Goodrich, Essex Post 91 claims Vermont American Legion 3-peat, advances to regionals
Jacob Rousseau
Essex Post 91 fell one victory shy of reaching the regional tournament championship last year.
They’ll look to pass that mark and become the first Vermont team to win the American Legion Baseball Northeast Regional crown after blistering state opponents to a third straight title.
Post 91 (22-0) trumped Brattleboro Post 5 5-2 on Wednesday afternoon at Castleton University. The title win was Post 91’s 13th overall as they trail just Rutland Post 31 (15).
Vermont heads to Shrewsbury, Massachusetts for regionals starting on Wednesday.
[See below for more details on Northeast Regionals].
Related: Vermont American Legion baseball state tournament scores, results
Andrew Goodrich struck out 13 and allowed two earned runs on five hits with a walk in the 102-pitch, complete-game win. Post 91 built a 4-0 advantage in the second inning on a two-RBI single by Ben Deibler and Eli Bostwick’s (2-for-3) two-run double. Braedon Jones went 1-for-3 with a double as Post 91 had eight total hits.
Goodrich, who got the win in the 2022 championship, kept Post 5 to just two hits through five innings before Brattleboro plated both runs on Turner Clews’ single in the sixth frame. Alex Bingham went five innings for Post 5 allowing seven hits, five earned runs with four strikeouts.
Post 91 opened the five-day tournament with a 6-1 win against Bennington and followed by downing Colchester 7-2. They reached the final with a 16-0 win against Post 5 in the winner’s bracket.
Regionals information for Post 91
Post 91 has the second game of the regional tournament on Wednesday when they face the New York legion champion at 9:30 a.m.
For the full tournament bracket visit the Northeast Region website at americanlegion.sportngin.com/2023regional1.
All-Tournament Team named
According to the Rutland Herald, 14 players were named to the all-tournament team. The squad:
Most Valuable Player: Owen Pinaud, Essex. Pitcher: Andrew Goodrich, Essex. Catcher: Turner Clews, Brattleboro. First base: Braeden Jones, Essex. Second base: Ben Deibler, Essex. Third base: Malakai Callahan, Colchester. Shortstop: Alex Bingham, Brattleboro. Outfield: Aidan Davis, Brattleboro; Harper Cutler, Brattleboro; Hazen Randall, Essex. Utility: Kyle James, Lake Region; Sawyer Ramey, Lake Region; Baxter Lowell, South Burlington. Sportsmanship: Cameron Cannucci, Lake Region.
Contact Jacob Rousseau at JRousseau@gannett.com. Follow on Twitter: @ByJacobRousseau