CHESTER- The Chiefs picked a good time to come up with one of their best overall performances of the 2018 season, as they flashed their gloves on defense, picked up timely hits on offense, and had a complete-game shutout from Tanner Bischofberger on the mound in their 6-0 win over Randolph Union in Tuesday’s semifinal game.
After allowing a leadoff hit in the top of the first, Bischofberger retired the next three Randolph batters. In the bottom-half, the Chiefs’ Nick Davis hit a slow chopper up the middle with two outs and the bases loaded, but Randolph’s shortstop, Hunter Brassard, made a diving stop and tagged second while lying on the ground to get out of the inning.
The second inning saw both teams get retired in order. In the top of the third, Adam Norton had a leadoff double to the left-center gap for Randolph. After a flyout, a groundout moved Norton to third. And, after a walk, James Grandy hit a hard groundball to third. Green Mountain’s Dylan McCarthy corralled the ball on a hop and made a clutch put-out at first to get the Chiefs out of the jam.
In the bottom of the third, McCarthy reached on a walk, and then took second on an overthrow to first on a pickoff attempt. A Rex Hill groundout pushed McCarthy to third. With Ryan McSally at the plate and two outs, McCarthy stole home on the delivery of a pitch, and after a close play at the plate, the home umpire saw the ball pop out of the catcher’s glove, giving Green Mountain a 1-0 lead after three innings.
In the bottom of the fourth, with two on and two out, Bischofberger picked up an RBI while reaching on an error at shortstop, sending home Skyler Klezos, to go up 2-0.
In the top of the fifth, Green Mountain put on an impressive defensive display, retiring Randolph in order. McCarthy had another good scoop at third on a hard groundball for the first put out, followed by a strikeout from Bischofberger, and then Josh Bodin closed out the inning with a nice put out lunging to his left at second on a chopper.
On Dylan McCarthy’s performance at third on Tuesday, head coach Matt McCarthy, said, “Beginning of the year… he was actually going to possibly play the outfield and maybe second base. Our starting third baseman tore his ACL and [Dylan] stepped up. He stepped up big today and made some great plays.”
In the bottom-half of the fifth, Randolph replaced starting pitcher, Zack Whitmore, for Daniel Rosen. After a strikeout to start the inning, Rosen allowed three consecutive singles to Hill, McSally, and then Sawyer Pippin, who knocked in Hill with a groundball through the right side of the infield to make the score 3-0. Later in the inning, with the bases juiced and two out, Bodin, after striking out in his last at-bat and looking visibly frustrated, came through with a big 2-RBI double to the left-center gap, scoring McSally and Pippin and giving the Chiefs a 5-0 lead after five.
On Bodin, coach McCarthy said, “He refocused. One of our assistants talked to him about his approach to the at-bat and he came through next time up and ripped that ball. He’s been coming up clutch. He’s a senior… he’s a leader. He comes up big in big spots. The last two games he’s had two big hits. He’s been doing good things.
The Chiefs retired Randolph in order again in the top of the sixth, and added another run to their lead in the bottom-half on a Hill RBI-single to left that plated Bischofberger. Randolph managed just one hit in the top of the seventh, and the Chiefs cruised to the D-III championship with an all-around performance and a shutout, 6-0 win in the semis.
This is the first time that Green Mountain baseball has gotten to the championship since 2006. On the win, coach McCarthy, said, “One more, baby. One more. We’re pretty excited as you can tell.”
In the win, Bischofberger tossed seven strikeouts in his complete-game performance. “Tanner started it with his pitching. He was on fire today,” said McCarthy. “He had his stuff going… he had his fastball, his slider and his changeup… really working today, and I think that’s what kept them off-balance.”
The No. 2 Chiefs will square off with the No. 1 Windsor Yellow Jackets on Saturday at Centennial Field in Burlington for the right to call themselves D-III State Champions.
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