SOUTH PORTLAND — With one pitcher dominating and the other getting great support from his defense, the South Portland-Marshwood Western Class A semifinal rolled into extra innings Saturday.
With both pitchers finally forced from the game bcause of the 10-inning maximum rule, fourth-seeded Marshwood scored twice in the top of the 11th and held off top-ranked South Portland for a 3-1 victory.
Additional Images
Marshwood (15-3) advanced to its second straight regional final and will play 11th-seeded Windham (10-9) at 7 p.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph’s College.
“That was one of the finest baseball games we’ve played,” said Marshwood Coach Eric Fernandes. “Both starting pitchers set the tone. Zack Quintal (of Marshwood) singlehandedly kept his team in the game with his offense and our guys believe in him and went out and extended themselves defensively.”
Marshwood had to have something because it wasn’t hitting Robert Graff of South Portland, who allowed a hit in the first inning and another in the third before shutting the door. Graff allowed two hits and struck out 14. From the fourth through eighth innings he faced the minimum 15 batters.
Each starter threw 120 pitches in 10 innings.
“In a game like this, you’re hoping you can end it in regulation when you still have Graff eligible out there,” said South Portland Coach Mike Owens. “(Graff) really did get stronger as the game went along and that’s what we were measuring. We really nursed him all year and didn’t push him as far as innings pitched. We knew he would be one of our horses in the tournament and we were going to ride him.
“He’s been a bulldog for us for three years. I would have had to fight him to get the ball away from him if I had tried to take him out earlier. What a competitor he is. I’m real proud of what he did”.
In the top of the 11th, South Portland reliever Brad Sowerby struck out Nick Landis, then walked Quintal, who stole second. Zach Hodges followed with a single between short and third to give Marshwood a 2-1 lead.
Hodges stole second, moved to third on Noah McDaniels’ single, then stole home after it appeared Marshwood might attempt a squeeze play.
Fernandes went out to talk to the batter, Luke Stankovich.
“I told him not to bunt the ball because Zach was going to steal home,” said Fernandes.
The Riots (15-3) sensed something was up and had Sowerby pitch out, but the throw was high. “We catch the ball, he’s out,” said Owens.
Last season, Marshwood lost to Westbrook in the regional final. “It feels awesome to get back,” said Quintal.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.