Milton Post 114 Cruises into State Championship Game

Milton Legion Post 114 kept its red-hot offense sizzling with an 11-6 victory over Bridgewater Post 203 in the American Legion Baseball Massachusetts State Tournament on Tuesday night at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton.

Milton has put up 41 runs over its last three games — all victories — and now go into the final day of tournament play undefeated, which gives the boys a little bit of breathing room. East Longmeadow Post 293 would have to defeat Milton twice on Wednesday night to take away the championship.

"It's huge," Milton manager Pat Bryan said of the cushion. "East Longmeadow is a good team and I'm sure they got a little bit of pitching left and I know we've got all our guys ready for tomorrow. Number one thing is to go hard in the first game and get that W, if not you got to come back at night and battle."

Bryan's club has had a different person step up each night, and on Tuesday it was Mike Muse who stepped up offensively with three hits, one being a big 2-run homer in the top of the fifth inning.

Milton pounded out 14 hits and spread out its offense evenly throughout the night. The offense plated a run or more in six out of the nine innings and did so in a variety of different ways.

In the top of the fourth, Milton manufactured three runs on two hits, with two of those runs coming on infield force-outs by Jack Davis and Josh Ellis. In the top of the fifth, Milton got the long ball from Muse and a RBI single from Davis that plated Nate Ellis for the 7-2 lead.

Bridgewater could have made this game very interesting as it pounded out 17 hits, but it never seemed to come up with that one big, signature hit that can start rallies.

Brian Besinger (5.1 IP, three runs, 10 hits, three strikeouts) was solid enough to keep Milton out ahead and when he left in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded, Kerrigan Griffiths came in and shut the door with a 5-4-3 double play that killed the Bridgewater momentum.

"He's a ground ball pitcher," Bryan of Griffiths. "He slings the fastball, curves at the knees. … He did his job."

Milton's defense was solid all night, as Matt O'Neill displayed a powerful arm in center to throw out Michael Connolly at home in the first inning. Connolly would have represented Bridgewater's second run of the night in the first and could have changed the game for Besinger and Milton.

Now Milton has two shots — if they need it — to claim the tournament crown. Game one will start at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Game two, if necessary, would start right after.