On its way to a 16-4 record and a No. 1 seed in the Super 8 tournament, BC High’s calling card was its deep and talented pitching staff.

“Probably the best staff in the state,’’ said St. John’s Prep coach Dan Letarte.

But the way to beat BC High, as Catholic Conference rival St. John’s Prep knows well, is to score early and put the game in the hands of BC High’s offense.

A task usually easier said than done — especially against star pitcher Mike Vasil, who had beaten the Prep twice during the regular season — but in a Super 8 elimination game Saturday in Brockton, the plan played out perfectly.

“You need to do that against this team, because they’ll come around,’’ said Letarte. “They’ll find a way if you don’t put them away.’’

In the first inning, a four-hit, seven-base runner marathon, Prep batted around and put four runs on the board. An inning later, the Prep added another, and chased Vasil from the game. St. John’s scattered hits and runs for the rest of the game, coming out a 12-1 winner.

BC High scored its run in the third inning, and trailed by a manageable four runs entering the fourth. But another two runs by a sharp-hitting Prep lineup created too much separation for offensively challenged BC High.

“The first couple of innings told the tale of the game. Once they jumped out and got a lot of confidence that changed the complexion of things, especially when I had to take Mike out,’’ said BC High coach Norm Walsh. “We had to stop the bleeding. Every time we responded, we got one and they got two. We had guys on, we didn’t score. That’s what hurt us.’’

Prep starter Brendan Powicki went the first two innings, but after his team raced to a sizable early lead, Letarte turned the game over to the bullpen to save Powicki’s arm. A committee of relievers followed, scattering three hits and one run over the next seven innings.

While pitching and defense took care of the BC High lineup, the Prep hitters produced seemingly nonstop. BC High used five pitchers, and the Prep hit them all soundly.

Leadoff man Jack Arend went 4 for 6. No. 3 hitter Michael Yarin had five hits, including a two-run homer, and four RBIs. The Prep finished with 17 hits. It was an offensive blitz from the get-go, and BC High never adjusted.

“We had chances to make some plays, but we were tentative. We didn’t play with the type of confidence you need. Kind of disappointing with a veteran senior team,’’ said Walsh. “You expect them to come out and play a little bit. But it happens, it’s high school kids and it’s baseball.’’

The Prep awaits the winner of Sunday’s game between Newton North and St. John’s (S).

Division 2 North

Danvers 9, Reading 4 — A seven-run fourth inning was the deciding blow cast by No. 1 Danvers in its sectional final win over No. 3 Reading at LeLacheur Park.

The Falcons will meet the winner of the Division 2 South sectional final between Dighton-Rehoboth and Sandwich sometime next week.

“We hit the ball well when we needed to,’’ Danvers coach Roger Day said. “You get guys on base and good things happen.’’

Danvers (21-2) held a slim 1-0 lead before first baseman Zach Dillon recorded his second RBI of the game with a base hit to right field that began the offensive explosion in the fourth.

After Reading righthander Corey DiLoreto hit the next two batters and an error by shortstop Mark Dalton, the Falcons found themselves with a 4-0 advantage and hungry for more.

Right fielder Daniel Lynch continued the onslaught with a bases-clearing triple into the right-center field gap that knocked DiLoreto out of the game and catcher Matt Andreas drove in Lynch a few batters later.

Danvers righthander Andrew Olszak pitched a complete game with eight strikeouts and only one walk on an intentional pass in the first inning.

Reading (19-5) was led offensively by DiLoreto and Carl Gillies, who went a combined 5 for 7 with three RBIs.

Division 3 North

North Reading 5, Lynnfield 1 — The Hornets (21-3) jumped on top thanks to a Jared Valade triple in the second inning and never looked back, winning the sectional title one year after missing the tournament. The Cape Ann rivals had split their two previous regular-season games.

Division 4 North

Lowell Catholic 12, Matignon 2 — Chris Klangos had a two-run double, Andrew Fisher had a two-run single, and Lowell Catholic (17-6) rolled to the sectional title.