Essex Post 91 eliminated from Northeast Regionals, one win shy of making championship game

After winning a second straight Vermont American Legion baseball championship last weekend, Essex Post 91 aims for a deep run at Northeast Regionals in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Below are game details from Post 91's run at regionals, which ended Saturday in a 5-2 loss to Cumberland, Rhode Island.

Saturday, Aug. 6

Cumberland (R.I) 5, Essex Post 91 2

A five-run Cumberland fourth inning broke a 0-0 stalemate and sent Essex Post 91 back to Vermont on Saturday afternoon. Post 91, which started Northeast Regionals with back-to-back wins, fell one victory shy of reaching the tournament championship.

In the defeat to Cumberland, Andrew Goodrich went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Will Erikson also had two hits and Eli Bostwick doubled to pace Post 91's nine-hit effort at the plate.

Bostwick, the starter, suffered the loss. After firing three scoreless innings, Bostwick yielded three hits and four earned runs in the decisive fourth frame. Jack Larose highlighted Cumberland's big inning with a three-run home run to right field after Bostwick was pulled for reliever Owen Pinaud.

Down 5-0, Post 91 scratched out a run in the sixth, Bostwick scoring on an infield error. Then in the top of the seventh, Ryan Roberge led off with a double and Soctt Gintof walked.

After a strikeout and a caught stealing, Erikson and Goodrich knocked singles, the latter driving in Gintof, to make it 5-2 and bring the tying run to the plate. But Bostwick's fly out to right ended Post 91's comeback bid and stay in Worcester.

EARLIER IN THE TOURNAMENT ...

Friday, Aug. 5

Shrewsbury Post 397 (Mass.) 3, Essex Post 91 1

Tournament host Shrewsbury Post 397 bested Essex Post 91 to hand the Vermont state champions their first loss at regionals on Friday night.

Post 91 will play Cumberland in an elimination game at 10 a.m. Saturday.

Braedon Jones went 2-for-4 to pace Post 91's seven-hit attack in the loss. A night after picking up the save, Matt Safer (4IP, 5H, 2ER, 4K, 7BB) suffered the loss. For Shrewsbury, Zachary Amaro and AJ Hamm each had a hit and RBI.

More:Shrewsbury prevails, will play Sunday for American Legion Northeast title

Rocco Hickson earned the win, scattering seven hits and yielding no earned runs over 6 2/3 innings. Shrewsbury scored a pair of runs in the third inning to flip a 1-0 deficit and then tacked on an insurance tally in the sixth.

Post 91's lone run came in the second on an infield error.

Thursday, Aug. 4

Essex Post 91 1, Greece Post 468 (N.Y.) 0 in 9 innings

Post 91 came out on the winning side of a pitcher's duel that needed extra innings to reach a conclusion. The Vermont state champs' reward? Holding serve in the winner's bracket of the double-elimination tournament.

Hazen Randall scored on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth and Matt Safer shut the door with a two-strikeout save as Post 91 won for the second time in as many days. Post 91 next plays 7:30 p.m. Friday vs. tournament host Shrewsbury (Massachusetts), which defeated Rhode Island state champion Cumberland 3-0 on Thursday night.

If Essex wins Friday, it will automatically advance to Sunday's regional championship, should three teams remain alive in the tournament. Otherwise, Essex would play Saturday.

In Thursday's contest, Essex ace Andrew Goodrich (7.1IP, 6H, 0R, 11K, 1BB) and Greece Post 468 starter James Capellupo (7.0IP, 4H, 0R, 8K, 2BB) each twirled gems to keep the game scoreless entering extra innings.

With one out in the ninth, Randall and Owen Pinaud connected on back-to-back singles, with Randall racing to third on Pinaud's hit. After a strikeout for the second out, Randall scooted home two pitches later on a wild pitch for the game's only run.

Safer, who came on in relief for Ben Deibler (.2IP, 1H, 0R), induced a fly ball for the first out in the bottom of the ninth. The righty then got a swing and miss on back-to-back strikeouts to seal the win.

At the plate for Essex, Pinaud and Goodrich each went 2-for-5 while Deibler reached base twice with a walk and single.

Wednesday, Aug. 3

Essex Post 91 13, Franklin Post 75 (Mass.) 2

Post 91 starter Braedon Jones shut down the lineup of the Massachusetts state champion while the offense racked up 16 hits in the six-inning, mercy-rule win.

Jones scattered eight hits and fanned 10 while yielding one earned run and three walks in a 103-pitch complete-game performance. At the plate, Jones went 1-for-3 with an RBI.

Nine Post 91 players had at least one hit and eight of the nine drove in at least one run. Post 91 broke the game up with a seven-run fourth inning. In the sixth, pinch hitter Ryan Roberge delivered a two-run double for the walkoff.

Additional coverage:Franklin Legion Post 75 drops opening game of Northeast Regional Tournament to Vermont

William Erikson (3-for-4, triple, 2 RBIs), Eli Bostwick (3-for-4), Matt Safer (2-for-4, double, RBI), Ben Deibler (2-for-4, RBI), Storm Dusablon (2-for-4, 2 RBIs), Owen Pinaud (1-for-4, RBI) and Andrew Goodrich (1-for-4, RBI) produced at the plate in Post 91's balanced output.

For Franklin, leadoff hitter Jacob Jette went 2-for-4 and Jacob Crisileo had an RBI triple in a two-hit game.

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on Twitter: @aabrami5.