The Dartmouth Dry are a win away from their 25th Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League championship.
The Dry took a commanding 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven final by defeating the Kentville Wildcats 7-5 and 5-4 in eight innings Oct. 4 at Beazley Field in Dartmouth.
They can complete the sweep Wednesday, Oct. 7, in Kentville. First pitch is slated for 7 p.m. The game was originally scheduled for Oct. 6 was postponed due to field conditions.
Here’s a recap of Games 2 and 3.
The first game of the day was the resumption of the Oct. 2 contest which was halted by rain with Dartmouth leading 6-2 after 3 1/2 innings in Kentville.
Dartmouth plated four runs in the top of the first at Memorial Park on RBI singles by Jack Fader and Logan Raftus and a two-run double by Noah Trider.
It came after Jake MacKinnon’s infield single and Noah Boutilier was hit by a pitch by starter Tyson Slauenwhite.
The visitors added another in the second when No. 9 hitter Mike Naugle led off with a walk and scored on Anthony McKinley’s double.
Kentville cut into the deficit in the third inning as the rain started. No. 9 hitter Caleb Medicraft walked, Codey Shrider singled, and Ryan Crocker hit an RBI single to plate Medicraft. Shrider would score on Colby Turple’s ground out.
Crocker was thrown out at the plate on Evan Ryan’s ground ball back to starting pitcher Layton Cuvilier. Crocker had to leave the game with an apparent upper-body injury.
Dartmouth got one back in the top of the fourth on back-to-back doubles by McKinley and Fader. As the inning ended, the umpires and team representatives got together and the decision was made to pause the game due to the field conditions.
When the game restarted, Cuvilier struck out the first four batters he faced before Shrider hit a home run in the bottom of the fifth.
Dartmouth added an insurance run in the seventh when Raftus scored on a wild pitch after being hit by a pitch to start the inning.
Kentville got two back in the bottom of the seventh when Luis Laffita Jr. hit a two-out, two-run single off reliever Cam McKenzie. It came after Shrider, Colby Titus, and Kyle Armsworthy had loaded the bases with three straight one-out singles.
Cuvilier earned the win, allowing five runs on seven hits in 6 1/3 innings. He walked two and struck out 12. McKenzie got the final two outs.
Slauenwhite took the loss, allowing six runs on nine hits in four innings. He walked one batter, hit another, and struck out a pair. Dawson Oldham allowed a run in 2 1/3 innings. He gave up a hit, walked two and struck out three.
Brandon MacKenzie got the final two outs.
MacKinnon, McKinley, Fader, and Raftus each had two hits while Fader drove in two runs.
Shrider had a home run and two singles while Titus had two singles and Laffita had a single and a double.
Kentville held a 3-1 lead heading to the bottom of the seventh, but the bullpen couldn’t hold it.
Cuvilier and MacKinnon hit singles to start the inning off Jack Gallant. After McKinley flew out to deep centre field, Fader and Boutilier hit RBI singles off Oldham to tie the game.
Brett McGinnis restored Kentville’s lead, hitting a solo home run to left field on McKinley’s first pitch after entering the game in the top of the eighth.
Again, Kentville’s bullpen couldn’t hold the lead.
No. 8 hitter Mitch Doucette led off the bottom of the eighth with a walk on a full-pitch count. Nathan Boutilier’s bunt went for a single and Cuvilier bunted them both into scoring position.
Kentville intentionally walked MacKinnon to load the bases and put the force out on each base. But it brought the dangerous McKinley to the dish with the bases juiced.
After getting two strikes on McKinley, Oldham was called for a balk to force home the tying run. Kentville then put McKinley on and, with the infield playing in, Fader hit a ground ball to first base.
Ryan threw home to get the second out of the inning, but Laffita’s throw to second baseman Slauenwhite covering first was low and the winning run scored.
Dartmouth comes all the way back to win 5-4 to take commanding 3-0 series lead. pic.twitter.com/i9RNNFghEY
Kentville started the game well, loading the bases in the top of the first on Shrider’s single and back-to-back walks by Titus and Ryan. Oldham hit a one-out RBI single and John Ansara’s ground ball plated a second run.
The visitors tacked one on in the third when Laffita hit a one-out double and scored on Ansara’s two-out single.
Dartmouth got to Kentville starter Kyle Armsworthy in the fifth inning. Doucette scored on Cuvilier’s one-out double to the left-centre field gap.
Reliever Brandon MacKenzie ended the threat by inducing a ground ball from MacKinnon before striking out McKinley.
Dartmouth threatened in the sixth when Noah Boutilier hit a one-out single, Jaelin Trider was hit by a pitch, and Raftus walked to load the bases.
Gallant was able to get an infield fly and a ground ball to shortstop to end the inning.
Kentville loaded the bases in the top of the seventh inning on singles by Titus, Ryan, and Laffita, but Dartmouth turned a 5-2-3 double play and got Ansara to fly out to centre to end the threat.
Shrider went 2-for-3 with two singles and two walks. Laffita singled and doubled.
McKinley struck out one in his inning of relief for the win.
Sean Hubley allowed three runs on six hits in a 3 1/3 innings. He walked two, hit a batter and struck out three. MacKenzie threw 3 2/3 innings of shutout relief. He allowed three hits and three walks while picking up a strikeout.
Oldham took the loss after giving up two runs on two hits and three walks in 1 2/3 innings.
Armsworthy allowed a run on two hits in 4 1/3 innings. He walked one, hit two, and struck out five.
MacKenzie pitched an inning of relief. Gallant allowed two runs on two hits and a walk in two-thirds of an inning.
A look at the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League final between the first-place Dartmouth Dry and second-place Kentville Wildcats.
Dartmouth 4 Kentville 0.
Dartmouth 7 Kentville 5.
Dartmouth 5 Kentville 4 (8).
7:30 p.m. – Dartmouth at Kentville.
7:30 p.m. – Kentville at Dartmouth .
7:30 p.m. – Dartmouth at Kentville.
2 p.m. – Kentville at Dartmouth.
