CCHS survives Oak Grove, clinches 1A state baseball title

After surrendering a six-run lead during a two-inning span, No. 1-ranked Central Catholic didn't panic when it came to bat in the bottom of the seventh against No. 7 Oak Grove in the Class 1A state baseball championship Saturday.
Instead, the squad rallied and left the field at McMurry Park with the school's first baseball title since 2005.
Central Catholic (28-4) produced three infield singles to load the bases with no outs before senior Samuel Guarisco ended the game with an RBI-single to centerfield for an 8-7 Central Catholic victory
Guarisco, who was named Class 1A's Outstanding Player following the game, finished 3-for-3 at the plate. He also earned the victory on the mound, relieving his cousin, Gregory Leger, in the sixth inning.
For Central Catholic, the bottom of the seventh began with an infield single by nine-hole hitter Adam Dupuis. Stefano Guarisco and Drake Angeron followed with back-to-back bunt singles to load the bases with no outs before Samuel Guarisco's heroic finish.
Central Catholic led 7-1 entering the top of the sixth inning, but Oak Grove mounted a huge rally in the sixth and seventh. The Tigers scored four runs in the top of the sixth to cut their deficit to 7-5.
After keeping Central Catholic off the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth, Oak Grove tied the game in the top of the seventh.
Oak Grove finished its season with an 18-8 mark.
Saturday's title was the Eagles first since Central Catholic baseball coach Tyler Jensen's senior year of high school. Jensen led the Eagles to the past four state tournaments in 1A, including two state championship berths in his first two seasons, and two semifinal berths the last two years.
Look for more on the semifinals and finals in Monday's newspaper as well as at www.stmarynow.com.