Westminster, Vt.
It was a solid all-around game for Bellows Falls, which didn’t make an error on defense and had 11 hits.
The game was played over a span of three days. When the rain came on Tuesday, Bellows Falls had a 3-0 lead with runners on first and third and one out in the third inning. The Terriers tacked another run on in the third and added three more in the fifth.
While Bellows Falls had plenty of runs, Woodstock got only one runner to third and went down in order in the first, fifth, sixth and seventh innings.
“I thought this would be a good matchup for us,” Woodstock coach Jason Tarleton said of his 11th-seeded Wasps.
Tarleton also was happy that Bellows Falls ace pitcher Brady Illingworth was not on the mound when the game resumed. As it turned out, the next two pitchers — Spencer Clark and Jake Metcalf — were just as tough, as each pitched two innings.
And the Terrier hurlers were efficient. Clark threw 24 pitches and Metcalf 25, meaning both stayed within the 25-pitch limit (without at least a day of rest) and will be eligible to pitch today in the quarterfinals.
The only Wasp who reached was Evan Bloch on a fourth-inning walk. The last 10 Woodstock batters went in order.
“We’ve been pitching good all year,” Bellows Falls coach Bob Lockerby said. “And we were especially good today.”
The Terriers almost had a no-hitter, as the only hit was a slicing drive to right by Andy Seiple in the second inning on Tuesday that just eluded the dive of Terrier right fielder MacGregor Vancor. There also was a walk to Owen Spann in that inning, but the Wasps could not take advantage of the opportunity. The Wasps had just two baserunners the rest of the way, all of which surprised Tarleton.
“I don’t know what to make of this,” he said. “We’ve got five guys hitting over .300. On another day, this might have been a different story.”
Hunter Balch started on the mound for the Wasps on Tuesday, and was replaced by Owen Tarleton when play resumed on Thursday. Balch was charged with four runs and Tarleton three.
Bellows Falls, the sixth seed at 9-7, will head to Otter Valley today for the quarterfinals. Otter Valley defeated No., 14 Milton (3-13) in its first-round game on Thursday.
“It’s not going to get any easier as you climb the ladder in the playoffs,” Lockerby said. “Each step gets tougher.”
Illingworth, who had three line-drive singles for the Terriers, produced two RBIs. Jake Streeter and Clark each added two hits for Bellows Falls.
The Terriers started the game with three straight singles. There were also two stolen bases and a Woodstock error as Bellows Falls jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead. Another error, a wild pitch and two walks added two more runs in the third.
Woodstock committed four errors, two in the fifth as Bellows Falls scored three times on just two hits.
