Third seeded Lincoln Academy’s baseball team rallied in late innings to beat sixth seeded Falmouth 10-7 in the West Class B quarterfinals, on June 9 in Newcastle. Brandon Reilly went the distance for the Eagles (2K,4B,8H). Mitch Beaulieu took the loss for Falmouth (11H).
Former Eagle coach John Brooks threw out the ceremonial first pitch to current coach Greg Rice, who played for Brooks. The team autographed a baseball and presented it to the former coach.
Falmouth took a 1-0 lead in the top of the 1st inning on an RBI single from Mitch Beaulieu, scoring Matt McDowell. Lincoln plated two runs in the home half of the inning to take the lead. Ben McLain doubled and scored on a Reilly single. Reilly moved over on a Jeff Lamb fielder’s choice and scored on a Merritt Wotton single.
Falmouth tied the score in the second on an RBI single from Ben Griffin, scoring EJ Rogers. The Eagles got out of the inning with a 4-6-3 double play. Falmouth plated three runs in the 3rd to take a 5-2 lead. Dillon Dresser singled and scored on an error. McDowell reached on an error and scored on a Beaulieu two run homerun.
The Eagles took the lead for good with a four run 4th inning. Kyle Scherer singled, Wotton doubled and Stephen Quinlan walked to load up the bases for a three run double to McLain. Chris Chickering drove home McLain with a single.
Lincoln added two runs in the 5th when Scherer and Mardy Alden walked and both scored on a Quinlan triple. The Eagles took a 10-5 lead with two runs in the 6th. Reilly reached on a fielder’s choice and Everett Martin reached on an error. Reilly and pinch runner Ryan Peters scored on a Scherer double.
Falmouth’s rally in the 7th fell short. They pulled within three with two runs. Brett Emmertz walked and scored on a MacDowell triple. MacDowell scored on an error.
Hitting for Lincoln were McLain with 2 doubles (3RBI), Scherer a double and single, Chickering 2 singles, Reilly 2 singles, Wotton 2 singles and Quinlan a triple. Hitting for Falmouth were MacDowell with a double and triple, Beaulieu a homerun and single, and Joe Burns, Dillon Dresser, Rogers and Ben Griffin a single each.
Both teams battled through four scoreless innings, thanks to remarkable defensive plays from both squads, and solid pitching from Eagle Nat Baptist and Yarmouth’s Campbell Haley.
Luke Pierce robbed Brandon Reilly of a hit with a diving catch at shortstop in the 1st, and the Clippers got out of a two runner jam in the 2nd with a double play on a backhand grab at third base by Dustin McCrossin.
The Eagles shut Yarmouth down in order in the first three innings, with Stephen Quinlan making five putouts at second base. Quinlan’s throw in the 4th picked off runner Travis Merrill with Ben McLain laying on the tag.
Yarmouth broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the 5th inning, when they tagged Eagles’ starter Baptist for five runs, on six hits and a walk. Reed Wommack hit an RBI single, Travis Merrill a three run double, and Aidan Sullivan an RBI single in the rally.
Yarmouth added a run in the 6th when Wommack was hit by a pitch and scored on a passed ball. Eagle catcher Jeff Lamb caught a Jeff Kuklewicz pop fly bunt and tagged out Nick Proscia for a double play in the inning.
