QUINCY, Mass. - In the bottom of the sixth in a two run game, Mansfield loaded the bases with no outs for the second consecutive inning. It was looking like the comeback kids were going to strike again.
The Hornets have had a knack for scoring runs in the later innings and the stage was set for it to happen once again.
But just like that, the momentum changed. After pushing across just one run and bringing the tying run to third, Norwood got the first out with a low, outside pitch for a called strike three. Four pitches later, a grounder up the middle turned into a double play.
That momentum carried with the Mustangs as they plated five insurance runs in the top of the seventh and walked away with a 9-3 win for their second straight D1 South Sectional title.
“That’s baseball for you,” Mansfield head coach Joe Breen said. “I’m envisioning us taking lead and going and shutting it down in the seventh and the next thing you know we’re chasing six. That’s baseball but our guys fought hard and that’s what they’ve been doing all season and I’m certainly darn proud of them.”
Trailing 4-0 in the fifth, Michael Boen led off with a walk, Tanner Haggis followed with a single, Will Kelleher walked and Mike Arnold was hit by a pitch to bring Mansfield’s first run in. After a strikeout, junior Tyrone Pascual hit one deep enough to a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit .
Trailing 4-2, Branden Nevius and Charlie DeMassi had back-to-back singles and Michael Boen was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Haggis got his second hit of the night to score Boen and keep the bases loaded with no outs but that would be all the Hornets could get across but the strikeout and double play.
In the top half of the seventh, Boen struck out the first two batters but three straight singles, a walk and two errors allowed the Mustangs to create plenty of separation.
“We had opportunities but I wish we had a few more of them,” Breen said. “We capitalized on a couple of them and made it a game but we needed a few more and we didn’t them.”
Norwood starter Sean Mellen kept Mansfield off-balance through the first four innings. Mellen had seven strikeouts while allowing just two hits.
“That’s a pitcher who’s kind of one those wildly effective guys where he throws two balls no where near the strike zone and then comes back with three right on the corner which is tough for hitters to get in a groove,” Breen said. “Our scouting report was to be patient and to capitalize on the strikes he does throw, but when you have a guy that throws that hard and he’s a competitor its tough to make something happen.”
Mansfield’s Evan Kershaw was equally impressive on the mound, going 4.2 innings with five strikeouts allowing three earned runs.
The Hornets finish the season 17-6 overall and won the Kelley-Rex division of the Hockomock, their first league title since 2007.
Ryan Lanigan can be contacted at [email protected] and followed on Twitter at @R_Lanigan.