St. John Neumann falls behind early, can’t catch up in 1A state semifinal

State semifinal baseball rarely forgives mistakes, and St. John Neumann found that out the hard way.

Physical and mental errors plagued the Celtics in their Class 1A state semifinal clash against Orangewood Christian, falling 6-4 at Hammond Stadium on Thursday, May 14.

“I thought the offense put some good swings together, but we didn’t play catch,” St. John Neumann coach Charlie Maurer said. “In games like this, when it’s a one-game knockout, you can’t afford to not take care of the baseball. But I’m super proud that they battled to the end. They’ve been doing that all year, and I’m really proud of how resilient this group is.”

MJ Hough, a pitcher for the St. John Neumann High School baseball waits for play to start during the 2026 FHSAA Baseball State Championships semifinal games against Orangewood Christian at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers on Thursday, May 14, 2026. St. John Neumann lost 6-4.

Those miscues surfaced in the opening inning after Orangewood strung together three straight hits, including an RBI single from Max Sakala to make it 1-0. With runners on first and third, Neumann starter MJ Hough tried to execute a third-to-first pickoff move, but Sakala’s courtesy runner was already three-quarters of the way to second base, leaving Darien Kester with no throw.

An attempted pickoff at third base two pitches later by Hough was an errant one, going past third basemen Rowan Lee to make it 2-0. With a runner on third, Tre Roach hit a hard hit ball at Lee, which grazed off his glove to make it 3-0 before Neumann had logged a plate appearance.

Neumann (21-14) responded with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the second, starting with Taylor Reidy’s leadoff single to set the stage for Anthony Kanellos, who doubled off of Sakala down the left field line to plate courtesy runner Anthony Rosato.

Neumann would get another run after a wild pitch sent Kanellos to third, and Aiden Miranti plated him on an infield single to get back within a run.

Members of the St. John Neumann High School baseball react during the 2026 FHSAA Baseball State Championships semifinal game against Orangewood Christian at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers on Thursday, May 14, 2026. St. John Neumann lost 6-4.

“From a game planning standout, I thought we had a good plan for them,” Maurer said of hitting off Sakala, a Miami commit. “I thought he located well with the fastball. Then we just let him off the hook a couple of times with some chase pitches, and it’s a different game. That’s what this game comes down to. When you get to the Final Four, every little thing matters.

“Going into it, we didn’t want to chase, and in big moments, that’s really hard to do and a lot to ask. But from my perspective, I think the plan was right, and we put at-bats together, but the timely hits weren’t there.”

Orangewood (27-3) put the pressure on in the fourth inning after a walk and a sacrifice bunt from Sam Lambert that turned into an airmailed through from Hough trying to get the runner at second, positioning runners at second and third with nobody out.

Carson Balls got a fourth run across with a weak grounder through the hole on the left side to make it 4-2, before Addison Lambert put down a picture-perfect safety squeeze to score Wendorf, making it 5-2 Rams.

“Obviously, you see our size with these other schools, and even those guys are big guys,” Orangewood Christian coach Scott Hilinski said. “That’s our brand of baseball. We throw strikes, make the plays on defense, and take the extra bases, bunt guys over. That’s our brand, and it obviously worked today.”

Cole Travers, right, of the St. John Neumann High School baseball is out at second base during the 2026 FHSAA Baseball State Championships semifinal game against Orangewood Christian at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers on Thursday, May 14, 2026. St. John Neumann lost 6-4.

Maurer went with Caden Hylemon to relieve Hough, who earned the save in their Game 3 win over Canterbury to get to the Final Four.

The sophomore was effective, limiting the damage against the Rams over 3 1/3 innings, allowing three hits, one earned run, and no walks with a strikeout.

“We really liked the matchup of Hylemon,” Maurer said. “We really thought slowing the game down, he’s got such a low heart rate for such a young kid. He’s got a slow breaking ball and a run fastball, especially with baserunners on. The plan was for him to only go through the batting order one time, but he had so much success.”

The Celtics pressured in the bottom half of the fourth after another leadoff single from Reidy, setting up runners on first and second with nobody out following a walk from Roman Howery. Kanellos was unable to get a bunt down, popping out to Balls behind the plate, before Aiden Miranti went down swinging. With Anthony Holloway set to bat for Lee in the No. 9 spot, Rosato was picked off at second in a 1-1 count, ending the threat.

After Sakala got Cole Travers and Luke Parrish to line out and fly out on back-to-back at-bats, Kester launched a double over the left fielder’s head to plate Lee and Gus Fusco, making it 5-4.

In the top half of the seventh, the Rams capitalized again. Sakala poked a hit into short right field which should’ve been a single, but Howery overran it, leading to a double to start the frame. After a sacrifice from Roach to send Sakala’s courtesy runner to third, Aaron McClarnon poked a single over the head of Travers at shortstop, nabbing a key insurance run.

Sakala retired five in a row before Fusco singled with one out in the seventh following a seven-pitch at-bat, bringing Travers to the plate. Neumann’s hottest hitter got under one a bit too much, flying out to center before Sakala’s day ended at 105 pitches.

With one out to get, Aiden Balls came in to face a fellow lefty in Parrish, whom he struck out after an eight-pitch at-bat.

“Two months ago, we were a very immature team,” Maurer said. “This group has gone through a lot. I’m really proud of the young men they’ve become. I think they’re finally ready to fly on their own now. The team really came together well, and it showed on the field.”

Anthony Rosato of the St. John Neumann High School baseball team reacts after being called out at second base during the 2026 FHSAA Baseball State Championships semifinal games against Orangewood Christian at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers on Thursday, May 14, 2026. St. John Neumann lost 6-4.

Orangewood and their fans, which outnumbered Neumann, are set to trek back up to Maitland for graduation before coming back following those ceremonies to take on St. Johns Country Day for the 1A title on Saturday.

“We wanted to get through this game first, but we’ve got a lot of data on them,” Hilinski said. “These guys are good. They were here last year. They’ve got some good arms. I think they saved their No. 1, so he’s able to go again on Saturday.

“I love these guys. I like our chances. It’s baseball. We’re prepared to take on anybody.”

Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X at @NP_AlexMartin or via email: amartin@usatodayco.com. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.

This article originally appeared on Naples Daily News: St. John Neumann baseball loses to Orangewood Christian in 1A Final Four