MacInnes makes good

His hit boosts Plymouth North

Plymouth North's Joe Flynn (left) greets Jared Canney after Canney scored the winning run. (David Kamerman/Globe Staff)

LOWELL - Luckily for Plymouth North, Tom MacInnes isn't the greatest bunter.

The junior fouled off two bunt attempts with the go-ahead run on second and no outs in the top of the 10th inning of yesterday's Division 2 state baseball final at LeLacheur Park in Lowell.

But MacInnes's next swing was much more productive, as the right fielder hit a liner that tailed toward left center, out of the reach of the diving center fielder. Jared Canney, who led the inning off with a double that took a bad hop off the third baseman and into left field, rounded third and headed home, scoring the only run of the game as Plymouth North defeated Auburn, 1-0.

"How do you figure, you miss a bunt and then the kid gets a base hit," Plymouth North coach Dwayne Follette said. "But he hit the ball hard all day."

"I was anxious, I didn't execute [on the bunt]," said MacInnes, who had two hits. "[On the hit] I thought the kid might have had a chance [to catch it]. He's a great center fielder."

But the liner dropped in, giving Plymouth North the perfect ending for a perfect season, as the Eagles (26-0) became the first undefeated team since Auburn pulled off the feat 10 years ago. The heartbreaking loss ended a great run through the tournament for Auburn (18-7), which entered the Central tournament as the seventh seed.

"There's no easy way to lose," Auburn coach Eric Swedberg said. "We did everything we could."

The game was a showcase for two outstanding pitchers, as Auburn's Jeff Croteau and Plymouth North's Joe Flynn each pitched a complete game that extended well beyond the normal call of duty. Each was deserving of a victory, and it took 10 innings for one to finally surrender a run.

"Jeff Croteau, it was his game out there," Swedberg said. "He was not coming out. We're not a fan of doing that but he pitched an unbelievable game."

But Flynn was just one notch better. The junior hurler also went the distance, striking out eight while surrendering just four hits. Flynn seemed to get stronger as the game went on, recording six of his eight strikeouts after the sixth inning. He threw 111 pitches, 81 for strikes.

"The kid's throwing 85 [miles per hour] in the 10th inning, blowing people away," Follette said. "I was worried because that was his last inning. He had come back on three and then four days' rest and he was tired, he told us."

Flynn gave up a double to start the seventh inning, but that seemed to rejuvenate the junior. He responded by striking out five of the next six batters he faced and allowed just one more hit the rest of the game.

Flynn's pitching performance set the stage for MacInnes's dramatic walk-off single, a fairy-tale ending for the junior who transferred back to Plymouth North from Catholic Memorial this year.

"[I came back here] because I wanted to be with my friends. [Getting the winning hit] was awesome, it was a thrill," MacInnes said. "We worked hard all year and it paid off."