SOUTH PORTLAND—By any means necessary.

That’s how you win playoff games and South Portland’s baseball team, state champions a year ago but essentially a new squad this spring, found a way to put decisive pressure on the visiting Deering Rams in a Class A South preliminary round playoff game Tuesday afternoon at Wainwright Farms.

The resurgent, 10th-seeded Rams delivered an early haymaker, as senior pitcher Avery Lawrence led off with a triple and scored on a one-out RBI single by his brother, freshman catcher Miles Lawrence.

Deering had a chance to really open it up in the top of the first, but a tremendous defensive play from Red Riots freshman third baseman Jude Charltray left the bases loaded and ended the inning with the score 1-0.

Seventh-ranked South Portland then went on top in the bottom of the fourth, as Charltray laid down a squeeze bunt with the bases loaded to score the tying run and a subsequent error brought in two more.

After freshman Brady Main came on to fan Avery Lawrence with the tying runs in scoring position to end the top of the sixth, the Red Riots got some breathing room in the bottom half, as sophomore shortstop Easton Healy cracked an RBI triple, Charltray added an RBI single and another run came home on a wild pitch.

As has been the case all spring, the Rams refused to go quietly in the seventh, pushing a run across, but Healy slammed the door in relief and South Portland prevailed, 6-2.

The Red Riots won their fifth consecutive postseason game, improved to 11-6, ended Deering’s bounce-back season at 6-11 and advanced to visit No. 2 Falmouth (13-3) in the quarterfinals Thursday at a time to be announced.

“Sometimes you have to win ugly,” said longtime South Portland coach Mike Owens. “It’s not easy in the playoffs. I’m really pleased with our effort.”

First step

While South Portland has essentially started over this spring after the core of the 2021 and 2023 Class A state champions graduated, Deering has had to rise from the ashes of a winless season a year ago (see sidebar for links to previous stories for both teams).

The Rams, under new coach Casey Lawrence, wound up winning six games, including a few in breathtaking fashion, to finish 10th in Class A South.

The Red Riots, not surprisingly with all the young, new faces, started slowly, then won six of their final seven to wind up seventh in the region.

On May 23, South Portland edged Deering, 3-2, at Hadlock Field, as sophomore Hudson Iacuessa threw a gem.

The teams had split eight prior playoff meetings, dating to 1989, with an 11-1 (five-inning) Red Riots’ victory two years ago in the preliminary round the most recent.

Tuesday, on a very comfortable afternoon for baseball (68 degrees with the wind blowing out), after South Portland assistant coach Aaron Filieo delivered a rousing rendition of the national anthem, the Red Riots dug an early hole, but managed to come back and advance to the next round.

South Portland junior starter Kason Lewis was greeted by Avery Lawrence, his opposite number, who crushed a 2-1 pitch over the head of sophomore centerfielder Alex Horton for a triple. Lewis got junior shortstop Tavian Lauture to pop out to second, but Miles Lawrence came through to deliver the run, blooping an 0-2 pitch into center for an RBI single. After senior first baseman Jackson Forrest popped out to first, with senior centerfielder Andrew Cook at the plate, Lewis threw a wild pitch, then Cook drew a walk. Sophomore leftfielder Zeke Dewever was next and he walked on a 3-2 pitch to load the bases. That brought up junior third baseman Alex Jordan, who got behind in the count two strikes before dribbling the ball up the third base line. Charltray had to race in, scoop the ball up and throw on the run and he managed to make a most difficult play look easy, getting the runner by a step to retire the side and keep the deficit at just one run.

“I saw the ball hit the ground and I moved in and stayed down on it and threw it,” said Charltray, whose heroics were just beginning. “I wasn’t thinking about it too much. I just knew I had to make the play.”

“We’ve talked all season about limiting damage,” Owens said. “We can live with one run. It’s the crooked numbers that get you. (Jude’s) gotten better as the year’s gone on. We saw a lot of potential in him early, but I think the game was a little fast for him and he struggled a little bit, but he just played excellent today.”

Avery Lawrence protected the lead in the bottom half, as he got Horton to watch strike three and after junior second baseman Corbin Voisine reached on an error by Lauture at short, Lauture made up for it by getting to a grounder off the bat of Iacuessa, the first baseman, stepping on second for one out, then throwing on to first for the inning-ending, double play.

In the top of the second, Lewis, who threw 31 pitches in the first inning alone, caught sophomore second baseman Zade Smith watching strike three, then he fanned freshman rightfielder Gus Groh, but Avery Lawrence drew a four-pitch walk and stole second before Lewis got Lauture to pop out foul behind the plate, where sophomore catcher Cam Barrett made the catch to retire the side.

The Red Riots got the tying run into scoring position in the bottom half, but couldn’t score him.

