THE RUNDOWN
TCA (17-12-2) beat John Paul II by a score of 5-2 Tuesday night at Trojan Baseball Field. In a game that the Trojans controlled through the entirety of the middle innings, a brief rally from the Cardinals in the top of the seventh put the go-ahead run at the plate and TCA's Brayden Rice in a bases-loaded jam. But a resilient effort from Rice allowed the Trojans to escape the frame with just one run surrendered as the Cardinals were left stranded on the basepaths while the Trojans celebrated advancing to the regional round of the TAPPS postseason.

It was a stellar day of work for junior Ryan Janacek. The third-year starter gave up a single run while striking out nine through 5.1 innings pitched. His performance through the game's early innings was critical, allowing the offense time to get going.

A TCA offense held silent through the early portion of the game woke up for a five-run fourth inning. Senior Colin Hamilton got things going when he ripped a 3-1 offering back up the middle before coming home to score off the bat of Beck Nelson. Zach Zeleskey then scored on a wild pitch and Jonathan Cook drove in Elijah Liu to give the Trojans a 3-0 advantage. The final offense of the inning – and of the game for the Trojans – came courtesy of Chase Griffin (game-high 3-3, 1 RBI). The junior fired a shot back at first base to bring home Nelson and Bo Sykes.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS
1 – Only one inning of the game featured more than one run scored.
9 – Ryan Janacek struck out nine to earn the win.
4 – TCA held John Paul II to just four hits.

THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
– The Trojans advance to the regional round to face Prestonwood for the second consecutive year.
– TCA has won its opening round playoff game each of the last three years. The Trojans have won a combined six playoff games since 2023.
– The Trojans snap a two-game losing streak against the Cardinals, dating back to last season.