Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond slams its way to Little League regional final
A grand slam by Drew Clark in the fifth inning ended Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond’s 10-0 mercy-rule victory over Richmond, Vermont, on Wednesday and sent the team to the championship game of the New England Region tournament.
After John Hanley, Elliott Szczesniak and Wes Connick walked to load the bases, Clark drove a pitch over the center-field fence against reliever Spencer Hare.
“I got my pitch and I just smashed it,” Clark told the ESPN crew covering the game at Breen Field in Bristol, Connecticut.
GNG (2-1) advances to a rematch against Bridgewater, Massachusetts (2-0), at 7 p.m. Thursday. The winner earns a trip to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Bridgewater defeated Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond 7-0 on Saturday, but the Maine champion has stayed alive by winning two elimination games. Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond eliminated Portsmouth, New Hampshire, with a 10-6 victory on Sunday.
Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond won the 2023 New England title. This year’s team went 4-0 in the Maine state tournament, outscoring opponents 23-8.
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Jackson Burns earned the shutout for Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond. He allowed four hits, struck out four and did not walk a batter.
Prior to cleanup hitter Clark’s big blow, it was the bottom of the 13-batter lineup that did most of the damage.
In the second inning, Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond took a 3-0 lead on a two-run single by No. 9 hitter Pierce McCarthy and an RBI double from No. 11 hitter Ollie Boisvert.
Maine added a fourth run on a bases-loaded single by Max Stewart in the third inning. Boisvert (single) and No. 12 hitter Jackson Pacanza (sacrifice fly) each drove in a run in the fourth.
Gray-New Gloucester/Raymond finished with 11 hits and did not commit an error. The Vermont champions made one error. Vermont pitchers Benji Soltsov and Hare combined to walk six batters and hit another.
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Tagged: little league baseball
Steve Craig reports primarily about Maine’s active high school sports scene and, more recently, the Portland Hearts of Pine men's professional soccer team. His first newspaper job was covering Maine. More by Steve Craig