Senior rightfielder Curtis Metcalf led off by walking on a 3-2 pitch and after Healy popped out to Lauture in short left, Metcalf stole second base. Charltray struck out looking on a 3-2 pitch, but with sophomore designated hitter Ben Morin at the plate, Metclaf stole third base as well. Morin then lined an 0-2 pitch to shallow left, where Dewever raced in, dove and snared the ball just above the blades of grass for the final out.

In the top of the third, Lewis got Miles Lawrence to fly out to right and Forrest to watch strike three. Cook blooped a single over Voisine at second, but Dewever grounded into the hole, where Healy made a nice stab before throwing on to first to retire the side.

In the bottom half, Avery Lawrence had his best inning, fanning Lewis on a 2-2 pitch, striking out Barrett on a 3-2 offering, then catching Horton watching strike three on an off-speed pitch.

Deering had a chance to add to its lead in the top of the fourth, but couldn’t do so.

After Jordan struck out looking, Smith reached on an error by Healy. Groh walked on a 3-2 pitch to bring up Avery Lawrence, who hit a slow roller to the left side. Healy came in and made a nice play to throw out the batter, but the runners moved up to second and third. That gave Lauture an opportunity to come through, but he grounded to short and the throw across was barely in time to escape the jam.

South Portland then produced three runs, with some help, in the bottom half.

Voisine got things started with an infield single to Lauture’s right on the first pitch. Junior Addison Blais came on to run and after Iacuessa struck out swinging, Blais moved to second after the most fateful pitch of the afternoon, as Avery Lawrence plunked Metcalf with an 0-2 offering. Healy then watched four straight pitches out of the strike zone to load the bases, bringing up Charltray.

“(Lawrence) was shaken up,” Healy said. “It was a combination of the hit batter and he was getting tired.”

Not surprisingly, Charltray laid down a bunt to the right of Avery Lawrence. Jordan raced in and had no play on Blais steaming toward the plate, but he did have a chance to throw out the batter. The throw came to Smith covering, but he couldn’t catch the ball and compounding matters, it bounced off him toward second base, allowing both Metcalf and Healy to score as well for a 3-1 lead.

“I got the sign and I had to put (the bunt) down and that’s what I did,” said Charltray. “In that situation, I had to score the run however I could. It worked out great in our favor.”

“When we were down 1-0, we weren’t sure how it would happen, but we had to believe something positive would happen,” Owens said. “I’ve never seen us score three runs on a squeeze before, but sometimes you need to put pressure on a team and see how they respond. Lawrence was pitching a heck of a game. We had to go into the bag.  Jude came through with the bunt. That was a big at-bat. We don’t have guys who will drive gaps and hit doubles all day. We have to find different ways to score.”

“One run would have been OK, but it was just unlucky how far the ball kicked out there to second base,” lamented Casey Lawrence. “As (Avery’s) pitch count got up there, I could tell he wasn’t as sharp as early in the game. I was really hoping he could get us out of that jam, but it just didn’t work out that way.”

Morin also bunted, but Avery Lawrence threw him out, with Charltray moving to second. Lewis then bid for an RBI hit, but his line drive was caught by Lauture to end the inning.

Lewis got his team right back in the dugout by getting Miles Lawrence to pop out to first on a 3-2 pitch, Forrest to pop out foul to Charltray near third, as the freshman made an acrobatic catch, and then Cook flew out to right.

In the bottom half, Junior Brady Haynes pinch-hit leading off and bounced out to third. Horton then lined the first pitch he saw between first and second for a single and he moved to second on a passed ball. Voisine bid for an infield single when he hit a slow roller to Avery Lawrence’s right, but Lawrence pounced off the mound and made a strong throw to first for the second out, with Horton taking third. Iacuessa then grounded the ball into the hole between short and third where Lauture made a nice barehanded stop and a strong throw to first to end the threat.

The Rams produced a two-out rally in the top of the sixth which put the tying runs in scoring position with a top hitter at the plate, but ultimately, they came up empty.

Lewis struck out Dewever leading off, then freshman pinch-hitter John Bechard grounded out to second. Lewis, facing his last hitter due to the looming 110-pitch count limit, appeared to fan freshman pinch-hitter Yadier Lorda-Flores, but strike three got away from Miles Lawrence and Lorda-Flores reached safely.

That forced Owens to bring in Main, a lefthander, who walked Groh on a 3-1 pitch. With Avery Lawrence at the plate, Main threw a wild pitch and just like that, both runners were in scoring position.

But Main would settle down and fan Lawrence on a 2-2 pitch to preserve the two-run lead.

“We had to put a freshman in there in a tough situation,” Owens said. “I think that was the biggest at-bat of the game. The tying run was on second. We discussed potentially walking (Avery), but I didn’t want to put the go-ahead run on base. Brady executed a really good fastball down and away at a really big moment.”

“We left some runners on base,” Casey Lawrence said. “We weren’t able to string hits together. Avery battled all year. That was a tough spot. He competes and he’s disappointed, but he left it all on the field.”

South Portland then ended all doubt in the bottom of the inning.

