Laconia, n.h.
Portsmouth Christian pitcher Wes Tobin, who struck out 20 Sunapee batters during that 2015 contest, was rocked for four hits and five runs during Tuesday’s first inning. The burly righthander surrendered seven hits and nine runs, eight of them earned, during 4 innings of work. Showing clear frustration via his body language, the senior struck out 10 Lakers and walked six.
“We really wanted a chance to play Wes again, because to be the best, you have to beat the best,” Sunapee coach Tom Frederick said. “I think last year we were kind of awestruck because that was the hardest we’d ever seen a guy throw. We were also younger then. We had guys who had been to the championship before, but it was as role and secondary players.
“This year, they knew what was expected of them and they delivered a great performance.”
Frederick this week brought in former Laker and Springfield (Mass.) College rising junior Jack Weinberger, to face his old team during batting practice. Weinberger also threw from in front of the mound, forcing the hitters to adjust to high velocity offerings.
The tactic seemed to work right away Wednesday. No. 2 batter and catcher Will Austin singled with two strikes, Ben Robinson drew a walk and Cole Cruz and Cade Robinson repeated that sequence.
Kier Lucas also singled and Nick Ducharme’s two-out double into the right-center gap drove in three runs and made the score 5-0.
“I didn’t expect five runs, but once I saw how we were swinging the bat, I knew we were ready to play,” Frederick said. “The guys in the dugout were into the game, screaming and hooting and hollering and just psyched to be here.”
Said Austin: “We really wanted this game, but the first inning was very surprising.”
The second-seeded Lakers went up, 6-0, in the second inning when Cruz singled home Ben Robinson. Tobin struck out the side during the third frame but walked Will Palin, the No. 9 hitter, to start the fourth, by which time the Eagles had scored their run.
Austin came to the plate with one out and Palin on second after a wild pitch and appeared to take a Tobin toss directly off his helmet. However, the umpires ruled it had struck his bat first and put him back in the box. With two strikes, Austin crushed a two-run home run over the stadium’s replica Green Monster wall in left field.
“I think that kind of broke (Tobin’s) spirit a bit,” Frederick said. “For Willie to do that after taking one to the squash was amazing.
“He was a rock behind the plate. He blocked all the (low) balls and (Portsmouth Christian) didn’t run out of respect for him. He had three hits and he was just dialed in.”
The score moved to 9-0 in strange fashion later in the fourth inning. Cruz drew a two-out walk and went to third on Tobin’s botched pickoff throw attempt. Cade Robinson drew a walk and was caught midway between first base and second soon after. Tobin ran directly at him but then tripped and fell, allowing Cruz to score and Robinson to scamper back to first.
The game’s final run scored during the sixth inning when Austin led off with a single, took second on a poor pickoff throw, third on a sacrifice fly and scored on a Lucas single.
Ben Robinson threw a three-hitter with six strikeouts and one walk. The senior, who’s headed to Bentley (Mass.) University to catch for the NCAA Division II program, faced 26 batters and induced five fly outs and seven ground outs.
“He had velocity and accuracy and there was a tail to his fast ball,” Austin said. “He was hitting my glove every single time.”
Waiting in Saturday’s scheduled 10:30 a.m. start will be top-seeded Littleton (19-0). Sunapee didn’t play the Crusaders during the regular season.
“We have to have two good days of practice and come out ready to go,” Frederick said. “Experience is great, but it’s not going to win a game for you.”
Notes: Robbie Mills Field, home of the New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Winnipesaukee Muskrats, features a press box so close to the backstop that five fouled baseballs are embedded in its back wall. It was nearly six after one shot through the open window during the third inning and smashed off the sheetrock. … Sunapee assistant coach Mike Robinson, father of Lakers Ben and Cade, said neither of them will play American Legion ball this summer for Lebanon Post 22. Ben will work to improve his conditioning and strength for college ball. Cade, who plays soccer, basketball and baseball for Sunapee, simply wants time off, his father said. … Weinberger made six appearances this season, five of them starts. He was 0-3 with an 11.50 ERA in 18 innings of work. … Sunapee was 15-5 last season. Tobin was 10-0 and had 132 strikeouts in 61 innings.