On the strength of a lights-out pitching performance from Mike Paleologopoulos, Longmeadow forced a decisive third game in the Tri-County League men’s amateur baseball playoff quarterfinals Wednesday night.
Paleologopoulos struck out 10 batters in nine innings, and host Longmeadow scored the game-winning run with a walk-off hit in the bottom of the ninth inning to sneak past Teddy Bear Pools, 3-2, in Game 2 of the best-of-three series at Longmeadow High School.
“We ran into a good pitcher,” lauded Teddy Bear coach Harlan Bean. “I’ve got to tip my hat to the kid. He kept some of our big bats off-balance all night.”
The Longmeadow victory sets up Game 3 tonight at 5:45 at Frontier Regional School’s G.T. Valiton Field in South Deerfield, with the winner advancing to the semifinals.
Teddy Bear trailed 2-0 before tying the game with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth. Seth Leslie doubled and scored on a Chris Williams RBI single, while Tim Capuano followed with a triple to plate Williams and tie the game, 2-2.
The game stayed scoreless into the ninth inning, when Longmeadow put a pair of runners on base with singles. Jake Palotti came through with the game-winning single for the walk-off 3-2 victory.
Sam Downes was the tough-luck loser on the mound for Teddy Bear. He struck out five and walked just one in a complete-game effort. Both teams finished with eight hits.
“Sam Downes pitched absolutely well enough to win it but against their pitcher, we couldn’t get anything going,” Bean said.
Seth Leslie and Troy Leslie had two hits each, while Julian Diamond and Liam Datres de la Blotier also had hits along with Capuano and Williams.
Bean expects his team to be ready to go in the win-or-go-home stakes for tonight.
“We have way too many good hitters to get shut down two games in a row, so I expect our bats to get going,” he offered.
Mickey Mantle
Jordan Grenier tossed six strong innings on the mound, but Mohawk Hilltown Hardwood Flooring was unable to back the lefty with much in the way of offense as the squad dropped a 3-1 decision to Granby during pool play action in the Western Massachusetts Mickey Mantle Division Baseball Championship on Wednesday night in Granby.
Grenier struck out three and walked three in six innings of work, and all three runs he allowed were unearned.
Joel Peabody was 2-for-3 with a stolen base and the only run scored for Mohawk, as he crossed the plate thanks to an RBI from Mica Van Iderstine. Sam Bobala walked three times for the visitors.
Mohawk will play a pool play game at home tonight at 5:30 against The Kings. The team needs a win to advance in the tournament to weekend action.