WINTHROP – The Winthrop Red Sox stayed alive in the Men’s Senior Baseball League championship series with a 3-2 victory in Game 2 Sunday afternoon.
Winthrop avenged a 7-4 morning loss to the Auburn White Sox in the series opener. The verdict forced a deciding third game at 8 p.m. Wednesday on Auburn’s home field at Auburn Suburban Little League complex.
Brett Witherell’s double plated Matt McCarthy in the top of the first to give Winthrop a 1-0 lead in the second half of the twinbill.
In the bottom of the inning, Auburn’s Steve LaBossiere drew a leadoff walk. Mike Brennan singled and Tom Bourdon was hit by a pitch to load the bases with none out. Dan Coleman followed with an RBI single.
Sean Cheetham singled in Auburn’s second and final run of the game with two out.
McCarthy and Witherell combined for the tying run in the fourth. McCarthy ripped a two-out triple to left center field and scored on Witherell’s second hit of the game.
The game-winning hit came in the fifth after Bob Cochran drew a one-out walk, stole second and advanced third on a fielder’s choice. Coleman tried to throw out Cochran at third on the play, but the ball glanced off the runner’s helmet. Brennan retrieved the ball and threw out Josh Nichols at second base, but Cochran scored on the second throw.
Torey Carr picked up a complete-game win for Winthrop, with Bourdon suffering the hard-luck loss.
Game 1 was a similar, back-and-forth affair. Auburn played from behind until the fifth inning, when it scored three runs to grab a 4-3 lead. Winthrop tied it up in the bottom of the frame, but Auburn put up three runs in the seventh for the win.
McCarthy and Witherell again accounted for Winthrop’s two runs in the first inning.
One-out walks to Jim Wacenske and Paul Nelson triggered the White Sox rally. Norm Gosselin followed with an RBI single, and the tying and go-ahead runs scored on fielder’s choices.
Nelson and Gosselin delivered RBI singles in the seventh. Coleman pitched the bottom of the seventh to close out the win for Marc Gosselin. Jim Morris took the loss for Winthrop.
Repeat hitters on the day were Brennan, Coleman, Cheetham and Norm Gosselin for the White Sox, and Dave Ricker Jr., Witherell, Eric Palleschi, Cochran and Carr for the Red Sox.
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