Joel Breton shuts down Oxford Hills Nova Seafood gains title

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BANGOR – They had to do it the hard way this time around, but Joel Breton made it look easy.

For the second time in the last three years, Nova Seafood of Portland is the American Legion Baseball State Tournament champion after defeating Oxford Hills 6-0 behind a sterling, all-around effort from their tournament MVP.

Breton threw 74 of his 102 pitches for strikes as he struck out seven batters, walked one, and allowed just three hits in a complete-game effort Wednesday night at Mansfield Stadium.

“I heated up in the playoffs. I usually get geared up for big games. Since the Bangor start, I’ve been focusing all week on this game,” said Breton, who earned MVP honors after notching two wins and two saves while batting .476 through six games.

Breton went 2-for-4 Wednesday night after batting 4-for-5 in the afternoon elimination game, helping Nova eliminate New Auburn 15-5. Nova, now 30-4, will next take on the New Hampshire state champ in a 12:30 p.m. Northeast Regional game on Thursday, Aug. 16 in Bristol, Conn.

Despite having to go through the losers’ bracket after losing to Monmouth Sunday, Nova had just enough pitching (Breton) left to tame the Vikes for the second time in two days. Both of Oxford Hills’ tourney losses came against Nova.

“I was talking to [Nova head coach] Mike D’Andrea after the game and he said he had to save him if he had any chance of beating us, and Joel pitched a heck of a game,” said coach Steve Jones, whose Vikings wind up 21-6 after their first state runnerup finish.

“I think a lot of people, even the ones who hadn’t pitched in really big games, really came through for us this tournament and helped us save Joel until the end, which we knew we needed to do to win the championship,” said catcher Scott Bartlett. “He was hitting spots and was overpowering to the hitters. Every pitch was pretty much where he wanted it.”

Breton went almost exclusively with his fastball and curve in the first time through the Vikes’ batting order, but mixed in a changeup more and more as the game wore on.

After scratching for a run in the first inning on three hits, one an RBI single by Breton, Nova pretty much iced the game with a five-run sixth. Four straight singles scored two runs before Bartlett (3-for-3) provided the big blow of the game with a two-run double to deep center field. The final run came courtesy of a two-out single to right by Andy Exley.

Breton was the lone Nova selection on the tourney all-star team as Oxford Hills had three: second baseman Jeff Austin, third baseman Nate Jones, and outfielder Eric Cavers.

The rest of the team includes pitcher Greg Creek, first baseman Ben Muniz, and shortstop Seth Emery of Monmouth; catcher Derek McIntosh, and outfielder Jay Verrill of New Auburn; shortstop Jeff Ghiloni, outfielder Rusty Rutherford, and pitcher Greg Norton of Coastal Athletics; and outfielder Corey Gardiner of Waterville. Oxford Hills also took home the sportsmanship award.

Wednesday afternoon, Ryan Reid went 5-for-5 with two RBIs to lead a 17-hit attack as Nova downed New Auburn.

Devin Caron notched the win in relief and Scott Brown went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

For New Auburn, Verill led the way with four singles and Luke Robinson had three.

Nova Seafood 510 031 14 – 15 17 2

New Auburn (21-7) 012 000 20 – 5 12 5

Reid, Caron (3), Brown (7) and Bartlett, Holden (7); Verrill, Kelsea (2) and McIntosh

Nova Seafood 6, Oxford Hills 0

Oxford Hills (21-6) Nova Seafood (30-4)

Player AB R H BI Player AB R H BI

Austin, 2b 4 0 1 0 Drake, cf 3 1 0

Jones, 3b 4 0 0 0 Exley, rf 4 0 1

Cavers, cf-p 4 0 1 0 Caron, ss 4 1 0

Stacy, c 4 0 0 0 Breton, p 4 1 1

Boyce, ss 3 0 0 0 Brown, 2b 4 1 0

Batchelder, p-lf 3 0 0 0 Reid, 1b 3 2

Olson, lf-cf 3 0 0 0 Bartlett, c 3 0 2

Cummings, rf 3 0 1 0 Dvilinsky, 3b 4 1 0

Walls, 1b 2 0 0 0 Giglio, lf 3 0 0

Totals 30 0 3 0 Totals 32 6 12 6

Oxford Hills 000 000 000 ? 0

Nova Seafood 100 005 00x ? 6

E?Walls; LOB?Oxford Hills 4; Nova 6; 2B?Bartlett; DP?Jones-Walls, Walls-Boyce-Walls; S?Giglio

Oxford Hills IP H R ER BB SO

Batchelder (L, 7-1) 6 12 6 6 0 5

Cavers 2 0 0 0 1 1

Nova Seafood IP H R ER BB SO

Breton (W, 8-0) 9 3 0 0 1 7

HBP?Reid by Batchelder, Drake by Batchelder; T?1:48; ATT?157