Tewhey sparks OT to win over Brewer> Grand slam propels Indians to semifinal

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OLD TOWN – So you’re Brian Tewhey, eight days removed from socking your first high school homer – a grand slam, of all things – and fate serves you this on a silver platter:

A chance to do it again.

It’s the first inning of an Eastern Maine Class A quarterfinal game your team will go on to win 7-1 over Brewer.

Bases loaded. Sacks jammed. You’ve got a chance to put Brewer in a serious hole.

So, Brian. You’re thinking … homer?

Not so fast.

“I thought he was gonna strike me out,” Tewhey said, shaking his head.

Of course, that’s not what happened.

Tewhey turned a 2-2 pitch into his second grand slam in as many at-bats, and jump-started what would become a 7-1 win for the No. 2 Indians over the No. 7 Witches.

“[Brewer pitcher Ryan Hatch] threw me a belt-high fastball and I just got ahold of it. And it went out again,” Tewhey said.

Again. Tewhey’s other grand slam came in his last at-bat, in the regular-season finale against Bangor.

Tewhey’s homer was all the offense the Indians would need, as ace Jason Thibodeau improved to 8-0 and lowered his earned run average to a miniscule 1.48.

Thibodeau struck out four, walked three and held Brewer to just six hits. He was aided by two double plays, and 16-1 Old Town shaved its team ERA to 1.58 while improving to 16-1.

“We made a couple of really tough defensive plays out there and I think that’s been our backbone all year – our defense,” Thibodeau said.

Old Town will face the winner of Thursday night’s game between No. 3 Bangor and No. 6 Mt. Blue on Saturday. Brewer finishes 9-8.

Brewer nicked Thibodeau for a single run on two hits in the top of the first, but weren’t able to break through against him again.

And in the bottom of the first, Hatch got within one strike of ending an Old Town threat before Tewhey’s smash.

“They had some base hits, but I think that one pitch, at that moment, changed the complexion and put us in a situation where we had to come from behind,” Brewer coach David Morris said.

Hatch said he felt the pitch he threw was a good one.

“I threw him a fastball upstairs as hard as I could,” Hatch said. I thought for sure I would have struck him out on that pitch.”

But Tewhey caught up with it and took advantage of both the weather and the cozy confines of Old Town’s park.

“It would have been a pop fly on another field, but that was a four-run pop fly right there,” Hatch said.

Indians 7, Witches 1

Brewer boys (9-8) Old Town (16-1)

Name ab r h bi Name ab r h bi

Work, rf 3 0 0 0 Powers, 2b 3 1 1 0

Snell, ss 2 1 1 0 Rand, rf 4 0 0 0

Barrett, 3b 2 0 1 1 Sirois, ss 4 2 2 1

Spencer, cf 3 0 1 0 Thibodeau, p 4 1 1 0

Jansen, 1b 3 0 1 0 Brissette, lf 3 2 1 0

Hatch, p 3 0 1 0 Tewhey, 3b 3 1 1 4

Caldwell, lf 0 0 0 0 Clark, 1b 2 0 1 1

Freeman, lf 2 0 0 0 a-T. Brown 0 0 0 0

Griffin, c 3 0 0 0 Ouellette, c 2 0 0 0

Cote, 2b 3 0 1 0 McAuley, cf 1 0 0 0

Totals 24 1 6 1 Totals 26 7 7 6

a-ran for Clark in third

Brewer 100 000 0 – 1

Old Town 401 010 x – 7

E – Cote; Clark 2B – Snell HR – Tewhey (2), Sirois (2) LOB – Brewer 6; Old Town 6 DP – Sirois-Powers-Clark, Powers-Sirois-Clark SB – Work S – Work

PITCHER IP H R ER BB SO

Brewer

Hatch (L, 3-4) 6 7 7 6 4 5

Old Town

Thibodeau (W, 8-0) 7 6 1 1 3 4

HBP – McAuley by Hatch WP – Hatch 3 TIME – 1:38 ATTENDANCE – 150 (est.)