OLD ORCHARD BEACH – Nine is a good number in baseball. It was Ted Williams’ number. There are nine innings in a game, and First Title has scored nine runs in each of its three wins in the American Legion state tournament at The Ballpark.
First Title, with Cheverus High players, beat Windham 9-4 in a winners’-bracket game Friday night to become the only remaining unbeaten team in the tournament.
Additional Photos
Right-hander Mitchell Powers threw 140 pitches and had only one bad inning as First Title took a 9-0 lead through five.
First Title will play Post 51, with Messalonskee High players, at 7 p.m. Satuday. In an elimination game, Windham will meet Lewiston at 3 p.m.
“We have some unfinished business,” said First Title catcher Nic Lops. “We lost in the Zone 4 tournament last season and never made it to the state tournament. We’re in a good position but we’re not taking anything for granted.”
Lops graduated from Cheverus a year ago and played for St. Joseph’s College this spring. It’s always a bonus for teams when they have college players with Legion eligibility still left. Lops drove in two runs with two hits.
First Title pounded out 16 hits. Everyone in the lineup had a hit with the exception of Powers, who was sailing along with a three-hitter through five innings before Windham got its offense going.
“Mitchell is a battler,” said Lops. “Windham got to him in the sixth but he didn’t give in. We have all the faith in him.”
Powers bounced back to strike out Cody Dube with the bases loaded to end the sixth, then retired the side in order in the eighth before hard-throwing Louie DiStasio relieved in the ninth. DiStasio struck out the first two batters before getting the final out on a line drive to short.
First Title scored a run in the first and third innings, two runs in the second and fourth, and three in the fifth.
DiStasio had an RBI double in the second. He would have had another RBI, but First Title had a runner cut down at the plate.
The bottom of the order for First Title came up big. The Nos. 8 and 9 hitters — Felix del Vecchio and Cam Mullen — combined for three hits and three RBI.
In the sixth, Windham put its first five batters on with a walk and four straight hits.
Shawn Francoeur’s double to right-center scored two runs, and he was knocked in by his twin brother, Joe, who singled sharply to right.
Powers came up with a huge out by striking out Dube with the bases loaded.
Spencer Hodge pitched well in relief for Windham.
Harry Ridge and Drew Ferrick had three hits apiece for First Title. MacGyver Poulin and Joe Francoeur had two hits apiece for Windham.
Staff Writer Tom Chard can be contacted at 791-6419 or at:
tchard@pressherald.com
Twitter: TomChardPPH
Send questions/comments to the editors.
