BANGOR, Maine — A.J. Godin scattered four hits over 8 ⅓ innings as top-seeded Post 51 of Oakland defeated No. 4 R.H. Foster of Hampden 5-1 in a first-round game of the American Legion Zone 1 baseball tournament at Husson University on Thursday evening.
Godin, a recent Waterville Senior High School graduate, yielded only singles by Zach Nash in the second and fourth innings and ninth-inning singles by Tyler Beaton and Casey Sudbeck while striking out six batters and walking three before getting ninth-inning relief help from Devin Warren.
Warren entered the game with the bases loaded and the tying run at the plate, but needed just two pitches to get Nash to hit into a game-ending 1-2-3 double play.
Danny Pooler and Jared Cunningham each doubled and singled to pace Post 51’s 11-hit attack, while Jake Dexter added two singles. Pooler and Dexter each had two RBIs.
Post 51 (15-4) will play No. 2 Bangor (14-5) in a winners’ bracket game at 7 p.m. Friday, following a 4 p.m. elimination game between R.H. Foster (13-7) and No. 3 Brewer (14-6).
R.H. Foster jumped out to a 1-0 lead against Post 51 in the top of the first as Jackson Gilmore drew a leadoff walk, reached third after a throwing error on Beaton’s sacrifice bunt and scored on Michael Turner’s double-play grounder.
R.H. Foster starter Billy Campbell retired the side in order in the bottom of the first, but Post 51 scored four runs on six hits in the bottom of the second to take the lead for good.
Reliever Brandon Smith went on to pitch six innings for R.H. Foster, yielding no runs on four hits with one strikeout and three walks.
R.H. Foster (13-7) 100 000 000 — 1 4 1
Post 51 (15-4) 041 000 00x — 5 11 2
Campbell, Smith (3) and Farmer; Godin, Warren (9) and Gettig
