MONMOUTH — After splitting two playoff confrontations the last two years, Monmouth and Sacopee Valley played the rubber game in the Class C South semifinals at Chick Field on Saturday. And it was a classic.
Brady Anderson’s single with two out in the top of the ninth inning drove in what proved to be the winning run and Sacopee Valley starting pitcher Roderick Maynard escaped a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the frame to give the fourth-seeded Hawks a 3-2 win over top-seeded and previously unbeaten Monmouth.
Anderson had three hits and a walk and drove in the game’s first run with a double in the fifth inning, finally breaking the ice after both teams squandered some good scoring chances against Maynard, a left-handed John Winkin Award finalist, and Monmouth starter Hunter Richardson.
Anderson stepped up against Richardson in the ninth after an error and a two-out walk to D.J. Shea put runners at first and second. Down 0-1 in the count, he ripped a single to right field to easily score Cam Cyr with the go-ahead run.
Monmouth (17-1) got back-to-back singles from Travis Hartford and Mat Foulke with one out in the bottom of the ninth. Devon Poisson sacrificed them to second and third and brought the top of the Mustangs’ order up in Gage Cote.
After reaching a 1-1 count, the Hawks elected to intentionally walk Cote, bringing up Nick Dovinsky. Again with a 1-1 count, Dovinsky hit a one-hopper to Kyle Jordan, who threw him out at first to end the game.
Maynard struck out 17, walked two (one intentionally), hit a batter and allowed two earned runs and eight hits in 138 pitches. Richardson went 8 2/3 and allowed three runs, one earned, seven hits, four walks and a hit batter. He did not have a strikeout.
Trailing 2-0, Monmouth tied the game 2-2 in the sixth on RBI singles by Richardson and Chandler Harris.
Sacopee (15-3) will face sixth-seeded Lisbon in the regional final at 3 p.m. on Tuesday at St. Joseph’s College.
Two years ago, the Hawks upset top-seeded Monmouth with a come-from-behind 8-6 victory at Chick Field in the regional semifinals. The Mustangs avenged that loss last year as the No. 6 seed with a 6-1 win over No. 3 Sacopee in the quarterfinals in Hiram.
This story will be updated.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Comments are no longer available on this story