WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — No one knows why the wheels fall off the bus on every occasion when it happens. Sometimes, they just do.
Weighed down by five errors on defense and multiple mistakes elsewhere, the third-seeded White River Junction Junior Nighthawks bowed out of the Vermont Summer Baseball League semifinals on Saturday. Second-ranked Lakes Region overcame its own generosity, quickly answering a gift rally with one of its own for a 9-5 win at the Maxfield Sports Complex.
The Hawks (13-5) at their best — as in Friday’s come-from-behind quarterfinal elimination of No. 6 Brattleboro — played disciplined, patient baseball in this odd summer season of the coronavirus pandemic. When off its game, however, WRJ couldn’t get back on track.
“We hadn’t made that many errors all season, and we compiled them all into one game today,” White River Junction coach Justin Devoid said. “We really beat ourselves out there. It’s tough to just beat one team, but when you have to beat two teams, in that sense, we just couldn’t get it done.”
Randolph Union High graduate Zach Whitmore took the loss, although only four of Lakes Region’s eight runs against him were earned. The Fair Haven-based visitors could have folded when they gave the Hawks a walk-fueled four-run top of the fifth, allowing a 4-1 lead to turn into a 5-4 deficit, but an immediate rebound — a two-run bottom of the fifth — put Lakes Region (15-3) ahead to stay.
“We just weren’t mentally prepared and tough enough today,” Devoid said.
WRJ wasted no time getting on the board first. Ryan Pepe walked on the game’s first four pitches, stole second and raced home when Rob Slocum’s two-out bloop found a hole inside the right-field line for an RBI double. Slocum held up at third when a Jacob Dwinell grounder bounced off the backhand side of Lakes Region shortstop Parker Morse’s glove, and the Junior Nighthawks’ rally ended with an infield pop-up.
Whitmore and his defense both got loose in the home third, and Lakes Region took advantage with a three-run frame for its first lead.
Whitmore walked Sawyer Ramey and Parker Morse with one away, and Aubrey Ramey loaded the bases with a comebacker off the pitcher’s glove. Andrew Lanthier delivered a tailor-made double-play ball for an out at second base, but the return throw to first went high, plating two runs. A dropped third strike and another error brought home a third run.
Another free pass cost the Junior Nighthawks one inning later. Mitchell Brayman drew it, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt. Top-of-the-order batter Sawyer Ramey worked a 2-2 count before throwing his bat at an off-speed Whitmore offering, slapping an RBI single to center for a 4-1 cushion.
“Not a lot of hard-hit balls off of Zach; I thought he pitched well,” Devoid said. “But you can’t give them four or five outs an inning and expect to win a ballgame.”
To their credit, at least, the Junior Nighthawks — with Lakes Region help — made it one in the fifth.
Lakes Region starter Evan Reed lost sight of the strike zone to open the frame, walking three straight Junior Hawks and hitting a fourth, Ryland Richardson, to bring in a run. Reliever Jarett Williams didn’t fare any better, with a walk, a force-out grounder and an RBI sac fly from Jake Barry contributing to a four-run comeback and a 5-4 lead.
But the visitors came right back, riding a key WRJ error to regain the upper hand. An overthrow on a grounder to third resulted in the Hawks’ fourth error of the afternoon, bringing home Williams for a 6-5 reversal.
The visitors put the game away with a three-run sixth, the last run crossing the plate following another defensive miscue by the Hawks.
Slocum had a pair of RBIs for WRJ, which finished with five hits.
“I told the kids early on, before the game, that we have to get on them early,” Devoid said. “We got one in the first frame. I thought we were ready to go. And then we just kind of sat after that.”
Top-seeded S.D. Ireland took Saturday’s opener, using a six-run second inning to roll over No. 5 Colchester, 10-2. The Shamrocks face off against Lakes Region for the VSBL title at noon back at Maxfield.
Greg Fennell can be reached at gfennell@vnews.com or 603-727-3226.