A turnaround season for St. Aloysius’ baseball team didn’t have the storybook ending it had hoped for.

Jackson Speir went 2-for-2 with three RBIs and two runs scored, Reed Duncan drove in two runs and scored two more, and Columbia Academy beat St. Al 11-0 Friday to complete a two-game sweep of their MAIS Class 5A first-round playoff series.

Speir’s two-run single in the first inning gave Columbia a 2-0 lead, but it did not truly gain separation until the third.

The first six batters reached base for the Cougars in the third inning, with Speir and Duncan both hitting RBI singles. Another RBI single by Carson Stuart made it 8-0 before the Flashes turned a double play to get out of the inning.

St. Al wasn’t able to mount any offense of its own to stay in the game, however. A pair of two-out walks in the first inning did not amount to anything, and a double play in the second short-circuited another potential rally.

The Flashes had some baserunners throughout the game — they drew five walks — but did not have a hit. Columbia pitchers Roman Lawrence and Caleb Bass combined on the five-inning no-hitter, with Lawrence throwing four innings and Bass one.

Columbia (22-8) advanced to face Brookhaven Academy in the second round of the Class 5A playoffs next week.

St. Al finished its season with a 12-16 record after losing its last six games. The Flashes did, however, post a double-digit win total after going 4-22 in 2023 and will have most of their key players back next year.