Dominant hitting powered Trenton to unbelievable American Legion regional title
After profitable this system’s first-ever State Senior American Legion Baseball championship, Trenton Acadians middle fielder-pitcher Hunter Curtis admitted that the crew’s expectations for the match “weren’t extraordinarily excessive.”
However 5 video games and 4 wins later on the eight-team, double-elimination Northeast Regional Match at Fitton Subject in Worcester, Massachusetts, the Acadians grew to become simply the third crew from the state to win a Northeast Regional, becoming a member of Portland-based Nova Seafood and the Andrews Publish.
“It hasn’t sunk in but. It’s wild,” stated Curtis, who pitched a three-hit, full recreation within the 6-1 championship recreation win over Nashua, New Hampshire, on Sunday.
“We simply went with the circulate. Every little thing went our means,” Curtis added.
That offensive stability was a typical theme for the Acadians throughout the match, which had a .299 batting common all through. Eight of the 9 regulars had no less than 4 hits within the tourney led by second baseman-left fielder Joey Wellman-Clouse, shortstop-pitcher Peter Keblinsky and second baseman-shortstop Colin Sullivan.
The Acadians trailed of their first three victories, recognizing Nashua a 1-0 lead of their opener earlier than coming again to win 3-1, then falling behind Franklin, Massachusetts, 6-0 earlier than rallying for a 14-8 triumph, and lastly trailing Cumberland, Rhode Island, 3-0 after 5 innings earlier than tying it with a run within the sixth and two within the seventh and profitable it 7-3 with 4 runs within the eighth.
Curtis, Husson College of Bangor’s proper fielder and North Atlantic Convention Rookie of the Yr this previous spring, stated that’s nothing new to the Ellsworth Excessive College gamers who make up a majority of the roster, with the others coming from Mount Desert Island Excessive in Bar Harbor and George Stevens Academy in Blue Hill.
“This was like our highschool crew two years in the past. We had been the cardiac children,” stated Curtis, referring to Ellsworth Excessive College’s Class B state championship run in 2022 when it got here from behind to beat Lawrence Excessive of Fairfield and Previous City within the Class B North playoffs after which rallied previous Freeport within the state title recreation.
All three video games had been 3-2 contests.
The Acadians will enter the Senior American Legion World Sequence in Shelby, North Carolina, on Thursday as winners of 14 of their final 15 video games to run their report to 21-5.
“These guys performed the most effective baseball of their lives on the finish of the season,” stated head coach Brad Smith. “It has been a helluva run.”
Their 13-game profitable streak was snapped by Greece Publish 468 from Rochester, New York, 13-1 on Saturday, however that they had already certified for the championship recreation and beat Nashua on Sunday after the New Hampshire champs had edged Greece 3-2 in an elimination recreation previous to their title recreation.
Within the championship recreation, that they had 4 repeat hitters in David Baugh, who had three hits together with two doubles, and three others who had two singles and a run-batted in apiece in Dawson Curtis, Wellman-Clouse and Brett Bragdon.
Wellman-Clouse hit .500 (4-for-8) throughout the match, with 4 runs batted-in and 6 walks. Keblinsky hit .471 (8-for-17), together with doubles in his first 4 video games and knocking in 4 runs whereas scoring 5 runs. Sullivan hit .389 (7-for-18) with a triple and team-leading seven RBIs.
Sullivan additionally scored a team-high six runs.
Left fielder Baugh hit .333 (5-for-15) and scored 4 occasions.
Middle fielder-pitcher Hunter Curtis, youthful brother and first baseman Dawson Curtis, proper fielder Miles Palmer and catcher Brett Bragdon every had 4 hits.
Dawson Curtis knocked in 4 runs and scored 4 occasions.
Third baseman Wyatt Bragdon, Brett’s brother, had two hits.
“A distinct man got here by each recreation,” Hunter Curtis stated. “Everybody stepped up.”
The protection continued to be rock strong because it was within the state match, committing simply 5 errors, together with two by the primary 4 video games.
The pitching was additionally spectacular.
Hunter Curtis allowed solely three hits and one run over 11 ⅔ innings with 4 strikeouts and three walks. He had two aid appearances to go together with his championship-game begin.
“He was our go-to man,” Smith stated. “In massive conditions, he needed the ball.”
Keblinsky gave up 9 hits and three runs over 10 innings in a begin and aid look with seven strikeouts and 6 walks, and Craig Burnett tossed 4 ⅓ innings within the opener, permitting 4 hits and only one run.
Because of pitch limits, Burnett couldn’t pitch once more within the match as a result of he was required to get 4 days’ relaxation after Wednesday’s outing.
There can be eight groups within the Senior American Legion World Sequence at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, North Carolina, and they are going to be divided right into a pair of four-team teams, a Stars bracket and a Stripes bracket.
The groups play the opposite three golf equipment of their group as soon as, and the highest two finishers in every of the 2 teams will sq. off within the semifinals and championship recreation with the highest seed in a single group enjoying the No. 2 finisher within the different group.
Trenton is within the Stars bracket with Mid-South Regional champ Troy, Alabama; Northwest titleist Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Western winner League Metropolis, Texas.
The Stripes division consists of Mid-Atlantic champ Brooklawn, New Jersey; Southeast titleist Florence, South Carolina; Central king Lincoln, Nebraska; and the winner of the Nice Lakes Regional involving Midland, Michigan, and Cedar Rapids, Iowa, which spilled over into Monday.
Trenton will tackle Troy at 4 p.m. Thursday, Cheyenne on Friday at 4 p.m. and, after a break day, it’s going to end group play in opposition to League Metropolis on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The semifinals are Monday at 4 p.m. and seven p.m., and Tuesday’s championship recreation will start at 7 p.m.
