'I wanted this game really bad': Somerset Berkley baseball scores revenge against Durfee
SOMERSET — Wednesday's non-league matchup with Durfee and Somerset Berkley represented more than just a baseball game, it served as a sign of what's to come in the upcoming state tournament.
Back on April 9, the Hilltoppers walked off with a one-run victory over SBR. That was the first of 10 one-run ball games for Durfee, which prevailed in all but one those (the lone loss came against Brockton on May 1).
On Wednesday, it was Landon Richardson and the Raiders (14-4) turn for the game winner.
"I feel like we wanted to get back what we lost in April," said the senior right-hander after SBR won 1-0 in the bottom of the seventh inning. "I wanted this game really bad."
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Richardson, who was injured last season, out-dueled Durfee senior starter Aiden Travers as he went the distance on the hill. He allowed just three hits while striking out a game-high eight batters. Richardson allowed one base runner to reach third base — a triple by Ben Sherry late in the contest.
"This year, I feel like this was my best win considering on who Durfee is," Richardson said. "I wanted to be the best I could today. It was one of my better performances of the year."
Raiders first-year head coach Jason Martin's mind was certainly in playoff mode, especially in the seventh inning. Mason Medeiros worked a walk after being down in the count 0-2 to load the bases. Then Camden Hoyle drove in pinch-runner Evan Isidorio for the winning run on a sacrifice fly.
"We were actually considering pinch hitting for Mason (Medeiros) in the final inning but I changed my mind because of my gut feeling," Martin said. "Same thing with Cam (Hoyle), we were thinking about making the move with sophomore Kyle Sherman. But I just stuck with them and it paid off.
"Durfee is a good team and they are very well coached. Their pitcher did a good job keeping us off balance, especially early in counts. They make all their plays for the most part, I know they had the two errors that did not hurt them. But that's uncharacteristic of them. They kept our running game, which is our calling card, at bay today."
Hilltopper head coach Michael Martin said he was proud of the performance of Travers, who allowed just five hits, two walks while striking out four.
"You can't win all the one-run games," said Michael Martin, whose team fell to 16-3.
Hayden Teasdale went 2-for-3 on the day for the Raiders.
With the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association tournament on the horizon, both Durfee and SBR got a glimpse of playoff baseball. In the latest state-tournament power rankings, which were released on Tuesday, Durfee was ranked No. 13 in Div. 1 while SBR was No. 8 in Div. 2.
"This team (Durfee) has been very good all year," Richardson said. "We needed this win to help us for our playoffs. It helps with the rankings and get us ready for things to come in the tournament. This was a great preparation game."
Herald News and Taunton Daily Gazette sports editor Steven Sanchez can be reached at ssanchez@heraldnews.com. You can follow him on Twitter @Chezsports
This article originally appeared on The Herald News: Somerset Berkley baseball defeats Durfee
