READFIELD — St. Dominic Academy did something that no team has done all season — the Saints shut out Maranacook which scored 122 runs in 18 games going into the Western Class C semifinal game.

The Saints’ (13-5) win came from a complete game effort from starting pitcher Mitch Lorenz, who had six strikeouts and seven walks with just two hits allowed.

“I told the boys afterward, Mitch pitched a great game, pitched mostly to contact,” St. Dom’s coach Bob Blackman said. “When you do that, you got to make plays. We probably played our best complete game of the year today, defensively, pitching, the offense was timely and we ran the bases well.”

The Saints will now play MVC rival Winthrop in the Western Class C regional final Wednesday at 3 p.m. at St. Joseph’s College in Standish. It will be their 12th appearance in the regional final in the past 13 years.

Lorenz also had plenty of help from batterymate Gavin Bates, who made two stellar plays from behind the plate. In the bottom of the second, with Dan Garand standing on third after a Vinnie Birtwell single that blooped into right field, No. 9 hitter Kent Mohlar looked to drive Garand home. Garand took a big lead off third base, and Bates gunned the ball on the money to third baseman Justin Keaney to pickoff Garand to end threat and keep the game scoreless.

“He plays like he’s a senior,” Lorenz said of the freshman Bates. “He’s the best guy I’ve every pitched to and it’s great to have him back there.”

The two have a chemistry going back to the hockey season.

“I feel comfortable with Mitch on the mound, he was my defensive partner in hockey,” Bates said. “We have a close bond, we are good friends and he works hard. I know where his pitches are going to go. I know his symptoms, if he’s going to throw it in the dirt, I know he’s going to throw it in the dirt.”

The Saints jumped out to the 1-0 lead in the top of the third when Matt Bryant hit a single, and a few batters later Caleb Labrie grounded to second to drive in Bryant.

In the bottom of the third, Bates ended the inning running into foul territory down the third baseline when he made a running catch and tumbled to the ground and held onto the ball for the out.

“He has matured, he’s way ahead of his time as far as his ability, his size doesn’t hurt,” Blackman said of Bates. “But he’s very confident on what he does and if Mitch bobbled a little bit in the seventh, Gavin was ready to come in and close it out. We didn’t have to go that route, but he would have been ready.”

While the Saints batters didn’t get much off of Maranacook (11-8) starter Chris Florek, Florek’s afternoon came to an end in the top of the fourth as the leadoff batter Nate Richard got on. Logan McLaughlin came in relief.

Justin Keaney drove in Richard home with a sacrifice fly to center field.

The Saints’ infield got into the act of making defensive plays as they got Lorenz out of a minor jam in the bottom of the fourth. Garand hit the ball right to Bryant at shortstop who flipped it to Ryan Harvey at second base to start the 6-4-3 double play.

“I struggled at times, but coach calmed me down and we made the basic plays,” Lorenz said. “Making the basic plays got us the win.

Lorenz pitched out of a jam in the bottom of the fifth as he walked the bases loaded with Cam Brochu, a John Winkin Award finalist, at the plate. Blackman went out to visit Lorenz for the second time in the inning and told him there’s no place Brochu.

Lorenz wasted no time and induced a ground ball to third base to end the inning.

“I would take that scenario anytime, he’s a great hitter, but Lorenz just got him,” Maranacook coach Eric Brown said. “All the credit goes to Lorenz, he did a great job.”

Bryant hit an RBI double in the top of the seventh to score Raymond Mosca who got on base with a single.

Jason Brooks grounded to third to end the game with a man on and with Brochu as the tying run on the on deck circle.

“I am very proud of the boys to shut out a team that hasn’t been shut out all year,” Blackman said. “That Maranacook team is a great hitting team and I looked at all of their scores, they are all 9-8, 10-6, they are scoring runs every game. To shut them out is a big accomplishment.”

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