SOUTH PORTLAND — Brennan Rumpf did a little of everything for Falmouth’s baseball team Thursday afternoon – on the mound, at the plate and in the dugout.
Led by Rumpf, the Navigators not only remained undefeated but also handed reigning Class A champion South Portland its first loss.
Rumpf threw a one-hitter, struck out nine, scored a run and most importantly, got his teammates fired up after being held in check for five innings, leading Falmouth to a 7-0 victory.
“The message was just to wake up,” said Rumpf, a senior right-hander who is headed to the University of Maine. “I told the guys, ‘We can’t win if we don’t swing the bats.’ I was very loud and emotional.”
The Navigators (4-0) were quieted by Red Riots junior Kason Lewis for five innings, only managing one hit. Meanwhile, Rumpf kept South Portland (3-1) off the board.
In the top of the sixth after Rumpf’s pep talk, Falmouth scored the only run it would need. Tyler Simmons and Jacoby Porter singled, and Simmons came home on a throwing error.
The Navigators then broke it open in the seventh with six unearned runs against reliever Brady Main.
Falmouth loaded the bases with one out on a walk, a single by catcher Ethan Hendry and an error. After a passed ball made it 2-0, Simmons walked to reload the bases. Porter was next, and delivered a two-run single to make it 4-0.
“Our confidence never dwindled,” said Porter, who was the game’s lone repeat hitter. “I was just looking for a pitch I could hit. (Main) missed one inside and I took advantage.”
Thomas Healey singled in another run, then two more scored on an error in the outfield.
Rumpf, who threw just 86 pitches, closed it out in the bottom of the seventh, fielding pinch-hitter Alex Dobson’s grounder up the first-base line and running to tag the bag. Rumpf walked two and struck out nine.
“Once that one run came across, that relieved a little pressure,” said Falmouth Coach Mike D’Andrea. “We eventually put some balls in play and they helped us out a lot with their miscues. South Portland is well-coached and plays hard. This was a game through six innings.”
South Portland’s lone hit came from Alex Horton. Lewis was the hard-luck loser, giving up one unearned run on three hits in 5 2/3 innings. He walked three and struck out 10, mixing speeds and pitches effectively.
The Red Riots, who returned just two starters this spring, were doomed by six errors.
“We have good athletes out there who don’t normally make plays like that,” said South Portland Coach Mike Owens. “They haven’t been in pressure situations against good teams. We need to get better at that.
“We said at the beginning of the season that we’re young, but we’ll be a different team in June. This was a good learning experience. We’ll bounce back and compete.”
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