AUBURN – The Saints were getting frustrated. In the first three innings, Wiscasset pitcher Ben Matzell picked two runners off first base, another at second and the Redskins’ defense had snared another runner in a rundown.
“We gave them 2 1/3 innings worth of outs just on the bases today,” said St. Dom’s assistant coach Bob Blackman. “That’s what kept the game close early on.”
Matzell and catcher Zach Hartman started crossing signals in the fourth inning though, and St. Dom’s capitalized on a bevy of wild pitches, walks and passed balls. The Saints pulled away with four runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and three more in the sixth for a 9-0 win over Wiscasset in the Western Class C quarterfinals Thursday.
Brady Blackman, meanwhile, tossed a one-hitter to earn the win.
“We had to make one or two big plays on defense to have a chance in this game,” said Wiscasset coach Todd Souza, “and we never got those. We had the opportunities and we played safe instead.
“(Blackman) throws hard and has a decent off-speed pitch, but our kids helped him out, too, swinging at balls for six of the strikeouts he had.”
Blackman finished with 12 strikeouts and four walks.
“I really picked it up as the game went along,” said Brady Blackman. “I was cruising by the end of the game.”
Wiscasset’s biggest threat came in the third inning when it left the bases loaded.
The Saints, meanwhile, scored four runs in the fourth to break open a scoreless game on a series of wild pitches and passed balls. Blackman led off with a walk and advanced to second on a wild pitch. After Jon Emerson was hit by a pitch, both players advanced on a passed ball. Justin Fongemie bunted Blackman home, moving Emerson to third. Fongemie then took second without a throw and Emerson scored on another passed ball. Fongemie took third on a wild pitch and No. 9 hitter Peter Lewis walked. Fongemie came in on yet another passed ball, and Lewis came around on a Jake Albert single.
Jon Rutt and Blackman scored in the fifth on a walk, an error and two consecutive hits, and the Saints ran the score to 9-0 on two walks, a double and an error in the sixth.
“We couldn’t get into a groove early hitting,” said Brady Blackman, “and we kept giving them outs, but we pulled through.”
“The biggest thing is that the biggest part of their order did nothing all day,” said St. Dom’s coach Allan Turgeon, “and Brady did a great job on the hill of keeping them off balance.”
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