Shorthanded St. John Paul II baseball drubbed in playoff series opener

BOCA RATON — High school baseball and the senior prom clashed on Friday, May 1, at St. John Paul II Academy . The prom won.

The Eagles lost. Left-hander Spencer Krasner, a Florida State commit, pitched six shutout innings and struck out 11 to lead Chaminade-Madonna to a 13-0 victory over short-handed St. John Paul II in the opener of a Region 4-2A semifinal series.

The second-seeded Eagles (24-4) still can win the best-of-three series by beating the third-seeded Lions (18-11) twice on Saturday, May 2. After the final out of Game 1, Chaminade players streamed toward the mound, several shouting, "Have fun at the prom! " It was the final jab in a back-and-forth display of hard feelings, all stemming from a dispute between the two schools over the starting time of the game .

Under FHSAA rules, schools must agree on the times for regional games. St. John Paul wanted to start at noon to give its five seniors time to make it to the prom — a 5 p.