The St. Paul's baseball team may have surprised a lot of people Tuesday when it beat No. 5 Calvert Hall, which is the top team in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association A Conference. But it didn't surprise its coach Paul Bernstorf.

"I'm dumb enough to think when we go out and play we can beat every team," he said the day after his Crusaders upset the Cardinals, 6-3. "I'm not at all surprised. Our kids expect to be successful. I'd be disappointed if they expected anything else."

Calvert Hall has won the A Conference title the past four years and is going for a record fifth in a row. It still leads the conference with a 9-2 record (16-4 overall). But St. Paul's has had its share of success as well, winning the title in 2002 and 2003 and finishing runner-up in 2001 and 2005.

"We've been a top 4 team for 10 years," said Bernstorf.

This season, while fielding a young team, Bernstorf had faith that when his players matured and got healthy they'd start winning. And that has been the case. Seniors Ryan Bowman and John Kuchno and sophomore Justin Dodson are all back from injury, and the team has grown.

Bernstorf recalled his victorious Tuesday lineup and said he hasdsophomores starting at shortstop, catcher and right field and a freshman in center field. Dodson was the winning pitcher against Calvert Hall with a one-hitter through five innings before being relieved by Kuchno.

The win over Calvert Hall comes on the heels of last week's 12-6, victory over Archbishop Curley and improved St. Paul's record to 3-8 in the conference and 10-12 overall.

"Calvert Hall is one of the top programs in the state and recently, in the country," said Bernstorf. "It's a great program and we like to think there is a rivalry between us -- though they've gotten the best of us in recent years.

"The championship goes through Calvert Hall. For us to have won that game can only give us a lot of confidence. We have seven games left and we believe we can make the playoffs."

The next game in St. Paul's attempted run to the playoffs is Thursday against visiting Mount St. Joseph.