WORCESTER — Trailing No. 2 Medfield 3-1 after 4 innings, fourth-seeded Oakmont Regional by no means stopped believing.
The Spartans rallied to pressure additional innings after which plated a pair of runs within the prime of the twelfth to knock off the Warriors, 5-3, and seize the Division 3 baseball title at Polar Park on Friday night.
Ben Forbes knotted the sport 3-3 with an RBI single within the seventh, pushed throughout the go-ahead run within the twelfth and pitched six shutout innings in aid of Jayden Downing to carry the Spartans (23-3).
“This is all we’ve ever dreamed of and worked for. Heaven might be better than this, but I don’t know. .. This is the greatest moment of my life,” Forbes, a junior, stated. “It’s just unreal …I felt confident (pitching). I knew the group of guys I had behind me. I was just trying to get outs and they made the plays.”
Forbes allowed six hits and walked a pair, putting out eight. Downing allowed three runs on 4 hits and a stroll in six innings, punching out 5.
The Spartans reduce the Medfield result in 3-2 on an RBI single by Johnny Losordo within the sixth earlier than Forbes tied issues within the seventh. Ty Curtis led off with a double, shifting to 3rd on a fly out. With two outs within the body, Forbes drove a base knock to the outfield grass, bringing in Curtis and tying the sport.
Medfield had its possibilities, leaving seven runners on base in additional innings alone.
In the twelfth, Oakmont broke via, loading the bases with no outs. Forbes then delivered an RBI sac fly to plate Caleb Allen earlier than Downing dropped down an ideal squeeze bunt to herald Isaiah Smith.
“They’re unbelievable. They’ve been unbelievable all season,” Oakmont head coach Tim Caouette stated. “We joke around and say ‘champions find a way’ and they sure did tonight. I can’t say enough about every kid on this team.”
The host Warriors opened the scoring within the second inning courtesy of a blast by senior catcher Scott Donahue, which cleared the 399-foot marker in left area.
Oakmont wasted no time responding, pulling even within the prime of the second. After Smith drew a leadoff stroll, catcher Colby Gouldrup labored the depend full in opposition to Collins earlier than ripped a double to left, with the ball rolling to the wall and Smith scoring simply to knot the sport at 1.
Medfield plated runs on RBIs by Jack Iovino and Colby Hatch within the fourth, however bumped into three outs on the bases earlier than it may do additional harm. Runners had been twice caught stealing, whereas a botched squeeze on the plate resulted in one other out.
Jack Collins went eight innings for the Warriors, permitting three runs on 10 hits and two walks, putting out 10.
“Collins battled tonight,” Medfield head coach Dave Worthley stated. “He’s a kid who went 19-0 in two seasons for me and he gave it all he could tonight.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com