Solid Pitching Leads Milton Legion Post 114 to Playoff Win

Fueled by concise pitching and a supportive defense, Milton Legion Post 114 took game one of a best of three series with Norwood Post 70 on Tuesday night at Cunningham Park by a margin of 2-1.

Matt McDougall, a Westfield State reliever, took the hill for Milton. McDougall gave up just one run in the sixth inning before sitting down for the night.

McDougall only struck out one batter, but stuck to his formula of pitch variety that keeps batters off balance.

"Matty isn't a strikeout pitcher," Milton coach Pat Bryan said of his starter. "He's crafty and he has good mount presence."

When McDougall left the game, Milton was holding on to a 2-1 lead with no outs and a runner on second in the top of the sixth inning. Bryan brought in closer Cody Clark to face the tough situation and throw strikes as he has done for Milton all summer.

Clark forced the next two batters to hit into outs before striking out the third.

By the seventh inning, the rain that had begun in the sixth was drenching, but as Clark came in for his final three outs, the precipitation was not on his mind.

"It doesn't really matter to me at all," Clark said of the rain. "I had so much adrenaline."

Clark fanned two of the games final three batters.

Both pitchers were backed all night by stellar efforts in the field. They were also aided by a monstrous triple from Jack Davis in the fourth inning that gave Milton the lead for good.

With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, Nate Ellis knocked a short ball past first base. The first and second basemen for Norwood collided after some miscommunication and Ellis took first.

In the next at bat, Davis crushed an incoming pitch and sent it sailing to the right field wall, scoring Ellis.

Ellis also had a hand in Milton's first run. After Curry College bound Matt O'Neill hit a standing double, Ellis took to the dish.

O'Neill scored after an Ellis infield blooper was mishandled by Norwood pitcher Chris Foley.

Norwood will hope to avenge the close loss with a win on their home field behind Balch Elementary School, 8 p.m. Wednesday. If necessary, the series will return to Cunningham Park on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.