Sports

Medfield Legion Baseball Outlasts Braintree in Playoffs

Medfield Legion baseball advanced to the next round of the playoffs after beating Braintree in three games.

District 6 playoff review

Medfield Post 110 Legion Baseball team, seeded fourth in the West, squared off against the East's second-seed Braintree in a best-of-three first round play July 25-26.

Latosek's 2-hitter stellar but still not enough:

Game one of the doubleheader scheduled due to rain last week was an old fashioned pitching duel between Post 110's Derek Latosek and 6'7" Vanderbilt bound and Red Sox draftee Pat Delano with Braintree grabbing a 2-1 win.

For the most part Latosek, who gave up at least nine-inches in height and over 100-pounds in weight to his counterpart, bested the big league prospect by hurling a two hitter with five strikeouts and one walk.  Unfortunately one of those hits was a late game 420 foot blast by Delano, which put the Braintree club ahead for the 2-1 victory.  

The Post 110 Tomahawks scored the first run of the game in the opening frame and continued to get runners on by scattering nine hits, but Delano's imposing presence and effective off speed pitches were enough to keep each threat at bay.

Tibbetts tips the scale for Post 110 in ninth:

Game two of the doubleheader was behind the pitching of Sam Jordan, the Tomahawk's mainstay pitcher, first baseman and cleanup hitter in a 5-4 win. Jordan held the Braintree nine to just two runs over six innings, in part because of warning track catches in right by Jake Mintz, rangy defense by center fielder Derek Bauer and solid play from left fielder Matt Pembroke.

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Tomahawk hitters Bauer and Cole Tibbetts hit a solo shot to right and a 3 run moon shot to center, respectively, to give Post 110 a 4-2 lead.  Braintree refused to go quietly and rallied with two-outs to tie the game at four in its last at bat.  

Relievers Brendan Donovan and Steven Russell shut down the Braintree hitting surge to allow Tibbett's third hit of the night score the decisive run in the ninth inning, sealing the 5-4 twilight victory.

Mintz delivers two RBI single to seal second straight 9 inning win:

Game three was played at Medfield's Schilling Field although Post 110 was batting as visitors.  The Tomahawk hitting barrage was led by Derek Bauer (two singles,double), Brian McCloud (three singles), Will Cousins (single, double), and TJ Valente (two singles, two doubles) to give Post 110 another 4-2 lead going into the last of the seventh inning on their way to a 6-4 win.

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Again as the night before, Steven Russell and Brendan Donovan supplied the relief effort behind the starting efforts of Cole Tibbetts.  Russell shut down Braintree in the 5th and 6th before yielding two in the seventh.  

With only one out and bases-loaded ,Braintree was threatening to eliminate the Tomahawks with relative ease, but Donovan forced a pop up to Jordan and a grounder to shortstop McCloud to force extra innings again. With bases-loaded in the top of the ninth, Post 110 had it's chance this time.  

After a first out strikeout, Jake Mintz then delivered a tow RBI single between third and short to give his team a 6-4 lead.  

With a Bauer hit to add another run, Post 110 held on for a 7-4 victory and a berth in the South Sectional pool play with Taunton, Hyde Park and Sandwich this week.


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