The 2017 season could not have had a more magical ending for Loyola Blakefield's baseball team.
After a pedestrian regular season in which the Dons finished 9-9 in Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association "A" conference play, Loyola got hot in the playoffs and went on to capture the program's first MIAA "A" conference championship, ending a 71-year title drought.
The team reeled off wins against John Carroll, Calvert Hall and Archbishop Spalding to reach the championship round of the double-elimination tournament.
In the championship series, Loyola faced Calvert Hall only needing one victory to win the title, but the Dons' nerves showed and the Cardinals rolled to a 9-0 win.
