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BATH — Whether it was in the field or at the plate, the Morse baseball team found many ways to get out of tight situations Tuesday in a Class B South baseball preliminary-round game against Poland.

The same could said for Poland, until the bottom of the seventh inning. That’s when Morse sophomore Colin Verrill dashed from second to home plate after a two-out single to right field by Caleb Harvey. Verrill did not beat the throw or avoid the tag at the plate, but his slide knocked the ball loose from Poland catcher Aidan Bean’s glove, giving Morse a 2-1 walk-off win.

“(Poland junior pitcher Alex Mains) was giving me first-pitch fastball all-day,” Harvey said. “Struck out the last couple times, so I didn’t want to miss out on another fastball.”

“That was just a straight adrenaline rush,” Verrill added. “It’s awesome that we get to move on.”

Fifth-seeded Morse (12-5) won its seventh straight game and advanced to the quarterfinals against No. 4 Medomak Valley (12-4) at 4 p.m. Thursday in Waldoboro. The Shipbuilders and Panthers split their two regular-season matchups, with the visitor taking each game.

Poland, the 12th seed, ends its season at 6-11.

How it happened

• Both teams scored in the third inning. Poland left fielder Will Stanford knocked a double that brought in second baseman Gavin Lenahan, and Morse starting pitcher Oscar Nelson connected for an RBI single that drove in shortstop Jackson Murray. Murray, the KVAC small school champion in the 200-meter dash opted out of the Class B track and field championship meet Tuesday at Bar Harbor.

• Through the fifth inning, Bean and Morse sophomore catcher Caden Wells had each caught two runners stealing. Both offenses also had runners in scoring position but squelched any momentum by hitting into inning-ending double plays.

• The Knights ended innings with a runner on third base four times, including the sixth with the bases loaded and the seventh after putting a runner on third with no outs. The Shipbuilders employed a five-man infield, and reliever Oscar Gallant induced two weak grounders and a strikeout.

“We harp all season that when we get to playoff baseball, it’s going to be one-run games,” Morse coach Garrett Olson said. “Every base, every out, every pitch matters, a lot more important than everything. And, yeah, it was pretty dang tight. There were a lot of great plays in that game.”

Statistical leaders

• Morse: Oscar Nelson (6 IP, eight hits allowed, one earned run, two walks, five strikeouts; 2 for 3, RBI), Oscar Gallant (IP, strikeout; 1 for 3), Caleb Harvey (1 for 4, RBI), Jackson Murray (2 for 2, run, two walks, stolen base), Colin Verrill (1 for 3, run, stolen base).

• Poland: Alex Mains (6 2/3 IP, eight hits allowed, two earned runs, three walks, six strikeouts; 1 for 3), Will Stanford (1 for 3, RBI, stolen base), Gavin Lenahan (1 for 2, run, walk, stolen base), Cade Johnson (2 for 3), Landon Cooper (1 for 2, walk).

Notable quote

• “We wanted to be a tough out. We wanted somebody to have to beat us and have to play a good game to beat us. And hats off to Morse, because they played a great game. They made plays when they had to make the plays, and in the end, they got the hit that they needed to get. We were just trying really to have more of an aggressive approach at the plate, put more balls in play. I thought the boys had a plan, and they executed so well today.” — Poland coach Charlie Pray