Jake Rouse knocked in three runs, Kevin Johnson pitched a three-hitter with 10 strikeouts, and coach Greg Simler’s second-seeded Jonathan Law baseball team defeated No. 7 Darien, 2-0, in Milford on Friday to earn a berth in the Class L semifinals.
The Lawmen (18-3) will play No. 14 Masuk of Monroe (16-6) on Tuesday, June 10, with first pitch at 7 p.m. at Palmer Field in Middletown. Masuk defeated No. 11 Maloney of Meriden, 5-3.
Law took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a pair of walks, an infield error, and Rouse’s two-run single to left field.
Darien (15-6) had base runners in each of the first three innings, but couldn’t push a run across.
Johnson, who improved to 9-0 on the season, struck out the side around a walk and a single in the fourth.
Tim Maher robbed Darien’s Brendan Donashue of a hit with one out in the fifth with a great catch in right field.
The Blue Wave’s Peter Archey singled and stole second with two out in the sixth inning, then broke early for third on a 3-2 pitch to the plate that Craig Miller took for ball four, Darien’s fifth walk.
Law catcher Dillon Rocha, however, fired the ball to Rouse at third, who dove and tagged Archey heading back to third to retire the side.
A walk, a Darien error and Rouse’s sacrifice fly made it a 3-0 game in the bottom of the sixth.
Johnson retired the side in the seventh, with help from Kurt Holden in left field, who made a fabulous catch coming in on Donahue’s one-out liner.