MANCHESTER – About 50 yards past the first base dugout, Booma Post 6 baseball coach Geoff Jablonski stood in the middle of his players following Friday’s season-ending, walk-off 6-5 loss to West Hartford Post 96 at the Northeast Regional at Gill Stadium.
Players, some still wearing their game jerseys while others now just wearing their "Booma Baseball" practice shirts, had their heads down with somber looks and some tears were being shed.
Jabolonski asked his players not to let two losses in less than 24 hours define an otherwise successful season, a season which Booma assistant coach Matt Gladu called one of the greatest years in program history.
“Our first goal this was to make the playoffs, we did that,” Jablonski said. “Our next goal was to be the (District B) No. 1 seed, we did that; then it was to win the state tournament, we did that, and then win the regional. It just felt like we left something out there (this week). This is a great group of guys who played really, really well.
“It was just little things (that cost us),” Jablonski continued. “It was 3-2 (Thursday), it was 6-5 today, it just felt like the smallest piece of execution we didn’t have, and the other teams had.”
After a 4-0 tournament-opening win over South Burlington, Vermont on Wednesday, Booma fell to Hudson (Massachusetts) Post 10 on Thursday, and West Hartford on Friday.
“I reminded the guys when you get this far, you are playing state champions,” Jablonski said. “We just lost to the Connecticut state champion. It doesn’t feel like (the season) should be over, but it never does.”
Booma, which qualified for the Northeast Regional for the third time in program history, finished its season with a record of 21-3.
Fateful bottom of the seventh
John Kane greeted Booma’s third pitcher of the day, Matthew Minckler, with a single up the middle.
Kane advanced to second on Brendan Grady’s sacrifice bunt. With first base open and one out, Tristan Barron was intentionally walked. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and then Damian Witkor was intentionally walked to load the bases to set up a force at any base.
Trevor Tanis, with Kane streaking toward home, placed a suicide squeeze bunt attempt between Minckler and Booma catcher Duncan Cullinane, and Kane scored the game-winning, walk-off run.
After giving up lead in sixth, Booma ties game in top of seventh
West Hartford trailed 4-1 going into the sixth, but scored four runs in the inning and took a 5-4 lead into the seventh.
Miles Pratt, Booma’s No. 9 hitter, led off the seventh with a walk. Minckler followed with a groundball to short, forcing Pratt at second. Timmy Avery then laced a single to the right center gap, and Minckler raced all the way home from first with the game-tying run.
“I was ecstatic,” Jablonski said. “We went down (in the sixth), and instead of everyone kind of getting down on themselves we battled. These kids had no quit in them at all, they battled, battled and battled, and I couldn’t be prouder of the guys for that.”
Following Avery’s single, Elliott Miles reached on a bloop single to right, advancing Avery to third. Miles was then picked off first and Sebastian Lampert struck out to end the threat.
Carlise gives Booma a chance to win
After complete-game outings by Jason Pinsonnault and Jones Vicinus in the first two games of the tournament, Carlisle pitched into the sixth inning on Friday, and left with a 4-1 lead with two outs and the bases loaded.
Carlisle allowed a run in the first inning and threw 44 pitches over the first two innings.
“It was touch and go there (with Carlisle), but he ended up battling and got us into the sixth,” Jablonski said. “He threw great. He kept us in the game. He did his job, he did what we asked him to do.”
Carlisle scattered eight hits over 5 2/3 innings, and was charged with four runs, all earned, while striking out seven.
Avery and Miles each had two hits for Booma, while Minckler, Cullinane and Pratt all had one.
Editor's note: Seacoast Media Group sports editor Jay Pinsonnault is the father of Booma player Jason Pinsonnault.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Booma Post 6 sees 'one of the greatest years in program history' come to an end
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