Bradford, Vt.
Oxbow batters reached base on 41 of 49 at-bats as the No. 3 Olympians lambasted the winless Falcons, 30-7, in a game halted after 4½ innings due to the mercy rule. It was a season high in runs and hits (17) for Oxbow, which also drew 17 walks while batting around in every inning.
“We were seeing the ball well, and when you draw a lot of walks, it allows you to do more on the bases,” said French, whose team had seven steals, including one of home plate on a double-theft in the second inning.
“From the top down, we were solid today.”
In Friday’s quarterfinals, Oxbow will host No. 6 Randolph, a Capital League rival with whom it split two regular-season games. The Galloping Ghosts survived No. 11 Northfield on Tuesday, 9-8.
The offensive barrage for the Olympians (10-5) came behind an efficient outing by junior Cody Grant, who struck out a pair and walked one in four innings. He allowed five runs, two earned, while utilizing an effective fastball that has allowed him to emerge as Oxbow’s top hurler this season.
“Last year, my fastball was kind of all over the place, but this year I’ve been able to find my spots better,” said Grant, who retired the side in order in the second and would have in the fourth if not for an infield error. “It definitely helps when we’re hitting the ball the way we were today.”
Oxbow chased Richford starter Brandon Fuller with 11 runs in the first two innings, then feasted on three Falcons relievers. First baseman Sully French went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs, No. 9 hitter Seth Carson was 3-for-3 with six RBIs and two runs, and Orin Mahikoa (five runs) and catcher Cam Boardman each drew four walks.
Trevor Moore had a two-run triple in the middle of the Olympians’ first big rally in the first inning, Hunter Locke (3-for-5, three runs, three RBIs) pegged a two-run double off first reliever James Clawson in the third and Lincoln Ilsley crushed a three-run homer to straightaway center off Sam Benoit in the fourth.
“We started really finding a rhythm (offensively) after a few hiccups the beginning of the season,” said Grant, who helped himself with two walks, two RBIs and four runs (each scored by courtesy runner Brennan Kimball) on Tuesday. “We’ve come together well.”
Oxbow rode a six-game midseason winning streak to help clinch the No. 3 spot in Division III, though they lost three of four to close the regular season. Subpar fielding was an issue at times, including during a seventh-inning collapse against U-32 in the finale.
Mistakes once again surfaced on Tuesday with four infield errors, helping Richford plate three unearned runs against Grant.
“It’s a concern, because as you get deeper in the playoffs, you can’t afford those mistakes. You can’t give away runs,” French said. “We’ll fix it. It’s all about repetitions at practice.”
Grant was lifted prior to the fifth inning, keeping his pitch count low enough to be eligible on Friday. He was relieved by sophomore Jace Page, who allowed two runs on two hits before striking out Nick Carswell to end it.
No batting substitutions were made.
“In the regular season, if we’re ahead by 10 runs, I’m backing off a little bit, but this is the playoffs,” French said. “You have to maintain a certain level of focus this time of year.”
Extra Bases: Oxbow improved to 2-0 against Richford in the postseason; the first meeting a was 2-0 decision in the 1993 semifinals. … The Falcons (0-13) were outscored, 211-66, this season. … Oxbow will be aiming for its first semifinal appearance since 2011 on Friday. The O’s lost in Randolph in late April, 12-9, before a 3-0 win over the Ghosts at home on May 10.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.