Harwich ends on a high note
LOWELL -- Pity St. Joseph Central of Pittsfield.
Unlike many who have batted against one of the state's very best, Harwich's James Hamilton, the Crusaders got to toy with the notion of victory in yesterday's MIAA Division 3 state championship at LeLacheur Park.
During warm-ups, Hamilton was missing the strike zone, his erratic fastball a microcosm of an unusual performance for the Bridgewater State-bound standout. At times Hamilton yelled at himself, sensing something was off.
"I didn't really have much on any of my pitches," Hamilton said.
Apparently, an unpredictable Hamilton is still an effective Hamilton. The senior ace capped off his elite career for the Rough Riders (19-7) with a complete-game 9-2 victory.
The title is Harwich's second in a row and third in 11 years, and 21-year coach Fred Thacher heads into retirement on top. St. Joseph (22-3) was denied its first state title since 1975, when it was competing in Division 2.
Hamilton, who garnered more walks (five) than strikeouts (four), managed to keep his mind in check when all he could envision was a mob of teammates.
"That's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be at the bottom of the pile," he said. "There was no way I was coming out of this game -- it was my last time pitching in high school."
The game included three hit batsmen and five errors by the fifth inning. Harwich took the lead for good in the fourth when, tied at one, the Rough Riders batted around and scored twice against Crusaders starter Brendan Wyand.
The third batter of the inning, Cam Bauer, scored Dylan DeGroff from second on a single up the middle. Ryan St. Pierre then loaded the bases with a hit to left field, and Mike Hamilton followed with an RBI single to right-center.
The Rough Riders pulled away in the fifth on a deep two-run double by St. Pierre off reliever Rick Massey, which made it 6-1. Connor Burnham brought home two more runs with a single over second base.
"We all knew it was everybody's last year," Burnham said. "We had to get it done. It was our last go-about."
Crusaders coach John Goodnow could only wonder what could have been.
"It's tough to come back against a team like that," he said. "We gave them extra hits and extra outs. This game is made for three outs. At times, I think we gave them four or five. By the fifth and sixth innings, the wheels kind of came off."
Thacher was aware that not all aspects of his team's game were in line. But a victory with flaws proved just how talented and memorable his group is.
"It's all we do in practice -- drills for fielding and hitting," he said. "We don't get too fancy; we believe in fundamentals. We just make the plays we can make." 