The Eagles (7-8, 6-8) needed a win to pull even with St. Mary's for third place in the Black Division and claim the tie-break advantage which would have sent them to the playoffs instead of the defending champion Saints (12-10, 7-7).
After three scoreless innings, coach Manny Branco's squad strung together five singles in the fourth inning to grab a 3-0 lead, but Friends (15-5, 10-4) cut the lead to one with a two-run home run from senior Mike Meshulam in the bottom of the inning.
Friends, which finished second in the Black Division, will host Chapelgate Christian (9-6, 8-6), the third-seed from the Red Division, in one opening round playoff game today. The other contest will feature St. Mary's at Park (10-6, 9-6), the second seed in the Red Division.
Tomorrow, the Friends/Chapelgate winner will travel to Boys' Latin (17-5, 14-1)and the St. Mary's/Park survivor will visit Panther Park to play St. Vincent Pallotti (16-10, 11-3), the winner of the Black Division.
Tournament play will continue on Friday and Saturday and Monday, with the finals slated for next Tuesday (4:00 pm) at Ripken Stadium. The "if necessary" game in this double elimination event is scheduled for the following day.
B Conference Tournament Bracket



