Milford's patience pays off in Game 2 rally
Year to year, the Milford American Legion baseball program is known for its eminence, a storied history in a baseball-hungry town. Under the watch of manager Rich Piergustavo , Post 59 also has been known to exhibit a great balance of patience and strength.
His batters are never shy about taking a called first strike, and never hesitant about taking a big cut at the right pitch. In Tuesday night's second-round playoff game against East Side, this was on full display, in the form of what has to be one of the Legion season's most bizarre endings.
Down 11-4 in the top of the ninth, Post 59 rallied for eight runs - with the batters hardly raising the bat off their shoulder. Matt Collins (inset) tied the game by blasting a 1-2 curve to deep right, where it was misplayed, scoring three runs on what was ruled an error. One at-bat later, and nearly three hours after the game's first pitch, Bryant Johnson slapped a 1-2 curve through the left side of the infield, scoring Collins from second for the winning run.
In all, Milford needed just two hits in the rally. Post 59 went through three East Side pitchers for a total of 65 pitches - only 28 for strikes - in 14 at-bats.
Battles like that are what have come to define Milford's splendid season.
"I was in shock the whole inning," said Johnson, who took the mound in the bottom of the ninth for the save. "We just battled."
He later added that the game was "the best team win I've ever played in," even better than quarterbacking Milford High to a Super Bowl win in 2007.
Behind a sterling 112-pitch effort from 16-year-old southpaw Jack Murray on Wednesday night, Milford (26-2) closed out the series with a 4-3 win, earning a ticket to the state tournament in Chicopee.
Familiar faces have led the team in postseason hitting. Collins (.450, .560 on base percentage), Johnson (.278) and Dan Muscatello (.381) contributed big RBIs. As a team, Milford was hitting just under .300 through the playoffs, and has walked as many times as they have struck out (25). Pitching staffs have a combined earned run average just a shade under four.
The most important battles have come on the mound, however, where starters like Murray and Bryant Guilmette have put on gutsy performances.
Guilmette had yet to allow an earned run, while fanning 13 over 14 playoff innings.
But when things go south, as they did on that fateful Tuesday, a solid bullpen has been able to deliver. Derek Zahka allowed just one run over 6 2/3 innings on Game 2 while bats patiently mounted the comeback.
And it's a bullpen that likes to bring the heat - but in certain spots. Patient, yet aggressively determined.
"When there's no clock, and you're just looking to keep the line moving, so to speak, anything can happen," Piergustavo said.
Milford will play its first game in the state tournament Tuesday at Szot Park in Chicopee.
Post 91 rallied for four runs in the bottom of the ninth to win, 9-8, on Matt Tatkow's slide home that just beat out the tag.
One night later, Post 91 used another four-run, late-inning rally to take the series, 2-1, and punch a ticket to Chicopee. Once again, Tatkow provided the run that gave Sudbury the lead for good. Sam Finn (inset) went the full nine innings to pick up the win.
Framingham's 9-13 campaign this summer in Zone 4 was uncharacteristic, to say the least. But here's one bright spot: Kevin Reilly, a Marian High senior who has one year of eligibility left, compiled a 2-0 record in 15 1/3 innings of work, for an 0.46 ERA.
Not to be lost in the shuffle, either, are Shrewsbury's Kurt Harrington (.426 batting average) and Kevin Default (.407). Shrewsbury also went 9-13.
After a second-place finish in the Hockomock League, the Clarmac's squad from Franklin was off to a solid start in the Massachusetts/Rhode Island Stan Musial Tournament. After earning a first-round bye, Franklin took down Canton to set up a Thursday night matchup with Hockomock champ Worcester Black Sox.
On the mound, Franklin has benefited from the likes of Pete Smith (5-3, 38 strikeouts, 2.66 ERA), Evan Beauvais (4-0, 2.75) and Kevin Allegrezza (3-1, 2.15, 19 strikeouts).
Smith also leads the team in batting average (.380), and has batted in 13 runs. Meanwhile, Brett Simarrian (.358) has drawn more walks (19) than he has RBIs (team-high 18).
Brendan Hall can be reached at bhall59@hotmail.com 