Leavitt blanks Morse 8-0, advances to regional semifinals

Morse’s season slipped away in the third inning in Turner, when the Shipbuilders had a chance to turn a 2-0 game into something tighter and Leavitt answered with two defensive plays that shut the door. The No. 2 Hornets had already put pressure on the No. 7 Shipbuilders when freshman catcher Hunter Holst delivered a bases-loaded double in the first inning, and that early cushion held up because Leavitt kept making the sort of clean, decisive plays playoff baseball demands.

The turning point came when Morse, the Bath school, began to put runners in position to erase the deficit. In the top of the third, Brody Poland raced into left field and made a diving catch on a ball hit by Nolan Becker, killing one threat. Soon after, Holst helped produce an out at the plate on a bunt-and-backstop scramble, another sequence that left Morse empty-handed when it appeared the inning could swing the game. Those two defensive stops kept Leavitt in control and helped the Hornets pull away to an 8-0 Class B South quarterfinal win on Thursday, June 11.

Morse coach Garrett Olson said the defensive plays were hard to absorb, but credited Leavitt for making them. For a Shipbuilders team that had worked its way into scoring position and hoped to make the game a grind, the missed opportunities mattered as much as any hit column. Once Leavitt protected the lead, Morse could not recover.

Holst’s first-inning double set the tone for the Hornets, and Leavitt coach Roger Varney later praised him as a great catcher and an all-around player. The freshman’s bat and handling of the game behind the plate gave Leavitt an edge before the defense took over. Poland’s catch in left and Holst’s play at the plate became the two moments that defined the afternoon.

Leavitt improved to 15-2 and was set to host No. 3 Greely in the regional semifinals Saturday at 3 p.m. at Leavitt in Turner. The Maine Principals’ Association schedule listed regional quarterfinals for June 11 and regional semifinals for June 13. Greely later beat Leavitt 7-2 in Turner, with Jonah Clorius pitching a two-hitter and the Rangers scoring five runs in the third inning, ending the Hornets’ run at 15-3. Morse finished 13-5, its season ended by one catch, one throw and one early extra-base hit that kept the game from ever tipping back.