They started in the (relative) cold of late March and finished in the heat of June — and with their 4-1 win over Prout on June 8, the Johnston High School varsity baseball team earned the title of state Division II champions.
The accompanying gallery of photos and videos cover the 2011 season, from Opening Day to Championship Day.
Right from the start, the Panthers looked strong — they won a close game to start the season against Woonsocket on April 6, then went on a streak of 10 victories before the with a 5-4 decision.
Find out what's happening in Johnstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Johnston also flat-out trounced a few of its divisional rivals — including a 14-2 victory at Ponaganset; a 16-4 win over Burrillville; a wild 20-10 contest at Mt. Hope in Bristol; and a 16-0 blanking of Westerly — within two weeks in April.
Following the May 6 loss to Woonsocket, the Panthers tallied two wins in a week against Davies and Scituate to improve to 12-1 overall. The squad added a 17-3 victory over Central Falls on May 14 before celebrating Senior Night by completing the season sweep against Ponaganset with an 11-5 win.
Find out what's happening in Johnstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
By that point, it was becoming clear that JHS would at least have a spot in the postseason tournament, and with their 4-2 win over Burrillville on May 22, they clinched the top seed in the playoffs.
A loss to Central on May 23 didn't change the playoff picture for Johnston, and the Panthers earned the regional title with a win over Mt. Hope and back-to-back victories over Juanita Sanchez.
The Panthers then headed into the Division II semifinals against Woonsocket, arguably their toughest opponent this year. Indeed, the 'Novans pushed Johnston to three games, and the Panthers secured a spot in the finals with a 7-4 victory in Game 3 on June 3 at Pierce Field in East Providence.
Three days later, Johnston took the field against The Prout School in the D-II finals at McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket. No strangers to McCoy — the Panthers defeated Tolman there on April 25 — Johnston staved off a late Prout charge in Game 1 on the way to an 11-7 victory, then swept the series with a 4-1 win on June 8.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
