EAGLE SHORTSTOP NEIL Guy puts the tag on Spaulding’s Aiden Madison during Saturday’s game at Mount Abe. Spaulding beat the Eagles, 9-2, but catcher Tanner Harris ejected two runners who were trying to steal bases. Photo courtesy of Marc Bouvier

This story has been updated since it was first published on May 2.

BRISTOL – The Mount Abraham Union and Spaulding high school baseball teams were tied down in a five-inning 1-0 game at Bristol on Saturday, but visiting Tide opened play with four runs in each of the final two innings to win , 9 -2.

In the end, the difference was that the Crimson Tide rolled their bats, batting 13 hits. Meanwhile, the Eagles, who were down 2-3, had just three hits, including Adam Mansfield’s two-run, sixth-inning homer that accounted for their two runs.

Longtime Eagles manager Jeff Stetson paid tribute to Spaulding, a strong team bringing back most of the players who propelled the program to the 2021 Division II title game. He said Mansfield, the Eagles starting pitcher, pitched well.

MOUNT ABE SENIOR Carter Monks rushes to grab this windblown pop-up during the seventh inning of the Eagle Baseball Team‘s 9-2 loss to Spaulding. The Monks’ scoreless relief run was a highlight for the Eagles.
Photo courtesy of Marc Bouvier

“It’s an experienced team that was in the final last year and didn’t really lose anyone. We knew they were going to be difficult. We fought for a while and then I feel like they fought their way to victory,” Stetson said. “We did nothing that caused the loss.”

But he would like to see a better approach at home plate from the Eagles, who had just one hit in a five-inning loss at DI South Burlington two days prior.

“It was a poor performance for us at home plate. I don’t know how many times we struck out (15, actually), but it was too many,” Stetson said. “We’ll come back to work on Monday and work on our two-stroke approach and put the ball in play and put a bit more pressure on the defence.”

The only run of the game in the first five innings came first in the first. Mansfield allowed Cole McAllister, leadoff, his only walk. Grady Chase followed with a line drive that Eagle third baseman Gus Hill did well to trap by moving to his left.

But Hill’s attempt to double McAllister from first base sailed high, moving the runner to second. McAllister then scored when winning pitcher Kieran McNamara followed with a single.

EAGLE CENTER FIELDER Norman Benoit returns to deny Spaulding’s Grady Chase extra bases in Saturday’s high school baseball game at Mount Abe, won by the visiting Crimson Tide.
Photo courtesy of Marc Bouvier

The Eagles threatened in the second when Ethan Thompson doubled up with two outs, but McNamara retired the next batter. The Eagles shone in leather in the third with two good outfield catches, one by center fielder Norman Benoit at the fence, and they threatened again in the bottom of the frame.

With two outs, McNamara walked Chance Denecker then hit Hill with a pitch, but again worked smoothly with a strikeout.

McNamara had a big day, earning the pitching victory by pitching five scoreless innings, allowing one hit, striking out 10, walking none and hitting two batters. He also tripled, got twice and drove in four runs.

Mansfield also went five innings, allowing just four hits and one walk and the only unearned run. But Spaulding hit the ball hard in the fifth.

McAllister started with a double, and after Mansfield retired the next batter, the next three batters hit RBI hits: Danny Kiniry doubled, McNamara tripled, and Reiss Hendee singled to end the job. Mansfield on rubber.

Neil Guy went from shortstop to the mound, and singles from Averill Parker and Mason Otis produced the final run of the inning before Guy got two straight outs.

A single from Hill and Mansfield’s towering explosion at least 20 feet over the fence to left center from reliever Graiden Hawkins in the bottom of the sixth made it 5-2 and gave some hope to the Eagles.

But the Tide used four singles, a walk and a poorly played pop-up in the strong breeze to add four more runs for Guy in the seventh. Carter Monks left first base to strike out the last three batters.

EAGLE SENIOR ADAM Mansfield gets all that ground for a two-run homer in the sixth inning that easily cleared the fence to left center. Unfortunately, that was all the offense the Mount Abe baseball team could muster in Saturday’s 9-2 loss to Spaulding.
Photo courtesy of Marc Bouvier

Tidal pitcher Hawkins hit Monks with a pitch to open the Eagle seventh, but struck out the next three batters, striking out two to finish with five Ks in his two innings

On April 28, host South Burlington blanked the Eagles, 10-0, as SB’s Sully Beers went one hit in five innings, striking out nine. Shane Burke and Cole Woodland each had two hits and three RBIs for Wolves.

On Tuesday, three Rice pitchers — Kurt Wenner, Kaiden Quinn and Evan Havrluk — combined to strike out eight batters and allow Eagle two unearned runs and two hits.

Mansfield picked up one of Mount Abe’s safeties and hit in both innings. Denecker suffered the pitching loss, allowing three earned runs in five innings.

The Eagles will be looking to bounce back when they visit a young team from Vergennes on Thursday and host Missisquoi at 2:30 p.m. Saturday.

Stetson remains convinced that his team has the talent and the attitude to succeed.

“It’s a great group of kids. They work hard. We are trying,” he said. “We will find a solution. We’ll be OK when we’re done.

ADAM MANSFIELD’S EAGLE teammates salute him at home plate after he hit a two-run homer in Mount Abe’s 9-2 loss to Spaulding on Saturday. Mansfield also threw honorably down the backhand.
Photo courtesy of Marc Bouvier