That’s a wrap for the Rockport Townies.
After a stellar regular season run earned them the No. 3 seed in the Intertown Twilight League (ITL) playoffs, Rockport struggled to find its offense in a semifinal round series against the second-seeded Hamilton Generals.
The result was a two game sweep in favor of Hamilton, which earned consecutive shutout victories, including a 3-0 decision on Tuesday night, to advance to the championship. The Generals will take on the Manchester Essex Mariners in the title round.
In Tuesday night’s loss, Rockport got some strong pitching out of starter Kyle Beal (3 IP, 2 ER) and Derick MacDowell (4 IP, 1 run, 0 earned and 7 K) to keep their team within striking distance. But the Townies’ offense managed to scatter just four hits, none of which generated a scoring opportunity in the setback.
Jack Sperry, Charlie MacDowell, Will Mueller and Danny Hafey had those hits, while Warren Adams reached base safely three times via walk. Rockport concludes a successful summer season with a 13-7-1 record.
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As for Manchester, which went 15-4 during the regular season to lock up the top seed in the playoffs, it’s off to the title round for an incredible 14th straight year.
The Mariners topped league rival Rowley, 4-2, on Sunday, before completing the two game sweep with a narrow 2-1 victory on Monday night.
In the latest triumph, Zach Abbott tossed a complete game, allowing five hits and striking out six, including the last two batters of the game with a runner threatening on third. According to player/coach Cory Burnham, the Mariners defense backed up Abbott all night with “big plays all around, most notably two big diving catchers from Tom Connors and Mike Quill.”
Manchester played opportunistic baseball to secure its spot in the championship. It plated one run in the third, starting with Caulin Rogers reaching with a base hit before eventually being driven in by Troy Flood. Then, in the top of the fourth, Brett Moore led off with a single and after stealing two bases, was driven in by Quill. Rowley got its only run of the night on a solo home run from Adam Gracie.
The best 3-out-of-5 championship series between Manchester and Hamilton will begin on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Memorial Park in Essex.
Sports Editor Nick Giannino may be contacted at 978-675-2712 or ngiannino@northofboston.com.