FREEPORT — To win baseball games you need to score runs. To get runs, you need baserunners, and baserunners can get on base in many ways. 

Freeport took advantage of six walks and a hit batter, pounding out 11 hits, including seven in a decisive five-run fifth on its way to a 10-3 victory over Wells in Class B south quarterfinal action on Thursday. 

No. 3 Freeport (14-3) will travel to No. 2 Greely (13-4) on Saturday after the Rangers downed Morse, 4-0, on Thursday. Wells ended its season at 9-9. 

“We’ve talked about it all season, it’s we, not me. When one guy starts to do something, the next guy picks up where he left off and that was clearly evident today,” Freeport coach Kyle Goodrich said.  

Seven different hitters found the hit column, including a pair from Anthony Panciocco, Eriksen Shea, Kempton VonGlinsky-Gregoire and Blaine Cockburn.  

Panciocco earned the win on the mound, pitching 3 1/3 innings and  giving up two runs on three hits while striking out four and walking one. He also hit two batters. Toby Holt (2 2/3 innings) and Blaine Cockburn (one inning) closed up the pitching duties in the win. 

Matt Tufts recorded two of the three hits Wells had on the day. Tyler Bridge homered in the third for the Warriors’ other knock. 

Freeport set the tone early after Shea Wagner led off with a walk on four pitches, putting speed on base from the onset. Wagner stole second and came around to score a few pitches later on a wild pitch when the catcher was unable to locate the ball. 

“For the most part we ran the bases well, we put some aggression on them, and with Shea rounding third to start it out was a heck of play,” Goodrich said. 

Heath Cockburn followed with a walk but was later erased on a fielder’s choice by Gabe Wagner, who stole second. With two outs, Panciocco ripped a single to left, scoring Wagner for a 2-0 Freeport lead. 

Bridge brought the Warriors within one with his home run to left in the third. Tufts followed with a bloop hit to right and stole second. But Panciocco was able to get out the inning by inducing a flyout, stranding the tying run on second. 

“He does everything the coaches ask, he’s such a competitor,” Goodrich said of Panciocco. “His breaking ball wasn’t there today, but he gave us enough.” 

“I was trying to make sure I didn’t get behind in any counts, that way if I didn’t throw a strike with my curveball it wouldn’t hurt me,” the sophomore pitcher said. 

Freeport answered in the bottom half with three runs of its own. A walk and a hit batter by starter Zach Carpenter put the first two hitters on. A Wells error on a potential double play ball and a pair of fielder’s choices plated a run. An intentional walk to Panciocco loaded the bases for Shea and the senior promptly lined a single to left to score Holt. Freshman VonGlinsky-Gregoire followed with an RBI single to push the lead back out to 5-1. 

“Tough play when we had that double-play ball and we didn’t quite execute to get it done,” Day said. “It really made a 2-1 game, where I started to see some momentum, to a 5-1 game quickly.”  

Wells chased Panciocco in the fourth after a walk and hit batter put two runners on for the visitors. Holt relieved the righty and after a walk of his own, stranded two runners, allowing just a sacrifice fly to Carpenter. 

Wells cut the deficit to 5-3 after a walk and a throwing error led to an unearned run in the top of the fifth. 

“Give my kids credit, they didn’t give up and we were right in it again at 5-3,” added Day. 

An infield single by Panciocco and a double by Shea put the next two hitters on. VonGlinsky-Gregoire loaded the bases by hitting a ball with backspin and it bounced 5 feet in front of the plate, where Wells catcher Brayden Fallina did not have a play. 

Liam Holt moved everyone up a base with an RBI single and Blaine Cockburn delivered the knockout punch with a seeing-eye single between first and second, bringing home two more runs chasing Carpenter. 

“We knew with two strikes we could sit curve ball and then react fastball. He wasn’t over powering and that gave us a lot more opportunities,” Panciocco said. 

Shea added to the hit parade, with an RBI single of his own. When the dust cleared after five innings, the Falcons led, 10-3. 

“It snowballed,” Goodrich said of seven-hit fifth. “Once one got a hit, they all seemed to hit. This is great, especially at this time to have the bats going, it’s a good thing.” 

The Falcons defense turned a 4-6-3 double play to end the sixth and freshman Blaine Cockburn worked around a pair of walks in the seventh to end the game. 

“That’s a good win against a good Wells team, it’s now on to the next game,” Goodrich said. 

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