Legion Northeast Regional: Booma Post 6 strands bases loaded in last inning of 1-run loss

MANCHESTER – The Booma Post 6 American Legion baseball team is down, but not out in the double-elimination Northeast Regional.

Booma stranded the bases loaded in the seventh inning and fell to Hudson Post 100, the Massachusetts’ runner-up, 3-2, on Thursday at Gill Stadium.

Booma will now face West Hartford Post 96, the Connecticut state champion, on Friday in an elimination game. The game is scheduled to start at 9:30 a.m.

“From here, it’s going to be a whole team effort,” Booma head coach Geoff Jablonski said. “It’s going to take a lot of arms, a lot of defense, and more timely hitting. We had nine hits today, but only two runs. We drive guys in, and we get back to who we are, and we’ll be OK.”

Booma fights to the end

Trailing 3-2, Bailey Wright, Booma’s No. 8 batter, beat out an infield hit to lead off the seventh. Miles Pratt’s sacrifice bunt advanced Wright to second and brought leadoff batter Matthew Minckler to the plate.

Hudson intentionally walked Minckler, and Hudson’s Ryan Graf walked Timmy Avery on four pitches, loading the bases and bringing Elliot Miles to the plate.

However, Miles popped out behind the plate to catcher Ryan Dillon, and Jake Carlisle grounded out to first to end the game.

“I am thinking (with Miles up and one out) we’re, at least, tying this, and hopefully, we can get ahead, and go from there,” Jablonski said. “But that’s basesball, their guy made pitches, and we didn’t hit the ball well.”

Hudson takes lead in second inning

Hudson scored one run in the first inning and two in the second. With the bases loaded and two outs in a 1-1 game in the second, Hudson’s Chase Barrett hit a fly ball to Carlisle in left field. Carlisle elected to play the ball on the hop in front of him, allowing Matthew Gogan and Dillon to score. Booma’s Jones Vicinus then induced an inning-ending ground ball to first from Chase Donahue.

“I thought (Carlisle) had a bead on it,” Jablonski said. “You can kind of see him mentally realizing if he lays out, and doesn’t catch it, it’s probably four runs. He made the smart play and kept it at two runs. You always want to say ‘go get it,’ but he made a calculated decision to make it a 3-1 game, and not 5-1, and that’s the right choice.”

Booma draws first blood

In the first inning, Miles reached on a two-out single, stole second, and scored all the way from second, as Carlisle beat out an infield single on the right side of the infield.

Hudson tied the game at 1-1, in the first, and Booma cut its deficit in half, 3-2, in the fifth.

Wright led Booma with three hits, while Minckler, Avery, and Miles all had a single, and Evan Gaffney and Sebastian Lampert both had a double.

Vicinus allowed three runs on five hits over six innings, striking out three in the complete-game loss.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Legion Northeast Regional: Booma Post 6 strands bases loaded in last inning of 1-run loss