Unfortunately for the Zone 2 runners-up it was Staples Crossing that came flying out of the gate, scoring nine runs in the first two eliminates to eliminate Tri-Town, 11-4, at Wainwright Recreation Complex on Friday.
Tri-Town needed 95 pitches and three pitchers to get record the first six outs, surrendering seven hits while walking four. Tri-Town went hitless over the same stretch.
“We talk about it a lot how important the first two innings are,” Tri-Town assistant coach Bob Hubbard said. “A couple things don’t go our way. They put a few guys on. The wind today was just crazy. You could see throughout the game with anything that was hit in the air. They have a solid group in the outfield and made some solid plays. We put a lot of balls in play, but they were able to track the balls really well in the outfield.”
Staples Crossing plated five runs in the first on just two hits. The Zone 4 champions chased Tri-Town starting pitcher Brandon Hubbard after 2/3 of an inning after walking four of the first seven batters he faced. Noah McDaniel had the lone hit off Hubbard — an RBI single up the middle to score Zack Quintal.
“They struggled with control and we had good at-bats,” Staples Crossing coach Bob Quintal said. “We didn’t swing at bad pitches. There were a lot of walks and we had a couple of timely hits.”
Mitchell Davis entered with the bases loaded, only to have Nate Curtis clear them with a three-run double to center field. A leadoff triple by Quintal in the second ended Davis’ day.
Shawn Murphy pitched the final seven innings. He couldn’t cool of Staples Crossing’s bats in his first inning of work as Staples recorded four consecutive hits to drive in four more runs for a 9-0 lead.
Despite coughing up a five-run lead to Bangor the previous day, there was no lag affect from Staples Crossing.
“We had no choice but to put it behind us,” Quintal said. “These guys have been through this before. They know how to roll. We got off to a good start. We had a five-run lead and we kind cruised along. We were able to cruise along.”
Murphy quieted the bats from there, holding Staples Crossing to two runs on four hits over the final six innings. He finished with eight strikeouts.
“Shawn did a good job of mixing it up,” Bob Hubbard said. “We’ve had solid pitching contributions from several different guys across the board, but Luke (Johnson) yesterday and Shawn today were able to ride it out.”
Hitless against Curtis — Staples Crossing’s starting pitcher — through three innings, Tri-Town strung hits together against reliever Keith Dorr. Tanner Marston blooped a single to right field to score Murphy for Tri-Town’s first run of the game in the fourth.
Tri-Town finished with 13 hits over the final six innings. Five of those said hits came in the seventh with Tri-Town facing the possibility of being mercied for the second time in the tournament. Tri-Town entered the seventh trailing 11-1 after Staples Crossing plated two runs in the sixth. The Zone 2 runners-up countered with three runs to keep the game going.
Matt Rabasco started it with a triple to right and scored on a double by Ethan Cailler. Kaleb Bridgham followed with an RBI double, and Murphy collected his second hit of the afternoon to push across Tri-Town’s fourth run.
That was as close as Tri-Town would get. It would load the bases with one out in the same inning, but McDaniel got Marston to ground into a 1-2-3 double play to end the threat.
Aside from pitching the final 2 2/3 innings, McDaniel went 4-for-5 at the plate with two RBIs and two runs scored.
“With the wind shifting, I felt everything going in the gaps,” McDaniel said. “I was just seeing the ball well. I hit the ball hard where they weren’t.”
Davis and Murphy led Tri-Town with three hits. Rabasco and Bridgham each had two.
Tri-Town finished the season 13-12.
“The season overall was kind of like this game,” Bob Hubbard said. “It had its ups and downs, its ebbs and flows. Baseball is so fickle. Sometimes you’re up, sometimes you’re down. Sometimes you’re the hammer, sometimes you’re the nail.”
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