BURLINGTON, Vt. – Monmouth overcame some sloppy fielding with a 16-hit onslaught and a gutty performance by starter Mike Eaton to win its first game in the American Legion Baseball Northeast Regional, 13-8, over Sweeney Post of Manchester, N.H., on Thursday.

Monmouth (28-1) will meet the winner of Thursday night’s suspended game between Warwick, R.I. and St. Johnsbury, Vt. Warwick and St. Johnsbury will continue play today at 10 a.m.

Josh Jillson cracked three singles, while five other Monmouth players, Sean Holbrook, Tavis Hasenfus, Ethan Guerette, Tom Edgecomb and Eaton, collected two hits apiece for Monmouth.

Monmouth jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when Wally Rines was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and two out. Jillson followed with a single to left field that scored Hasenfus.

Monmouth added two more runs in the third before Manchester closed to within 4-3 in the top of the fourth. Hasenfus gave Monmouth some breathing room with a three-run homer off Manchester starter Shane Beauchemin in the bottom of the frame.

They added a single run in the fifth and three runs each in the sixth and eighth innings.

Eaton (9-0) gave up 12 hits but just one earned in 7 1/3 innings of work, as Monmouth committed five errors in the field.

He fanned nine and walked two before giving way to Forrest Dwyer in the eighth.

Travis Harwood gave up a pair of runs in the ninth but kept the damage to a minimum.

Colin Merritt and Bryan Poltak had three hits apiece for Manchester (20-9).


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