The Bishop O'Connell Knights (16-11) nipped the DeMatha Stags, 1-0, in a quarterfinal game of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference baseball tournament on May 6.
The Knights were scheduled to play Gonzaga in the semifinals of the high-school competition.
Against DeMatha, Jason Kruczek and A.J. Murray combined for the shutout. Kruczek started and pitched 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts and Murray finished the game with five Ks.
Michael Lavanga drove in the game's only run in the sixth inning with a sacrifice fly, scoring Noah Haught, who had a hit, stole a base and took third on a passed ball. Mark Sirianni doubled for O'Connell.
During the regular season, O'Connell lost twice to DeMatha, 7-4, and 4-0.
The quarterfinal win snapped O'Connell's three-game losing streak to close the regular season, all by close losses to conference rivals.
The one-run decision in the quarterfinal was the sixth for the Knights this season.
