A strong hitting Berkeley Stags baseball team won the 5A Division II state championship over Catawba Ridge ending a successful 2025 campaign for the Copperheads.
Berkeley won game two in the three-game series 9-4 to sweep the Copperheads at home on Saturday, May 31.
“Didn’t really go our way anyway you sliced it,” said Catawba Ridge head coach Stas Swerdzewski. “They got up early and we put ourselves in a hole. They were hot. You have to give them credit. Really tough two games against these guys.
“We knew coming into this season, we had to replace seven starters. We had good arms on the mound. It just took us a while to get our footing offensively. I couldn’t be more proud of this group. I knew there was going to be growing pains. People wrote us off and said we weren’t that good, but I am proud of our guys for staying with it and working hard. We were two games away from accomplishing the mission every high school program sets out to do.”
Both teams started out with a slow first inning. Bryce Meil got the start for the Copperheads on the mound and faced the minimum. In the bottom of the first, Jack Provenzano was hit by a pitch in the leadoff spot, but got thrown out trying to steal as neither team scored.
Berkeley broke through in the second inning as the Stags had singles between getting an out. An error allowed a run to score for Berkeley. A single and a sacrifice allowed another run as the visitors went up 2-0 before the Copperheads got out of the inning.
In the top of the third, the Stags kept moving with back-to-back singles and a fielder’s choice loaded the bases, before a one out walk gave Berkeley a third run. Meil was able to settle down and get out of the inning without allowing another run.
The bottom of the inning saw Jack Shelnutt walk and Tyler Causey single to get things started for the Copperheads. Provenzano singled to load the bases with one out. A passed ball scored Shelnutt and Meil walked to keep the bases loaded. However, the Stags were able to get out of the inning with a double play.
The Stags started the fourth inning with a single and had a batter hit to put two on without an out. A second Catawba Ridge error gave Berkeley another run and kept the bases loaded for the Stags. A single to right and another Copperheads error pushed the score to 6-1. A two out single by Berkeley pushed the score to 8-1 before Catawba Ridge was able to get out of the inning.
Catawba Ridge struggled offensively despite making contact as they would hit the ball right at the Stags defense for most of the game.
The fifth inning saw another run as the Stags led the inning off with a double and then score on a sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the fifth, Causey singled before Berkeley went to their bullpen. Ethan Solnick singled to put runners on the corners for the Copperheads and Meil helped his cause with a two out single to score two for Catawba Ridge bringing the score to 9-3.
Alex Downes came in to start the sixth inning for Meil. Of the nine runs scored by the Stags, only four were earned by Meil, as defensive struggles hurt Catawba Ridge. Downes pitched a perfect inning striking out the side.
In the top of the seventh, Zac Young took the mound for the Copperheads and faced the minimum with one strikeout.
Catawba Ridge didn’t wave the white flag in the seventh. Causey hit a solo home run to left with one out in the seventh to keep the Copperheads’ fans clinging to hope.
At the plate, Meil went 1-2 with two RBIs and Causey was 3-3 with an RBI as Catawba Ridge scattered seven hits in the game.
The Copperheads finished the season 23-11-1 overall.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
