2-2 tie into the second before St. Johns took control. The Spartans plated runs in each of the next three frames to take a commanding 6-2 lead, scoring two in the second with a Brad Hodges two-RBI single and one apiece in the third and fourth innings. After a quiet couple innings for both offenses, St. Johns added two insurance runs in the top of the seventh and Servite rallied for two clutch RBI doubles in the bottom half but it wasn’t enough as the Spartans got a popup to close out the 8-4 victory.

Jordan Taylor led the St. Johns offense on the day, finishing 3-for-4 with two runs score, while Finn Howell (1-for-2) led both teams in RBIs with three. Servite spread its offense throughout the lineup with five different players recording the team’s five hits and Jarrod Hocking, Agustin Gutierrez, Mikiah Negrete, and Nicholas Gallardo responsible for an RBI apiece.

Brad Hodges was a force both at the plate and on the mound for the Spartans. He allowed just three runs on three hits while striking out nine in 6.2 innings of work to earn the win while also going 1-for-3 at the plate with two RBIs and a run scored. Servite’s Xavier Cardenas III was tagged with the loss after surrendering four runs on five hits in two innings.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• St. Johns Country Day got on the board first courtesy of a two-RBI single off the bat of Finn Howell that gave the Spartans a 2-0 advantage in the top of the first.
• Servite wasted no time responding to St. Johns Country Day early offense when Agustin Gutierrez laced a double down the left field line in the bottom half of the first to bring Jarrod Hocking home and make it a 2-1 game.
• A single and a walk then loaded the bases for Servite’s Mikiah Negrete who took full advantage with an RBI single that tied the game at 2-2 through one complete.
• St. Johns didn’t lose its lead for long though as another two-RBI single, this time from Brad Hodges, put the team up 4-2 in the second.
• Vic Patel added another run for St. Johns in the top of the third, dropping an RBI single into center field for the 5-2 lead.
• One inning later, Jordan Taylor singled, advanced to second on a flyout, and stole third before Finn Howell collected his third RBI of the day with a sacrifice fly that gave St. Johns a 6-2 lead.
• Isaiah Mamea added an insurance run for a 7-2 St. Johns lead in the top of the seventh with a single to center field that brought home Finn Howell, who had led off the inning with walk.
• Kyle Boylston was responsible for the final St. Johns run of the day after his sacrifice fly plated Kody Daneault for an 8-2 advantage in the seventh.
• Down to its final out, Servite’s Nick Gallardo and Jarrod Hocking hit back-to-back RBI doubles that cut the deficit in half but it wouldn’t be enough as Gavan Bradley came on in relief and got the final out to secure the 8-4 victory.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• St. Johns Country Day starts its NHSI tournament 1-0 with the win.
• Servite drops to 0-1 in the 2022 NHSI with the loss.
• Brad Hodges finished just one out shy of a complete game, allowing just three hits, three runs and two walks through 6.2 innings on the mound for St. Johns Country Day while picking up nine strikeouts.

ON DECK

• St. Johns Country Day advances to the quarterfinals of the 2022 NHSI on Wednesday. The Spartans will face the winner of Tuesday’s game between Buford High School (Buford, Ga.) and Don Bosco Prep (Ramsey, N.J.) on Thursday.
• Servite 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 follow @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI22 in their posts.