BOCA RATON — A different hero every game.That's been the formula for St. John Paul II Academy in dominating Palm Beach County high school baseball this season. In a marathon District 13-2A championship game on April 17, it was Ryan Galinis' turn to take the spotlight.

He pitched 6 2/3 innings of brilliant relief and drew a bases-loaded walk in the 12th inning to force in the winning run in the Eagles' 6-5 victory over King's Academy.St. John Paul (23-3), the county's No. 1 team for most of the season, clinched a berth in the Region 4-2A playoffs. The Eagles will host a quarterfinal game on April 25.This was a back-and-forth struggle that featured spectacular defensive plays, inspired pitching performances and high drama.

King's Academy (16-11) rallied from a 5-1 deficit to tie the score with a four-run sixth inning. Just when it appeared the momentum had swung to the Lions, however, Galinis took the mound. He gave up a sacrifice fly to Leandro Saillant to bring in the tying run, then set down the Lions in order in the seventh, eighth, ninth and 10th innings.

After allowing a single and a walk in the 11th, Galinis retired the last four batters."He's been doing it all year for us, throwing strikes," Eagles coach Pete Graffeo said. "I've never extended him that far, but I felt like he's the hot hand right now, so let's stick with him."But while Galinis was keeping King's Academy at bay, St. John Paul was having its own problems generating offense.

The Eagles managed only one hit in an eight-inning stretch against relievers Brady Kearce and Daniel Cabrera. Cabrera, who started a semifinal game against St. Andrew's on April 15 and pitched four no-hit innings, entered in the sixth after the Lions had tied the score.

He threw five shutout innings as the game stretched past the three-hour mark.The Eagles finally broke through in the 12th inning, loading the bases with one out. After a forceout at the plate, Galinis took a 3-2 pitch from reliever Briggs Harris, bringing in Derek Dohler with the winning run."I looked for a strike, I didn't see it, I took it and we celebrated," said Galinis, a junior who started the game in left field.While St. John Paul was assured of a regional bid regardless of the outcome, King's Academy might have needed a win to advance.

The Lions will learn their playoff fate on April 20.Coach David Thompson, who said his team deserves an at-large bid, was proud of the Lions' effort. "It was a grind of a game," he said. "I thought we deserved to win. ...

We believed the whole time. We thought we were going to win until we lost." District 8-6AMartin County 2, Dwyer 1: Four pitchers combined on a one-hitter to lead the Tigers (19-6) past the Panthers (15-8) in Stuart, clinching a berth in the Region 2-6A playoffs.This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: St. John Paul II baseball beats King's in extras to win district title