Kennedy Baseball Drops Playoff Game to Baldwin

The ninth-seeded Kennedy Cougars baseball team was eliminated in the first round of the Class AA playoffs by the eighth-seeded Baldwin Bruins 2-1 on Saturday morning, in a game that came down to two crucial hits.

Kennedy head coach Eric Passman was proud of the effort the team made and said that it all came down to those few hits. "We played great," Passman said. "We didn't hit, they didn't hit, but they hit enough to get one more run than we did."

Neither one of the teams could keep the bats going, with a hit answered right back with the smack of the ball hitting the glove of an opposing player.

Kennedy starting pitcher Andrew Wood threw a solid game, keeping hits to a minimum.

Noah Shulman came through for the Cougars with a shot to left field, leaving him at third base. Kennedy's Evan Krohn drove in Shulman in the next at-bat to take the lead in the top of the third inning.

The next few innnings were much of the same -- both teams were shut down on offense and neither were able to get a runner in scoring position.

The fate of the game was sealed, however, in the bottom of the seventh inning. After Baldwin's Nick Lebello got himself into scoring position, Louis Aponte singled to right field to knock him in and tie the game.

A smash by Baldwin's Travis Hylton rallied the team spirit and left him on third with one out. A tight play by the Cougars to get an out boosted their spirits and seemed to give the team a dallop of confidence, but no aire of confidence could prepare for what was next.

Baldwin's Tommy Keller ripped a single and plated the winning run in walk-off fashion, ending Kennedy's season in the process.

Although the Cougars were all disappointed after the game, Passman explained that he was proud of the season that the team had.

"We had a very successful season. This is a tough league, a tough division, and we were able to get to the playoffs," Passman said.

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