DYER BROOK, Maine — Making the most of an opponent’s miscues is one way to pull off an upset.
No. 8 Woodland did precisely that Thursday afternoon in a rain-soaked quarterfinal game against No. 1 Southern Aroostook. Woodland (11-7 overall) capitalized on four Southern Aroostook errors to pull off a remarkable 15-11 victory over SACS (14-2).
Woodland advances to the semifinals, where it will face No. 5 Limestone/MSSM Saturday. The Warriors had beaten Woodland twice during the regular season — 13-3 at home and 9-8 in extra innings on the road.
Trent Cullinan pitched an inning and a third for SACS, allowing seven runs on five hits and two walks, with one strikeout. Parker Walker went the rest of the distance, scattering eight runs on two hits and six walks, with 11 strikeouts.
For Woodland, Charles Brown tossed four innings, allowing seven runs on 10 hits and two walks, with three strikeouts. Damon Lincoln pitched three relief innings, yielding four runs on three hits and two walks, with one strikeout.
Cullinan led the Warriors with three doubles and two runs scored, while Will McGary and Gage LaFay both had three singles and scored a run. Nate Lilley added two singles and scored two runs, while Austin White and Cody Lassonde each had one single.
Pacing the Dragons offensively were Chad Gagner (double, two singles), Devonte Stevens (two singles), and Scott Bois and Brown each with one single.
After retiring the side in order, with three fly outs to centerfielder Nolan Altvater, SACS took a short-lived 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as McGary singled to left field, moved to second on a single by LeFay. Both moved up on a passed ball and McGary then scored on a wild pitch.
Things unraveled in the top of the second inning as Woodland went on a seven-run, two-out rally, which prompted the pitching change by coach David Day.
“We had to shake things up a bit because it wasn’t working,” he said.
Woodland piled on six more runs in the third inning as walks and errors proved costly to take a commanding lead, but still the Warriors did not quit.
“We were down 13-1 at one point and could have folded,” coach Day said. “Unfortunately, we had innings that were very uncharacteristic of our play this year. For some strange reason, our two best pitchers all year couldn’t seem to find the plate and that put us in a bit of trouble, with all nine walks scoring, a couple of miscues, and only four hits. We have dug ourselves some holes this year, but I had no question we could come back and make it close.”
SACS did just that, nibbling away at Woodland’s lead as Walker settled into a nice groove on the mound, holding the Dragons to just two runs the rest of the way.
After Walker struck out the side in the top of the fourth, the Warriors cut the lead to 13-5 in the bottom half of the inning as the bats started to come alive. Woodland, however, made two nifty catches in foul territory to end the Warriors threat.
SACS grabbed three more in the bottom of the fifth, to make it a 13-8 game, but the Warriors would come no closer.
Missed opportunities plagued the Warriors as the team stranded baserunners in all seven innings. Still, coach Day said he was proud of the team for having such a strong season and added he would miss his three seniors.
“I don’t know what more I can say about Will McGary,” Day said. “He’s a team leader, great kid who works hard in practice. I would match him up with any catcher in any class throughout the state.
“Trent (Cullinan) had some good years pitching for us and we relied on him heavily this year,” he continued.
“Cody (Lassonde) was injured early in the season and his leadership in the outfield was surely missed,” the coach added. “Being able to play in the quarterfinal, after missing 12 games, he never missed a beat at the plate. I wish all three seniors the best of luck in the future and it will be a difficult task to fill in their spots next year.”
