CARY, N.C. | With only two games of play in Colorado as preparation, the Regis Jesuit baseball team performed well with a 2-2 showing the USA National High School Invitational.
Coach Matt Darr’s Raiders won their first two game of play to advance to the semifinals of the prestigious tournament at the National Training Center, then lost their last two.
Regis Jesuit (3-3) returns to play in Colorado on Wednesday with a 4 p.m. home game against Legacy.
The Raiders downed Parkview (Ga.) 6-1 on March 26 to open the National High School Invitational and dealt Mountain Pointe (Ariz.) an 8-4 defeat on March 27 to come within a victory of the championship game, only to go down by a 6-2 count to eventual winner The First Academy (Fla.).
In its finale on March 28 in the consolation bracket, Regis Jesuit saw Huntsville (Ala.) score five runs in the sixth inning to rally for a 6-1 victory.
Senior shortstop Max George — an Oregon State signee — had a strong tournament at the plate for the Raiders, recording at least two hits in three of the games and finishing 9-for-15 (.600) with 3 RBI, while leadoff hitter Quin Cotton went 6-for-14 and 4 RBI.
Errors hurt Regis Jesuit in the final two games, as just five of the 12 runs it yielded in the losses were earned.
Even without senior ace David Peterson, who is recovering from surgery on a fractured fibula, the Raiders pitched well with four different starters taking the hill.
Senior Zach Heath threw a complete game five-hitter in the opener and junior Brent Schwarz picked up the win against Mountain Pointe with 5 solid innings. Seniors Reagan Todd and Justin Thaxton also had solid outings in the final two games outside of the miscues, including three made in the loss to the The First Academy.
Regis Jesuit’s Continental League rival, ThunderRidge, also went 2-2 in the tournament.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. Facebook: Aurora Prep Sentinel