One Half Of Eastern Regional Final Is Set

Maryland state champ Talbot has secured a spot in Thursday’s Senior League Eastern Regional championship game.

Bobby Schultz pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings of relief and the Maryland bats produced a four runs in the fifth to steal a 6-4 win over Massachusetts in Wednesday’s winner’s bracket final.

Maryland will find out its opponent later tonight, while Quincy heads to the elimination bracket final at 6 p.m. against the winner of the Pennsylvania-New York game.

Massachusetts held a 4-1 lead entering the fourth, but Schultz allowed just two hits and a walk the rest of the way, while striking out three, to earn the win.

Maryland had six of its 10 hits in the four-run fifth, highlighted by Tayvon Blake’s RBI single that broke a 4-4 tie. Right fielder Brooks Harrison got the comeback started with an RBI double that plated Justin Mills. Harrison came around to score two batters later on a squeeze bunt by Brian Shaw. Shortstop Justin Jones later singled to tie the game at 4-4, and Blake gave Maryland the lead for good with his RBI hit.

Blake added a solo homer to right in the seventh for an insurance run.

Massachusetts threatened in the sixth and seventh, but stranded a pair of runners in both frames. In the seventh, Andrew Jaehnig doubled with one out. After a strikeout and wild pitch put runners at the corners, Schultz got a pair of groundballs to end the game.

Maryland improved to 10-0 in tournament play, including 3-0 at in the regional. They would need to lose consecutive games tomorrow to be denied a championship.