Sutton baseball eliminates Smith Vocational with 5-4 extra-inning win in MIAA Division 5 Round of 32 (PHOTOS)

By GEORGE MILLER

For the Gazette

Published: 06-05-2023 9:17 PM

NORTHAMPTON — The game was right there for Smith Vocational's taking Monday afternoon, and then just as quickly snatched away.

With a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth, the 11th-seeded Vikings grabbed a 4-3 lead over 22nd-seeded Sutton in their MIAA Division 5 Round of 32 baseball game at Arcanum Field. But the Sammies, road-tripping from southern Worcester County, answered with a run in the seventh and another in the top of the eighth, the eventual game-winner in their 5-4 victory.

Sutton led 3-2 entering the home sixth. Tyler Carlson looped a one-out base hit to short right field, but was forced at second on a grounder by Carter Blanchette. Blanchette then stole second and Marshall Ingram walked, leading Sutton coach Casey Cummins to pull starter Josh Jenkins and bring in Chase Falcon from center field to the mound.

Rosco Palmer promptly greeted Falcon with a ringing double to deep left, chasing Blanchette and Ingram across the plate with the tying and go-ahead runs. Caelan Finnie was then retired when a pitch struck the knob of his bat and stopped dead in fair territory near the plate, allowing catcher Matt Fadden to grab the ball and apply the tag.

“That's our team. That's what we can do,” said Smith Voc coach Luis Bonilla. “When we get our energy up like that, everybody on the fence, everybody cheering each other on, we can beat anybody, just about. In my opinion, if we have that vibe for the whole game, we win this game easy.”

Smith Voc's lead proved short-lived as Sutton quickly went to work in the top of the seventh against the Vikings' James Lavallee, getting a base hit to short right by pinch-hitter Jackson Kehowski and a bunt hit for Dante Yantin, who was attempting to sacrifice. After an out, Ben Connors bounced to shortstop and the Vikings forced Yantin at second, but the relay throw on to first was in the dirt and skipped away, allowing Kehowski to score the tying run for the Sammies.

The hosts then got a two-out runner in the seventh when Pat Millin walked and was wild-pitched all the way to third, but he was stranded there as Falcon got Chris Alexander to tap back to the mound.

That left it up to Sutton's decisive finish in the top of the eighth. Leo Colena led off with a single to left and stole second. After Nathan Hastings flied out to center. Fadden came through with a single to left as Colena crossed with the lead run. Fadden was thrown out trying to stretch his hit to a double and Daniel Palmer was hit by a pitch, but Cam Benedict lined sharply to Finnie at first to end the inning.

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Falcon then set down the Vikings in order to close out the victory.

In all, Smith Voc (19-3) had 11 hits and left nine runners on base, at least one in each of its first seven at-bats. Lefthander Lavallee went the distance on the mound for the Vikings, allowing 10 hits and five runs with a walk and three strikeouts. 

“Two close games in a row, and the big hit wasn't there again,” said Bonilla, reflecting back to last week's 3-2 loss to Frontier in the Western Mass. Class C championship. “We left it out there. We gave them too many chances, the pitcher did his job again, just like in the Western Mass. championship, and we just couldn't pull through for him.”

Sutton entered the state tournament off five losses in its last six regular-season games, but the Sammies improved to 9-12 ahead of their Round of 16 game Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Ayer Shirley, the No. 6 seed in Division 5.

“We want our regular-season record to be better, but the tail end of our schedule had some tough opponents,” said Cummins. “That's what got us ready for a game like today. They're a great team and they didn't go away. We knew they'd give us their best shot, and that's exactly what they did. We haven't really had that comeback moment until today, but it was perfect timing.”

The Vikings jumped to a quick 1-0 lead with two outs in the home first, when Finnie singled to left, moved up on an errant pickoff throw, and scored when Caden Payne shot an RBI single into left.

Sutton put a runner on in each of the first two innings before cashing in for three runs on five hits, four of them consecutive, in the top of the third. Benedict led off with a bloop single to right and moved up on a groundout. Jenkins then doubled to the base of the wall in left, driving in Benedict. Lavallee then picked Jenkins off second for the second out, but the Sammies kept the line moving when Connors singled off Lavallee's body and went to second when the throw to first was wild. Falcon then doubled to nearly the same spot as Jenkins' hit, bringing home Connors, and Colena followed with an RBI single to left to make it 3-1.

Smith then strung together four straight hits to start the third but could count itself unfortunate to get only one run from it. Ingram, Palmer and Finnie each rattled singles, but Ingram was shot down at the plate on the throw from left fielder Yantin. Payne then rocked a base hit through  Connors at shortstop, allowing Palmer to score and pull the hosts within 3-2.

Five Vikings – Ingram, Palmer, Finnie, Payne and Carlson – each had a pair of hits.

The state vocational tournament still looms ahead for Smith, the top seed and defending champion, with a semifinal home game against Pathfinder Wednesday at 4 p.m.

"We're out to win it again, but we've gotta get our heads right. That's what we talked about after this game," said Bonilla. "We're defending champs and we've gotta come back strong."

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