Teams love to be on a roll heading into the playoffs, and perhaps no team in the Southern Division got so hot at just the right time as Post 5.
Brattleboro had to win all of its remaining five regular season games to clinch one of the four Southern Division berths in the state American Legion Baseball tournament, and completed the task last Tuesday with an 8-2 win over Woodstock at Tenney Field.
In finishing with a 12-6 record, Brattleboro clinched the No. 3 seed. Bellows Falls Post 37 also finished with a 12-6 record, but since Brattleboro won the season series between the two teams, Post 37 was seeded fourth. The top two spots in the Southern Division went to Rutland Post 31 and Bennington Post 13, respectively.
In Brattleboro's opening game on Friday against the Northern Division's No. 2 seed, Addison County, Post 5 got an outstanding pitching performance from lefty-hander Devon Rhodes.
Rhodes tossed a complete-game two-hitter. Rhodes gave up a run in the first inning then shut Addison County down the rest of the way in holding on for a 3-1 win.
Despite Rhodes' outstanding effort on the mound, Brattleboro was in jeopardy of losing the game. Addison County's big right-hander Sean Harrison was matching his counterpart pitch for pitch, giving up no runs through five innings, before Brattleboro finally broke through.
After Post 5 shortstop Soren Pelz-Walsh reached base on an infield error and catcher Kyle Whitworth slammed a double to score Pelz-Walsh and tie the game, Isaac Earle followed with a double to give Brattleboro their first lead of the game, a 2-1 advantage.
However, Addison bounced right back to load the bases in the seventh, but an outstanding play up on a grounder up the middle from the shortstop Pelz-Walsh ended the threat.
Post 5 would add an insurance run in the eighth with a two-out rally, when Jamie Martell blooped a single to center, Adam Harrison singled and Tommy Heydinger got a clutch single to left scoring the Brattleboro's third run. Addison got a base runner in their last at bat on a hit-by-pitch, but Rhodes retired the last five hitters he faced to end the game.
Brattleboro followed that up on Saturday with a win in a 19-11 slugfest over Rutland. Post 5 took an early lead and then held off a furious Rutland comeback.
Earle, a lefty, got the starting assignment for Post 5. Despite giving up double-figures in hits over his 6 1/3 innings, he managed to get the big out when he needed it most, while his teammates also played great defense behind him.
The Brattleboro offense struck early and often, scoring seven runs in the first inning to take a commanding lead, triggered by a botched double-play ball that could have gotten Rutland out of the inning with just a two-run deficit.
Rutland would come back with a run in the first and two more in the third to get closer, before Brattleboro got two more in the fourth to extend the lead to 9-3.
Rutland starter Kyle Horvath struggled with his control, which played a major role in Brattleboro's big lead, walking seven batters and surrendering six hits in his four innings of work. Eric Godzik relieved Horvath in the fifth, holding Brattleboro to just one run into the eighth and keeping his team close.
To their credit, Rutland bounced back again, scoring four runs in the sixth and another in the seventh to chase Earle, with reliever Thurber coming into the game to try and put out the fire. Brattleboro would then put up an eight-spot in the ninth inning to seeming put this one out of reach.
Rutland would try to rally one last time in their final at bat and scored three more runs, but fell short in the 19-11 defeat. Soren Pelz-Walsh led the offense for Brattleboro with two hits, an RBI and three runs scored, while Tommy Heydinger pitched in with two hits, three RBI's and two runs scored. Adam Harrison also had two hits.
Brattleboro suffered its first loss of the tournament on Sunday afternoon, as Bennington Post 13 jumped out to an early lead and held off Post 5 for a 9-4 win. Cody LaFlamme threw a complete game five-hitter to give Post 13 the victory.
Post 5 bounced back from that loss with a 7-6 win on Monday over Franklin County. This game was a perfect example of the “never say die” spirit of the Brattleboro team.
Trailing 5-1 after seven innings. Post 5 tied the game with four runs in the eighth and took the lead with two more runs in the ninth to hang on for the win. Rhodes walked one and struck out seven for a complete game victory, and helped his cause with three hits. Earle drove in three runs in the last two innings to pace the Post 5 comeback.
Brattleboro's tournament ride ended on Tuesday, when Essex beat Post 5, 19-0, in the semifinals.
Post 37 knocked out early
Bellows Falls was quickly eliminated from the tournament with losses to Essex, 16-11, on Friday, and to Franklin County, 8-5, on Saturday.
Friday's game was played in a downpour as Essex roared off to a 15-0 lead after two innings. Post 37 avoided a “mercy rule” ending by taking advantage of 11 walks from Essex pitchers Adam Picard and Ethan Blum between the third and seventh innings.
Matt Marchica and Nick Gendron led Bellows Falls with two hits apiece. Reliever Cam Howe kept Post 37 in contention by pitching five consecutive scoreless innings to end the game. Dave Valley led the Essex offense with four hits. Byrce Currier added three hits and Jacob Begnoche hit a grand slam.
Franklin County ended Post 37's tournament hopes on Saturday at St. Peter's Field in Rutland. Adam Hubbard had a single, a home run and four RBI for Franklin County as Andrew DuPrat went all nine innings, scattering 11 hits while striking out 11.
Marchica recorded three hits for BF, while Tyler Russell, Cooper Long and Jeremy Kilburn each had two. Derek Osborne was the losing pitcher.