Mitchell Powers of First Title skies to haul in a liner during the Legion baseball state final against Pastime Club on Sunday. The game was suspended by rain.

Legion state tournament: First Title has the lead in to-be-continued final

By MATT DIFILIPPO Morning Sentinel

OLD ORCHARD BEACH - After the finish to Sunday's first game, the American Legion baseball state tournament championship game was destined to be a little bit of an anti-climax.

As it turned out, the winner won't be known until Monday.

Pastime Club of Lewiston rallied with two outs and nobody on in the ninth inning to defeat Post 51 and reach the championship game with a 5-4 victory.

The championship game was stopped by rain after six innings with First Title leading Pastime, 4-2.

It will be resumed at 1 p.m., Monday with Pastime due to bat in the top of the seventh at The Ballpark.

First Title, made up of players from Cheverus High, took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the sixth with two runs on an RBI single by Louie DiStasio and a two-out error. After Pastime reliever Corbin Hyde struck out Peter Potthoff to end the inning, the sky got much darker.

Play was stopped and workers put tarpaulin over the pitcher's mound and home plate area before the rain began. But within 20 minutes, the infield was full of puddles and the game was called at 6:31 p.m.

DiStasio, working on three days' rest, pitched the first six innings for First Title. He pitched a four-hitter against Pastime on Wednesday but was a little less of a mystery the second time.

DiStasio allowed two runs and five hits over the first three innings, then no runs and one hit over the next three.

DiStasio would have continued pitching without the rain, but Coach Mac McKew said he will go Monday with Harry Ridge, who pitched nine innings and threw 116 pitches Thursday.

"We're looking for three innings from Harry," McKew said. "God forbid it goes extra (innings) and we'll deal with it.

"We're all in the same boat. You get to this point in the tournament and you're glad to be here, but you look down on the bench and see whose arm's not taped to their side and say, 'I think you can pitch.' "

First Title leads despite leaving nine runners on base over the six innings.

Nic Lops doubled in the third and singled in the fifth, scoring both times. Luke Cote, who got the final four outs to earn the win against Post 51, started against First Title and went 52/3 innings.

Oddly enough, Cote's own error at shortstop brought in the fourth and final run charged to him as a pitcher.

In the first game, Post 51, with Messalosnkee High players, led 4-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth. Isiah Fleming, who had thrown eight innings three days earlier, threw eight again and left the lead to reliever Jake Dexter.

Dexter normally plays second base for Post 51, and Pastime scored the tying run when a two-out grounder went through the backup second baseman's legs.

With the score tied and runners on the corners, Shawn Ricker took three straight balls before being given ball four intentionally. With the bases now loaded, Ben Wigant walked on four pitches to end the game.

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