WINTHROP – The Winthrop Red Sox sent Fairfield packing from the Pine Tree League baseball playoffs Sunday morning with a 9-1 victory that was in doubt until the late innings.
Winthrop touched up Rockies starting pitcher Randy Brodeur early for two runs in the bottom of the first inning. With two outs and runners at first and third base, Bob Cochran lined the first pitch he saw from Brodeur to right field for a two-run triple.
Winning pitcher Torey Carr and a flawless Red Sox defense held Fairfield mostly in check throughout. The Rockies got on the board in the top of the second after back-to-back singles from Billy Brooks and Pete Kirby followed by an RBI groundout off the bat of Chris Luckern.
Brodeur settled down after allowing three first-inning hits and pitched no-hit ball the next 5 2/3 innings, striking out six batters. Winthrop’s bats came alive in the seventh, however, putting together five consecutive hits and amassing an 8-1 lead. Key hits were a Dave Ricker Jr. double and Brett Witherell’s two-run single to center for one of his two hits on the day.
An eighth-inning triple by Jim Morris and a wild pitch accounted for the final run.
Winthrop’s Matt McCarthy singled twice and Cochran added a single in the seventh to join Witherell as repeat hitters. Steve Siviski smacked a double in the losing effort for the Rockies.
No.2 Winthrop will host No. 11 Downeast Dodgers next Sunday. Downeast upset the No. 3 West Paris Westies, 7-6, in another quarterfinal clash.