Metcalf led off by singling up the middle and he subsequently stole second, his third steal of the game. It wound up not making a difference, as Metcalf would have scored from anywhere as Healy followed with a drive over the head of Cook in center for an RBI triple.

“We keep grinding,” Healy said. “It might not happen the first or second inning, but once we start rolling, we get rolling. I knew I’d see a fastball and I sat on it and drilled it.”

Charltray then capped his memorable day with a superb at-bat, working the count full, fouling off three pitches, then lining the next offering the other way to leftfield for an RBI single.

“I saw Easton on third and I was feeling good and relaxed,” Charltray said. “(Lawrence is) a good pitcher, but he was getting tired and slowing down a little bit. I fouled a couple off. In my mind, I knew I just had to get Easton in because the game wasn’t over.”

Morin hit a little pop behind Lauture that the shortstop couldn’t hold, but he managed to force Charltray at second, then Morin was thrown out trying to steal. Avery Lawrence then appeared to strike out Lewis for the final out, but like in Lewis’ case, his final pitch of the day resulted in a passed ball on strike three, allowing the batter to reach safely. Sophomore Gabe Babineau came on to run and Lawrence was replaced by Lauture.

With Barrett at the plate, Lauture threw a wild pitch to move Babineau to second. Barrett then walked and Lauture couldn’t handle Horton’s grounder back to the mound, loading the bases. With Voisine at the plate, Lauture threw another wild pitch to score Babineau. Voisine eventually struck out, but the Red Riots’ lead was 6-1 heading for the top of the seventh.

There, Deering, as it did all season, didn’t roll over, but the deficit was too steep to overcome.

Main walked Lauture on four pitches leading off, then he walked Miles Lawrence on a 3-1 pitch to end his outing, in favor of Healy, who got Forrest to ground back to the mound, putting runners at the corners. Cook then bounced out to second with Lauture scoring on the play. That left it up to Dewever, who made contact, but he grounded out to first and at 6:44 p.m., the Red Riots were able to celebrate their 6-2 victory.

South Portland got two runs apiece from Healy and Metcalf and one each from Babineau and Blais.

Charltray had two RBI and Healy added one.

The Red Riots left five runners on base.

Lewis earned the victory, giving up one run on three hits in 5.2 innings. He walked four and struck out six.

Main gave up one run on no hits in his 0.1 inning relief stint. He walked three and registered one huge strikeout.

Healy closed it out by retiring all three batters he faced.

Deering pride

The Rams got runs from Lauture and Avery Lawrence and RBI from Cook and Miles Lawrence.

Deering stranded 10 runners.

Avery Lawrence took the loss, giving up six runs (three earned) on five hits in 5.2 innings. He walked two and fanned seven. He also hit a batter.

Lauture got the final out in the bottom of the sixth. He walked one and struck out a batter.

“I’m super-proud of these guys and how they battled all year long,” Casey Lawrence said. “Even down 6-1 in the last inning, I didn’t think we were out of it. We’d put up five runs in an inning before. We hoped to chip away and get close, but it didn’t happen.

“I consider it a successful season. They hung there and put in the work and it really showed on the field. They wanted to learn. It was rough at the start, I’m not going to lie, but after a week or two, they showed faith in me being able to show them what I know about baseball so they could take it on to the field and compete.”

Departing seniors Cook, Forrest and Avery Lawrence (who will pitch at Husson University in Bangor next year) will be missed.

“I know the seniors are disappointed today,” Casey Lawrence said. “I did let them know that our goal at the beginning of the year was to take small steps and be more competitive and build the program back up. They were a big part of that.”

Deering’s younger players got great experience this year and they’ll look to keep the Rams in contention in 2025.

“In years past, a lot of guys were thrown into situations before they were ready and they failed a lot, but this year, we did a better job preparing, putting in the work, so when the younger guys got on the field it was a better experience and they weren’t thrown to the wolves,” Casey Lawrence said.

Underdogs

On April 25, South Portland lost at home to Falmouth in an error-plagued affair, 7-0.

The Red Riots are 1-2 all-time versus the Navigators in the playoffs, but they captured the most recent encounter, 6-5, in the 2022 semifinal round.

This time around, South Portland is a decided underdog, but the Red Riots will go to Falmouth playing with house money. They’ll give the ball to Iacuessa believing they can shock the world and extend their season.

“We’re a good little team and we’re confident,” Charltray said. “We know what we need to do to get it done.”

“We carry the same pride we did last year,” said Healy. “We’re the defending champs and we want to keep it going. Definitely, the future’s bright, but we’re very focused on Falmouth Thursday.”

“I’m really excited for this group to have a playoff run,” added Owens. “I’m excited they can extend it. It’ll be good for us in the long run. Falmouth’s very good. We have Hudson available. Hopefully he throws a good game and gives us a chance. You never know. Hopefully we can continue this.”

Sports Editor Michael Hoffer can be reached at mhoffer@theforecaster.net.