FREDERICK — Small ball, long ball, you name it — Fort Cumberland did it all against Boonsboro on Friday morning.
Boonsboro had its hands full with the doubles power of Cumberland, which banged out six two-baggers from five different players. Then, when the situation called for it, Post 13 laid down a pair of bunt singles to flummox a team that had no answers.
Both bunts for base hits came during a five-run fourth inning, which was more than enough for Bryce Madden, who tossed five shutout frames as Cumberland rolled past Boonsboro, 10-0, in six innings to open the state tournament.
“We knew the pitcher was going to be tough, and we came out swinging,” Fort Cumberland manager Brian McAlpine said. “Instead of waiting back and getting down 0-2 or 1-2, we took advantage of early counts and hit the ball well. … Bryce pitched a good game and our defense was stellar. Overall it was a complete game.”
Fort Cumberland (8-8), on a quest to return to the championship and take it a game further, remained in the all-important winners bracket with the win. It’ll take on Wicomico Post 64 (13-1) on Saturday at 4 p.m. at McCurdy Field.
Wicomico defeated Dundalk Post 38, 9-1, in the third game Friday.
Boonsboro (19-5) threw its ace, right-handed junkballer Blake Kellerman (West Virginia State), but Fort Cumberland wasn’t fooled in the slightest.
Post 13 tagged him for seven runs (six earned) on nine hits over his 3 2/3 frames. Kellerman wasn’t able to get out of the fourth, during which Fort Cumberland exploded for five runs on six hits.
Two of those hits were textbook bunts by Caleb Langham and Bryce Madden — one to each side of the infield — Alex Kennell roped his second double of the game and Leuma Pua’auli dealt the big blow with a two-run single that got past the Boonsboro third baseman.
Fort Cumberland, which also scored a run in each the first and third innings, tacked on three more in the sixth to secure the run-rule victory.
Madden dominated Boonsboro in the batter’s box with his breaking ball, buckling Post 10 batters with regularity.
The right-hander allowed just two hits over five shutout innings with five strikeouts and one walk to pick up the win. Pua’auli pitched a scoreless sixth to preserve the run rule.
Madden finished within the 75-pitch limit, meaning he will be available for a potential championship game on Tuesday on three days rest if Cumberland advances that far.
“Down this way they must not throw many breaking balls,” McAlpine said. “He was throwing it at their knee and breaking it in. It worked for us.”
Fort Cumberland utilized several crucial defensive plays to keep Boonsboro off the scoreboard.
Pua’auli, Post 13’s second baseman, ended the second and third innings with double plays. In the former instance, Pua’auli secured a pop-out and doubled off the runner who was running on the pitch. In the latter, he snagged a liner and again caught an overzealous runner napping at first for two.
Carson Bradley ended the opening inning with as good a play as you’ll see at the catcher position, making a diving grab on a pop-up behind the plate that just stayed inside the deep foul territory at McCurdy Field.
Fort Cumberland made just one error, and Boonsboro only threatened to score once in the fourth inning. Madden stranded the bases loaded in that frame by inducing a fly out to Langham in center field.
“No matter where I put some of these boys, they go out and perform at multiple positions,” McAlpine said.
Cody Rinehart and Jake Holler accounted for Boonsboro’s lone base hits, which came in consecutive at-bats to lead off the fourth inning.
The four-through-nine hitters in Boonsboro’s batting order finished a combined 0 for 10 at the plate. Fort Cumberland, meanwhile, saw eight different batters hit safely and eight score runs.
Kennell finished 3 for 3 with two doubles, three RBIs and two runs scored, Madden was 2 for 3 with a double, Steven Spencer singled and doubled and Langham singled twice. Josef Sneathen and Caedon Wallace also struck two-baggers.
For a Fort Cumberland team that has struggled at the plate at times this year, Post 13’s bats were white-hot at the right time.
“I think that’s due to the hard work we’ve put in the last couple weeks practicing,” McAlpine said. “We had good turnouts the last couple weeks, and it’s showing in the box. Hard work starting to pay off.”
Now, Fort Cumberland will try to keep that momentum going against Wicomico today.
“It’s a great feeling knowing the guys can sleep in tomorrow,” McAlpine said.
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American Legion State Tournament Schedule/Results
Friday’s Results
Game 1 — Fort Cumberland Post 13 (10), Boonsboro Post 10 (0)
Game 2 — St. Mary’s Post 255 (12), Caroline Post 29 (8)
Game 3 — Wicomico Post 64 (9), Dundalk Post 38 (1)
Game 4 — FSK Post 11 (7), Severn Post 276 (1)
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Saturday’s Schedule
Game 5 — Boonsboro Post 10 vs. Dundalk Post 38, 10 a.m.
Game 6 — Caroline Post 29 vs. Severn Post 276, 1 p.m.
Game 7 — Fort Cumberland Post 13 vs. Wicomico Post 64, 4 p.m.
Game 8 — St. Mary’s Post 255 vs. FSK Post 11, 7 p.m.
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Sunday’s Schedule
Game 9 — Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 10 a.m.
Game 10 — Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 loser, 1 p.m.
Game 11 — Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 winner, 4 p.m.
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Alex Rychwalski is a sports reporter at the Cumberland Times-News. Follow him on Twitter @arychwal.