KENNEBUNK — Going into Tuesday’s game with Sanford, members of the Kennebunk baseball team said they knew they needed a win to keep any hopes of a playoff berth alive.

Thanks to a sterling pitching performance from Nick Emmons, and a key hit from his battery mate Kip Richard, the Rams got the victory they so badly needed, beating the Spartans 2-0 on senior day to stay alive in the Western Class A playoff race with one game remaining.

“We’re on the fence, we’re on the bubble ”“ whatever the term is. We knew we had to win this one, and then Thursday, to have any chance,” Kennebunk coach Brian Dill said. “All we can do is control what we can do, and it’s nice to play our part in the whole thing.”

Emmons needed just 75 pitches to shutdown the Spartans, allowing two hits and walking one while striking out five in a complete-game shutout.

By the end, Emmons said he was confident enough to even throw a knuckleball, getting Tyler Flayhan to fly out to center with the pitch for the final out of the game.

“It’s nice being effective ”“ it was a quick game, in and out of the dugout so that kept me warm,” Emmons said. “It’s important to get ahead in the count and keep the pitch count down, and that’s what I did. I was just switching up pitches and leaving it low.”

Ryan Camire was nearly as good for the Spartans, striking out four and allowing five hits without a walk.

The difference came in the fourth, when Kennebunk (5-10) seven-hole hitter Hank Lapham reached on an error, and nine-hole batter Max Kendall followed with a single to left.

A Robby Burns groundout advanced the runners to second and third, and Richard knocked both in with a two-out single to center for the only runs of the day.

“We had to keep the base runners off in the bottom of their lineup because the top of their lineup is very good,” Sanford coach Mark Boissonneault said. “When they got those couple of batters on, their two, three and four hitters are right up there with anybody in this league, and that’s what ended up happening.”

“It was big,” Emmons said of Richard’s hit. “That was a lot of relief off my shoulders. It’s always nice having a few runs and not have to pitch behind.”

Sanford’s one opportunity came in the fifth, when a Flayhan walk and Slade Watson single put Spartans runners at first and second with one out. But Emmons struck out Dan Almquist swinging, and got Camire to fly out to right to end the threat. He went on to retire the side in order in both the sixth and seventh to pick up his second win of the season.

“We went after a lot of first pitches,” Boissonneault said. “We talk about if that first pitch is there, you go for it, but we played into his wheelhouse a little bit too much when it comes to that.

“We went fishing and weren’t very patient. We’ve been doing a lot of that this year.”

The loss ends the season at 4-12 for Sanford, which had lost 2-1 in eight innings on Monday in Gorham. It was the third extra-innings defeat of the year for the Spartans, who lost five games by three runs or fewer.

“We’ve lost three in the eighth inning to top five teams, and those three wins would change our whole season,” Boissonneault said. “Yesterday was a heartbreaker, and we came out a little flat today.

“The one thing I will say is it’s been my privilege to coach this team. They work hard, and they went out and gave effort everyday. The record doesn’t show it, but the record doesn’t indicate everything.”

Kennebunk, meanwhile, will finish up its regular season Thursday at Deering with a 4 p.m. game.

Before that, the Rams will become Cheverus fans today, as a Stags win over South Portland (currently in the 11th and final playoff place) could open the door for Kennebunk to slip through the back door and into the postseason.

But no matter what’s on the line against Deering, Dill said he’d just like to see a carryover of his team’s solid play against the Spartans.

“We’ve just got to do the same thing ”“ pitch well and play defense,” Dill said. “I’m happy with the way these guys performed today. There was pressure, they had to get it done, and they did.”

— Staff Writer Cameron Dunbar can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 323.