THETFORD โ Thetford Academy senior Xander Oshoniyi came in looking for revenge Saturday morning and delivered, powering the defending VPA Division III state champions to a 5-3 win over U-32 in a rain-soaked game called after six innings.
Trailing 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth with two runners on, Oshoniyi hit his second home run of the game to give the Panthers the lead. The contest was called at the conclusion of the inning due to deteriorating field conditions.
Oshoniyi accounted for all five Thetford runs and also started on the mound, allowing no runs on one hit with five strikeouts and three walks.
“I came into the game super fired up โ they beat us in two of my years in high school so far, so I was definitely looking for a little bit of revenge,” Oshoniyi said.
Head coach Kris Keelty said Oshoniyi had not been at his best in the team’s first two games but is rounding into form.
“I think we found the real Xander today โ he’s just a very talented player,” he said.
Through four and a half innings, the game was scoreless. In the bottom of the fifth, after senior Owen Goodrich reached second on a drop by U-32’s center fielder, Oshoniyi belted a two-run home run to left field to give Thetford a 2-0 lead.
The Raiders rallied in the top of the sixth. After a leadoff single and a double put runners on second and third, a rain delay of just over an hour interrupted play. Coaches and players used QuickDry and rakes to make the muddy field playable.
When play resumed so did the rain, but a two-RBI single to tied the game for the Raiders, and U-32 took a 3-2 lead on a passed ball.
The lead didn’t last. After seniors Tommy Amber and Goodrich were hit by pitches, Oshoniyi delivered his second home run of the game.
“I told the boys, it was a good test for them mentally to deal with those conditions, which were admittedly horrible, and I think they did a good job of tuning that out and focusing on the scoreboard and coming out with more runs at the end of the game,” Keelty said.
The Panthers improved to 4-0. Thetford has won two of the last three Division III state titles and was a semifinalist in the third year.
“Senior-dominated group โ I didn’t have to guide these guys, they know, they’ve been through all the wars already,” Keelty said. “My role here is to just make sure they’re in the best position to be successful when they play โ a very talented group.”
Thetford visits Hazen on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m
