Concord Post 21 needed to play its best game to compete with the best in the region but didn’t recapture the magic it had at the state level, dropping two games to be eliminated from the American Legion Northeast Regional Tournament in Worcester, Mass., this week.
Post 21 fell to Greece, N.Y., 4-0 on Wednesday and to Franklin, Mass., 8-2, on Thursday.
“Tough to swallow,” head coach Nate Craigue said. “We didn’t do anything well. Not the time to do it.”
Concord faced a pair of NCAA Division I-committed pitchers.
George Mason-bound Mike Salina allowed just two hits and a walk while striking out six in 5⅓ innings for Greece. The New York state champions scored on an RBI single in the third i, a fielder’s choice and error in the fifth, a wild pitch in the sixth and a walk in the seventh.
Post 21’s best chance for a run came in the bottom of the fourth when Nater Wachter tripled and Cam McGonigle walked to put runners at the corners with two outs.
Kyle Martin had a double and Trevor Smith had Concord’s only other hit, while taking the loss on the mound despite allowing just one run, two hits and three walks in four innings.
Martin and Simon Keary pitched in relief.
Against Franklin, Mass., Post 21 faced UMass-Lowell-bound J Jette (two runs, six hits, two walks allowed, four strikeouts in six innings).
Franklin had an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in both the first and third innings.
Concord’s Dawson Fancher (2-for-3) doubled to advance Cam McGongie (single, walk) to third and came home on an error. Smith (2-for-4) singled home Ryan Kastle (2-for-3) in the fifth to hold Post 21’s deficit to 4-2 through four innings before Massachusetts tacked on four runs in the sixth on a walk, passed ball, error and RBI single.
“They have four or five Division I players,” Craigue said. “To play these teams, you can’t make errors. It’s hard enough to beat these teams on an even playing field. We aren’t good enough to walk 10 guys in two games.”
Dan Revellese took the loss on the mound, while Martin and McGonigle pitched in relief.