A four-run hole in the first inning didn’t finish Monmouth Academy.
The Mustangs clawed back from a 4-0 deficit and scored twice in the seventh inning to beat Washington Academy 5-4 in the Class C baseball state championship Saturday at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor, giving them their second consecutive Gold Glove in a rematch of last year’s title game.
The game flipped for good in the final frame. Trailing 4-3, Monmouth sent the bottom of its order to the plate against Washington left-hander Trevor Shimabukuro, who entered the game with a 0.98 ERA, in the top of the seventh.
No. 9 hitter Zane Foyt hit a leadoff single to center, putting the tying run on base and bringing the Mustangs’ dugout to life. It looked like the rally might die quickly when Shimabukuro picked Foyt off first, a close play that quieted Monmouth’s side.
But the Mustangs refused to let the inning go. Leadoff man Bryce Fletcher worked a walk to start things back up. Pitcher Levi Laverdiere followed with a single, and center fielder Jake Harmon drew a walk, suddenly loading the bases with one out. Washington still led 4-3, but all the pressure had swung to the Raiders’ defense.
Catcher Noah Schultz delivered the decisive swing, shooting a hard ground ball through the right side, easily scoring Fletcher with the tying run. In right field, the ball was bobbled just long enough for Laverdiere to race around third and slide home with the go-ahead run, giving Monmouth its first lead of the afternoon at 5-4.
From there, Laverdiere finished what he started on the mound.
Going back out for the bottom of the seventh, the senior right-hander struck out Daniel Gardner and Jayden Mahar to bring Washington Academy down to its final out. Cleanup hitter Will Ferguson then bounced a chopper to third, where Fletcher fielded cleanly and fired across the diamond to end the game.
Washington had built its 4-0 cushion with a four-run first inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Mahar and a two-run single from George Welch. Monmouth chipped away with a run in the third and two more in the fourth to get in position for the late rally.