ORONO, Maine — Down to its last three outs and facing the top ranked-team in Class A North, the Edward Little High School baseball team scrapped, clawed and found a way to get the job done Wednesday night.
A run-scoring bunt single by Eli St. Laurent and Campbell Cassidy scampering home on a throwing error enabled the eighth-ranked Red Eddies from Auburn to rally for a 4-3 Class A North quarterfinal victory over No. 1 Brewer at the University of Maine’s Mahaney Diamond.
Edward Little (10-7) will face No. 4 Messalonskee of Oakland in a Friday semifinal.
Messalonskee dispatched No. 5 Hampden Academy earlier Wednesday.
Brewer, which left nine runners on base, concludes the season 14-3.
Grady Keefe had led off the Edward Little seventh with a single and was erased on a fielders’ choice, but Cassidy’s base hit put runners at first and third.
St. Laurent then dropped a slow-rolling bunt in between the pitcher and the catcher to score Caleb Albert.
Cassidy, who advanced to second on St. Laurent’s bunt, stole third after Brady Vincent struck out but the throw got into left field, allowing Cassidy to score.
Cassidy, who earned the win in relief for the Eddies, retired the Witches in order in the bottom of the inning.
Brewer shortstop Evan Nadeau was able to break a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the fourth, putting the Witches back on top.
After consecutive walks to Kaiden Morin and Anderson Clifford and a sacrifice bunt by Andrew Hodgkins to lead things off, Nadeau ripped a base hit to left to score Morin, who had stolen second prior to Hodgkins’ sacrifice bunt.
After leaving runners on second and third with two outs in the first inning, the Witches broke through in their half of the third.
Nadeau and Noah Tibbetts were able to walk and steal a base, and Rowan Valley brought them both in with a sharp single to center field.
The Eddies got those runs back in their half of the fourth, with Drew Smith lacing a one-out, run-scoring single to right and Gage Ducharme beating out a grounder to short to thwart a double play.