South Carroll starter Jason Tourangeau said he felt as good as he has all season upon taking the mound in yesterday's Class 3A West regional semifinal.

That spelled the beginning of the end for visiting Thomas Johnson.

With more than a half-dozen major-league scouts watching, the 6-foot-4 power pitcher threw a three-hit gem, going the distance and striking out 16 in a 7-0 win over the Patriots.

"I felt like I was on top of my game today," said Tourangeau, who hasn't allowed a run in his last 16 innings. "The team backed me up. Everybody was hitting the ball."

"We were overmatched," said Thomas Johnson coach Jim Foit. "We just couldn't put the ball in play. We knew coming in we'd have to play a perfect game to beat him."

South Carroll (18-4) advanced to tomorrow's regional final, where the Cavaliers will visit Linganore, a 9-5 winner over Damascus. The Cavaliers and Lancers split during the regular season.

The game holds added meaning for South Carroll coach George Richardson, who is a 1983 Linganore graduate.

To get there, the Cavaliers turned in one of their best all-around games of the season, nailing seven extra-base hits, including two home runs by Kevin Damiano and one by Tourangeau.

From the outset, however, it was Tourangeau's pitching that made the biggest difference. After the Patriots' Atlee Martz tripled to lead off the game, Tourangeau struck out the next three hitters, stranding Martz.

It was one of three innings in which Tourangeau struck out the side, but the biggest, Foit said.

"I think the tone was set in that first inning," said Foit, whose Patriots (9-13) lost to South Carroll for the third time this season. "We needed a run there. Who knows if it would have made a difference? But, definitely, that set the tone."

Tourangeau's bases-empty home run to the gap in right-center, his fifth of the season, put South Carroll in front, 1-0, in the first.

The Cavaliers extended their lead with two runs each in the third, fourth and fifth innings, using a double and triple by Dan Tompkins, a pair of homers by Damiano -- his fourth and fifth of the season -- and RBI singles by Ron Abigill and Scott Hinton to pull away.

"I though their pitcher threw the ball well today," said Richardson of Patriots starter Tyler Wingerd. "He just got the ball in the middle of the plate, and we hit his mistakes -- and hit them hard."

South Carroll has been on an offensive tear lately, scoring 28 in their past three games and 41 in their past five.

"We're all coming together, hitting-wise," said Damiano. "This is best time of the year to come together. We're just peaking at the right time."

Chesapeake-AA 2, No. 1 Arundel 0: Top-ranked Arundel was eliminated in a Class 4A East semifinal yesterday by 10-10 Chesapeake, which will face No. 17 Glen Burnie, in its first region final, at 4 p.m. tomorrow.

Glenelg 11, Oakland Mills 1: Brandon Robertson struck out seven and walked one as the Gladiators (18-4) cruised in Class 1A South. Jeff Starcher led Glenelg by going 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBIs.

Pub Date: 5/20/99