TAUNTON — Just before the start of the final inning Wednesday, at Taunton, Middleboro High’s four baseball seniors walked to the visitors’ dugout, shook hands with the Foxboro players and coaches and received applause from their fans as they rushed off to trade dirty sliding pants for pressed tuxedo stripes.
It was hardly the curtain call Evan Anderson, Tony Miranda, Nathan Bradstreet and Steve Marble envisioned for Wednesday’s Div. 2 South semifinals. But at that point, Foxboro’s 14-1 victory was deep in its pocket and Middleboro’s senior prom was set to start in about an hour at a downtown Boston hotel.
“If you have to leave early for something, I guess senior prom isn’t that bad to leave for,” Anderson said on his way to the parking lot. “But we had a good season. This was probably one of the most fun teams as far as camaraderie I’ve ever been on. All season, we’ve given it a good run.”
The No. 11-seeded Sachems (16-8) defeated Pembroke (4-1) in the preliminary round and Diman (11-0) in the first round of the playoffs. Finally, a 6-0 quarterfinal victory against Bishop Stang brought Middleboro to the game the program hasn’t been able to win since current head coach Bill Lawrence took over the team in 1998 — a year after the team won the state title. The Sachems lost in the semifinals the next three seasons.
“We just can’t get over the hump; I’d like to see the seniors go to the finals, but Foxboro played well,” Lawrence said of the Warriors, who will play No. 8 Bishop Feehan or No. 20 Plymouth North in the finals at a location and time to be determined. “They’re going to do OK.”
Seeded No. 18, Foxboro (16-9) beat Duxbury (3-0), Dighton-Rehoboth (2-0) and Coyle-Cassidy (2-1) to advance to the semifinal. Its offense finally broke open Wednesday. After posting a run in the opening inning, the Warriors batted around in the next two innings to take a 10-1 advantage.
Just as Foxboro’s luck struck early, Middleboro’s bad luck came at the same time.
In the Sachems’ first at-bat of the game, Miranda hit the ball down the third-base line but it was barely foul. Two batters later, junior Mike Van Riper hit into an unusual 3-6-3 double play after the first baseman fielded the ball off the bag.
“We came out flat and they came out to win,” Lawrence said. “When we hit the baseball, they made plays. Our pitching wasn’t as good as it’s been, but that’s what you expect with sophomores. It’s good experience for the future.”
While pitcher Joe Clagg struck out three, walked four and allowed five hits to get the win for Foxboro, sophomore pitcher Travis Levesque (4-3) suffered the loss. He gave up six hits, including a five-hit, five-run second inning in which he took a line drive to the foot.
“Once I sat down on the bench, it started bugging me the most,” Levesque said of the injury.
Ultimately striking out one batter and walking two in 21/3 innings of work, Levesque was replaced by another sophomore, Andrew Porter. Inheriting a full diamond, Porter walked in two straight runs. A throwing error to second on the next at-bat brought in the final runs of the inning, making the score 10-1 after 31/2 innings.
Anderson, (8-2), the team’s ace, was unavailable after throwing 97 pitches in the previous game. He played right field Wednesday and drew one walk at the plate.
“Things might’ve been different if he was out there,” Lawrence said of Anderson. “We definitely have more confidence with him out there, but the sophomores pitched today and they are going to do OK.”
Lawrence added that the game was invaluable experience for a young team featuring a half-dozen sophomores, including Sean Newcomb, who knocked in the only run of the game for Middleboro. In the second inning, junior Jake Szulak reached on a walk. Two batters later, he scored from first and slid headfirst into home plate.
“Our luck has run out, but I give Travis credit; he stepped up as a sophomore,” Anderson said of Levesque. “He has a bright future as Middleboro’s No. 1 pitcher. This is a big game for such a young team. It will really give them experience for the next few years to come.”
And while Wednesday afternoon’s final result might’ve been forgettable for the Sachems, at least the evening was guaranteed to provide everlasting memories.
“That was a sign of respect,” Lawrence said of letting the seniors leave the game early for the prom. “I told them ‘Get out of here, you’ve earned the right to get to the prom on time.’ They gave me their best all year long.”
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