Most Dramatic Comeback Sends Cadets to Final Four

RECAP: Game 3 vs Cambridge 
With his Benedictine baseball team trailing visiting Cambridge 8-1 in the top of the third inning in a win-or-go-home scenario Thursday, Cadet baseball coach Jason Pascual brought star shortstop Omari Burse to the mound in an effort to stop the bleeding.
Burse, a junior who has committed to play at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, put out the fire on the mound and ignited the Cadet offense with an incredible performance at the plate.
He led the Cadets to an unforgettable comeback that culminated with a walk-off 10-9 win in the bottom of the eighth inning as he scored the winning run when junior Kai Hernandez-Gambill was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to end it

Burse threw 89 pitches over six innings of work — allowing four hits and one earned run, in the top of the eighth, while striking out three and walking one to earn the most important victory of his high school career. In the third inning, he hit a three-run blast to left field that cut the Bears lead to 8-4. Then in the bottom of the sixth, Burse laced a 2-run homer over the tall fence in centerfield to tie the game. He went 3-for-5 with four runs and five RBIs.

"I feel great, I feel like all the hard work that we put in as a team is paying off," Burse said. "The way we play together is a brotherhood — BC is a brotherhood, and when we stay together, nobody can beat us."

Burse said he kept a positive attitude coming into the pitch down seven runs.

"I'm a competitive guy, so I always think I'm the best player when I'm at the plate or on the mound, and I think I'm going to beat you," he said. "That's just how I am."
"This game ranks up there, especially with the stakes that were involved — it was fantastic," said BC coach Jason Pascual, in his third season leading the program. "These guys never stopped believing — you see how happy they are celebrating with the student body out there, their friends, and their brothers. They never stopped believing, and that's a testament to what their season has been.

Hernandez-Gambill has been a big part of the team's success, playing first base, pitching, and hitting in the middle of the order. The junior said he felt confident at the plate with the game on the line.

"I felt like I was the perfect person to be up to bat in that situation," Hernandez-Gambill said. "I was just looking to put the ball in play to get the run in. But then I got hit, and that got the job done. That's the 15th time I've been hit by a pitch this year, and it's the first time I was smiling after getting hit."

The Benedictine baseball team has been playing at an elite level all season as the Cadets reached the Class 4A state quarterfinals under third-year coach Jason Pascual, their deepest run since BC reached the state semifinals in 2022.

The Cadets were at the top of their game once again on Wednesday as they hosted Cambridge in a double header to start the best-of-three series. The BC bats were on fire in the first game as they hit five homers to back senior righty Colvin Proto, who threw a complete game in the victory.

The Cadets got another strong pitching performance in the second game as Mason O'Neil struck out eight over six innings, allowing five hits and one earned run. But Cambridge battled back from a two-run deficit as Carson Clark hit a two-run homer to left center in the bottom of the sixth to tie it, and Cambridge scored the walk-off win on a wild pitch by reliever Kai Hernadez-Gambill that brought Calloway Holmes home with the winning run in a 3-2 victory.
"I thought it was good baseball," Pascual said. "At the end of the day, this is playoff baseball. We're one of the last eight teams standing, and so are they. Those were well-played, well-pitched games. Colvin (Proto) gave us a great first game on the mound, and Mason (O'Neil) pitched well. Back in January, if you had told us that on May 7th, Benedictine is going to be playing a Game 3 to go to the Final Four and host it, we would all take. We're in a situation where we just need to pick each other up a little bit here and get back to work tomorrow."

Benedictine is the last team from Savannah still alive in the GSHA state baseball playoffs after Calvary Day and Savannah Christian both lost second-round playoff series on Thursday.

The Cadets swept visiting Allatoona by scores of 12-5 and 13-3 to advance to the Class 4A state quarterfinals. Benedictine, 29-5 for the season, is set to host Cambridge (25-10) in a best-of-three series with a double-header set for Wednesday, May 6, with the first game set for 4:30 p.m.

Kai Hernandez-Gambill led the Cadet offense in the first game against Allatoona as the junior went 3 for 4 with a double, home run, two runs, and four RBIs. Joiner Uhrich went 2 for 4 with three RBIs and sophomore Noah Harris had a strong start, allowing two runs in five innings of work.

Senior Colvin Proto earned the win in the second game as Noah Harris drove in three runs and Uhrich drove in a pair.

In his third season leading the BC program as the Head Coach, this is the first state quarterfinal appearance for Jason Pascual, who led the Cadets to the second round in his first year and to a playoff appearance last season.
"We've had a great season because our kids have worked so hard and they are playing for each other," Pascual said. "They have been doing what they need to do to win. Our hitting has been outstanding and our defense has come along. Our pitching has been steady and we've just played consistent ball throughout the year. We're excited about the chance to play in the quarterfinals."