WALES – The cold, clammy conditions made Wednesday’s KVAC game between Lincoln Academy and Oak Hill feel like a season-opener rather than the Raiders’ season finale. As it unfolded, though, the contest had more of a mid-June playoff atmosphere.

Lincoln, which already has a ticket to the postseason, rallied for five runs in the sixth inning, then held on for a 9-7 victory in what was essentially a must-win game for Oak Hill’s playoff hopes.

The Raiders (6-10) may still slip into the Western B tournament, but they would need a lot of help as the KVAC wraps up the rest of its schedule Thursday.

“I think it was a must-win,” Oak Hill coach Chad Drouin said. “I guess there are still some scenarios that can happen (to get Oak Hill in), from what I hear. We fought back, and then I don’t know what happened in the sixth inning.”

It was a combination of bad luck and poor execution in the fateful sixth. Trailing 5-4, the Eagles (11-4) loaded the bases on three straight infield hits, two of which practically died in the soggy infield grass.

After the Raiders forced a runner at home for the first out, Riley Brown, who was in the game because the senior that started in front of him had to leave early for baccalaureate, hit a fly ball to left that Joey Morneault misjudged. It dropped in behind him for a double and two runs scored. Lincoln added insurance on a ground out, an RBI single and a wild pitch.

Oak Hill tried to rally in the seventh like a team in it’s desperate situation would. Facing Lincoln’s Eric Morgner, who hadn’t given up an earned run all season, Ben Rines belted a fly to right that got caught up in the jet stream and carried over the fence for a two-run homer to cut the deficit in half.

Morgner got the next two Raiders, then gave up back-to-back singles to Brett Turcotte and Chris Ellis that put the tying runs on base. Josh Prue then reached on an errant throw past first base by Lincoln’s third baseman, but with Turcotte holding at third on the play, Ellis rounded second and didn’t stop until he got about three-quarters of the way. The Eagles alertly caught him in a rundown and tagged him out to end the game.

“Some of the kids were upset with the seniors for leaving, but they were going to baccalaureate, and that’s a personal choice, and I had no problem with it,” said Lincoln coach Chris Feltis, whose team will clinch a spot in Saturday’s KVAC championship game with a win over Belfast today. “We brought JV players for that reason. They did a good job, and we squeaked out the win.”

Lincoln’s seniors were able to do some damage before they left the game The Eagles took the lead in the third when senior Cody Poland ripped a fly ball over 400 feet to center field. The ball hit the fence, 441 feet away, on a hop, giving Poland enough time to circle the bases for a two-run inside-the-park home run. Brandon Reilly’s RBI single later in the inning made it 3-0.

The Eagles tacked on an unearned run in the third off Raiders starter Tom Edgecomb. Oak Hill began to claw back with a two-run single by Prue in the fourth.

In the fifth, Lincoln pitcher Chauncy Devin fielded a Rines grounder to the right of the mound and slipped on the wet grass while trying to throw to first. Jared Parkin scored on the overthrow to make it 4-3. Feltis then lifted Devin and three other seniors so they could catch the bus back to Newcastle. After a walk and a Morneault single, Brandon Plourde scored the tying run on Turcotte’s ground out to third.