By Kalle Oakes,Staff Writer

POLAND – After seven splendid innings of work on his boyhood baseball diamond Saturday morning, the busiest day of Max Levine’s life so far got a little more hectic.

Levine already accounted for the Western Class B playoff game at 11 a.m. and graduation at 4 p.m. Now, he knew he’d better squeeze in a gallon of Gatorade, a 20-minute cold shower and his final high school homework assignment.

“I had a Valedictory speech all prepared,” Levine said, pretending to rehearse a more extemporaneous essay, “but let me tell you about my baseball game.”

The kid at the head of the class would be sharing the details of a complete-game seven-hitter, an economical effort devoid of walks. Maybe he’d even show off the bruise where he got plunked in the side during a bizarre, three-run first inning that pushed No. 2 Poland to a 3-1 semifinal triumph over No. 6 Greely.

After seniors Levine, Jeremy Callahan, Alex Smith, Stevie Ray and Curtis Haslip pick up their diplomas and enjoy the requisite all-nighter, all thoughts return to baseball, where Poland has reached its first-ever regional final. The Knights (17-1) and first-year head coach Dave Jordan carry a 14-game winning streak into Tuesday’s 3 p.m. game at Saint Joseph’s College in Standish.

“The five of us go back to freshman year, so there’s a lot of history together,” said Callahan, who caught Levine’s gem. “When we looked at the playoff schedule, we thought, wow, Saturday, June 11, that could be a problem. But you’d have to know the guys on this team. We would have been willing to play three games today, no problem.”

By notching three runs without the benefit of a ball hit out of the infield in the bottom of the first, Poland made its workload immeasurably easier.

Joe Douglass scratched out the lone hit on a ball Sam Green smothered at shortstop. Green didn’t have time to nab Douglass at first, and the sophomore right fielder wasted no time scampering to second after Jon Alley’s attempted pickoff throw thumped him between the shoulder blades.

Alley’s brief control difficulties continued when he hit Smith and Levine consecutively to load the bases. Poland made it 1-0 when Alley bobbled his attempt to pick up Haslip’s squeeze bunt.

Next, it was Tyler Merchant’s turn to squeeze, and Alley’s throw to the plate was too late to get the force out on Smith.

Haslip later scored on a balk.

“Coach’s focus from preseason was on doing the little things. He kept telling us that stuff wins these kinds of games,” Levine said, “and I guess that was proven true today.”

Levine worked brilliantly with a lead. His only one-two-three inning came in the sixth, and a strikeout of leadoff hitter Joe Bell in the first was Levine’s lone whiff of the day.

But with the exception of the third inning, when Greely (12-7) scored its lone run, the Rangers never advanced a runner past second base. Levine fielded the final two outs in the seventh, spinning triumphantly off the mound and pumping his first toward the vociferous home crowd after his final toss to Smith at first.

“If you wanted someone to pitch a better game than Max did today,” said Callahan, “you’d have to find him in the Major Leagues. He hit my mitt just about every time.”

Haslip and Jason Lehr slapped the only additional hits off Alley. Bell and Paul Valente each singled twice for Greely, which out-hit Poland seven to three.

Levine retired eight of the last nine batters, however, and Poland didn’t make an error until there were two outs in the seventh.

“He’s great with a lead. His fastball gets better as the game goes along,” Jordan said of Levine. “He never throws it enough early.”

Poland hasn’t dropped a game since a close loss in Gorham on April 30.

“I hoped that this program would reach the point where we would have a chance to play on St. Joseph’s field, if not this year, then next year,” Jordan said. “I’m so happy for these seniors that they’ll get to experience it.”