5. Panthers storm out of losers' bracket to surge into Final Four

The Johnston baseball team was one of the best squads the city had seen in years, and its performance on the field certainly showed it.

The Panthers offense was explosive for most of the season, helping Johnston emerge out of the losers’ bracket during the Division I tournament and earn a berth in the Final Four.

It would take some revenge to do so, though.

Moses Brown knocked Johnston to within one game of elimination with a 7-1 triumph on June 1, but it stayed alive with a 2-0 win over East Greenwich.

The Panthers exacted some vengeance on the Quakers when they met again. Johnston crushed Moses Brown, 13-5, to force a decisive Game 2. Jake Coro, who usually handles middle-infield duties, pitched a complete game during his first start of the year to send his side to the state semifinals.

Johnston would eventually fall at the hands of state runner-up South Kingstown, as the Rebels swept their way to victory at McCarthy Field. However, the deep postseason run and comeback spirit that the Panthers exhibited all season are enough to land them as one of the best stories of the year.

- J.M.