Lewiston’s Evan Cox runs to first base while Edward Little’s Grant Hartley catches the ball to make the out during the twin city match up at the Auburn Suburban Little League Park on Thursday evening.
AUBURN — Edward Little saw its five-run lead evaporate in a stunning top of the sixth inning of Thursday night’s Class A North quarterfinal against rival Lewiston.
The third-seeded Red Eddies regrouped quickly, though, and scored twice in the bottom of the sixth to retake the lead and ultimately defeat the pesky sixth-seeded Blue Devils, 7-6, at Auburn Suburban Little League’s Austin Field.
EL (14-3) will host No. 7 Mt. Ararat in a semifinal at 4 p.m. on Saturday. Lewiston, which split two regular-season games with Edward Little, ends its season at 9-8.
Mason Brushwein’s single tied it and Tyler Libby’s infield hit gave EL the lead with one out in the sixth. Damien St. Pierre, who put out the fire in the top of the sixth in relief, struck out the side in the seventh to end it.
“As a team, we stayed positive in the dugout (after the top of the sixth) and just being solid all the way through our order,” Brushwein said. “That’s the key right there, being solid all the way through the order.”
“I thought the guys did a really good job of trying to slow the game down,” EL coach Dave Jordan said. “It’s easy to get in the moment and get stressed out, especially after a great rally by Lewiston. It’s good to get a win through some adversity.”
Jordan told his players to slow the game down after Lewiston’s rally, but Brushwein knew that didn’t also mean stop being aggressive. He jumped on the first pitch he saw after Maxx Bell’s sacrifice bunt put runners at second and third.
“Fastball in. That’s my favorite pitch,” he said. “Coach said if it’s there, take it, and that’s what I did.”
Libby then hit a grounder into the hole between short and third to plate Jarod Norcross Plourde with the go-ahead run.
If not for the rally, EL would have been kicking itself for not taking better advantage of earlier opportunities. It loaded the bases in the first and second innings but only got single runs in each frame off Lewiston starter Evan Cox. The Eddies added three more in the fourth, with Grant Hartley producing the big hit, a two-run single, for a 5-0 lead.
“I would have liked to see us scratch a few more runs across early,” Jordan said. “But that’s a credit to Lewiston also. They made the pitches and they made plays.”
Norcross Plourde (5 1/3 innings, seven strikeouts) didn’t allow a hit through the first five innings. But the Blue Devils were patient and drove up his pitch count with six walks.
A leadoff walk to Hunter Landry got the ball rolling for Lewiston in the sixth. A pair of errors and two-run doubles by Gordon Beckwith and Cox, the latter coming with two outs, gave the Blue Devils their first and only lead.
“A lot of teams, I think, would have rolled over there down 5-0 in the sixth and they just rallied,” Lewiston coach Will Emerson said. “There’s a lot of fight in this group.
“It’s a resilient group,” he added. “We only beat three different teams last year and we come in and take the sixth seed in the tournament and jump right to the quarterfinals. What a great bounce-back year. We’ve got four great senior leaders. It’s a tough one to swallow but I think the future’s bright for this group.”
Mt. Ararat upset No.2 Brewer to face EL next, but the Red Eddies won’t be taking them for granted. They beat them narrowly, 2-1, in their only regular-season meeting on May 24.
“This really pumps our team up here,” Brushwein said. “We’re ready for the next game. This was a great win.”
Lewiston’s Gordon Beckwith slides back to first base after trying to steal second while Edward Little’s Grant Hartley waits for the ball from the pitcher during Thursday night’s baseball game at the Auburn Suburban Little League Park on Thursday evening.
Jarod Norcross Plourde fires a ball over home plate during the Lewiston/Edward Little baseball game at the Auburn Suburban Little League Park on Thursday evening.
Lewiston’s Evan Cox pitches a ball during the Edward Little/Lewiston match up at Suburban Little League Field in Auburn on Thursday night.
Edward Little’s Ian Brushwein slides into home base and catcher Gordon Beckwith during Thursday night’s baseball game at the Auburn Suburban Little League Park on Thursday evening.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
