HANOVER — It’s better to be lucky than good; Fort Cumberland was both on Saturday.
A fortunate, fluky play in the fifth inning — in which a Boonsboro fielder deflected a ground ball off a Fort Cumberland runner’s foot to score two runs — put Post 13 in the catbird seat.
Luck no longer factored into the equation with Post 13 reliever Landyn Ansel staring down Samuel Atkinson in the seventh inning as he approached the plate with the tying run on second base.
Ansel rose to the occasion, blowing three straight pitches into the mitt of Carson Bradley to put the finishing touches on a 7-6 Fort Cumberland triumph over Boonsboro on Day 2 of the Maryland American Legion state tournament at Joe Cannon Stadium.
“It got a little scary there at the end, but I was pleased overall,” Fort Cumberland manager Brian McAlpine said. “We should’ve been up more than that. There were a couple of bad calls at home plate. We had a costly error out there in left field early in the game.”
The victory kept Fort Cumberland (18-6) in the winner’s bracket, where Post 13 will face Cecil County Post 15 on Sunday at 4 p.m. Both teams are 2-0 in the tournament.
The winning side will be ensured a spot in the state championship game Tuesday.
While Fort Cumberland was a beneficiary of Lady Luck in the late stages, seemingly nothing went Post 13’s way at the onset.
Fort Cumberland had runs cut down by outfield assists at the plate in the third and fifth innings — both were protested by Post 13 but were upheld.
In the former instance, coach McAlpine argued that the catcher had blocked the plate as Landon McAlpine was called out.
In the fifth frame, Myles Bascelli appeared to get a hand under the tag but was ruled out.
Fort Cumberland’s luck changed with the game tied at 3-3 in the fifth, however, when Tyson Shumaker rolled a soft ground ball up the middle with runners on first and second with two outs.
The ball skipped over the hand of Boonsboro pitcher Hunter Barnes and clipped off the glove of the charging shortstop towards second base, where it was kicked by Caedon Wallace.
The ball continued to roll and both runners rounded the bases and scored to give Post 13 a 5-3 lead.
“I looked at the base to round, looked down and the ball was right at my foot,” Wallace said. “I felt myself kick it, and I kept running. Coach was telling me to go.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen it where the runner was safe when they kick the ball.”
Fort Cumberland’s good fortune continued after Boonsboro loaded the bases with one out in the sixth.
Logan Atkinson lined a hot shot to McAlpine at first base, and he stepped on first for an inning-ending double play.
A McAlpine single and Bascelli sacrifice fly in the sixth put Fort Cumberland up 7-3, but Boonsboro — the champion of the Western Maryland District with a 17-1 record — refused to quit.
Boonsboro pulled to within 7-6 following a Brett Lucas two-RBI single to left field, and an error by the Fort Cumberland left fielder moved Lucas into scoring position.
Ansel made sure he stayed there, throwing a three-pitch strikeout for the win.
Fort Cumberland out-hit Boonsboro, 13-8, and five batters finished with at least two base knocks.
Bryce Madden finished 2 for 4 with two runs scored, Carson Bradley was 2 for 3 with an RBI and scored twice, Kohen Madden ended 2 for 4 with an RBI and scored once, Landon McAlpine singled twice and drove in a run, and Steven Spencer doubled to lead off the sixth inning.
Bryce Madden started for Post 13 and had a no decision after allowing a run on two hits with four strikeouts and two walks in three innings pitched.
Bascelli earned the win in middle relief, surrendering two runs on two hits with two strikeouts in 1 1/3 innings. Ansel logged the final 2 2/3 frames, allowing three runs on four hits.
Madden threw 57 pitches and Ansel 52, so they won’t be eligible to pitch until Monday. Bascelli was pulled at 30 and can pitch Sunday on no rest.
Barnes took the loss for Boonsboro, allowing seven runs on 13 hits in five innings. Keller Routzahn was sharp in relief, throwing two shutout innings of no-hit ball.
Joey Nicholson paced the Boonsboro offense with three hits, and Lucas went 2 for 3 with three RBIs. Routzahn also doubled in his lone at-bat.
Fort Cumberland scored twice in the third inning to take a 2-0 lead, doing so after an RBI single by Bradley and an error on a Kohen Madden infield single.
Boonsboro’s Fredy Diaz, a Division 1 Davidson commit out of Middletown, pulled the margin to 2-1 with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half.
Diaz also had two outfield assists from center field.
Boonsboro took its only lead in the fourth inning after a costly defensive mistake by the Fort Cumberland left fielder allowed Lucas to stroll into third base for an RBI triple.
A groundout by Chase Cassera two batters later scored Lucas and put Boonsboro up 3-2.
Fort Cumberland tied the contest in the fifth when Madden singled in a run up the middle, and Post 13 led the rest of the way after the moment of fortune on Shumaker’s kicked grounder.
The victory came a day after Fort Cumberland edged St. Mary’s, 1-0, in an 11-inning defensive masterclass, and Post 13 will hope for another victory Sunday for a spot in the championship way.
Fort Cumberland will take them any way they can get them.
“We win tomorrow, we’re in the championship, so we might as well finish it out tomorrow,” McAlpine said.
Md. State Tournament, At a Glance
All games at Joe Cannon Stadium in Hanover
Friday’s Games
Game 1 — Boonsboro 9, Caroline 0
Game 2 — Ocean City 4, Old Mill 0
Game 3 — Fort Cumberland 1, St. Mary’s 0
Game 4 — Cecil County 7, Severna Park 5
Saturday’s Games
Game 5 — St. Mary’s 22, Caroline 0 (Caroline eliminated)
Game 6 — Old Mill 7, Severna Park 5 (Severna Park eliminated)
Game 7 — Fort Cumberland 7, Boonsboro 6
Game 8 — Cecil County 3, Ocean City 2
Sunday’s Games
Game 9 — St. Mary’s Post 255 (19-6) vs. Old Mill Post 276, 10 a.m.
Game 10 — Boonsboro Post 10 (21-5) vs. Ocean City Post 166, 1:00
Game 11 — Fort Cumberland Post 13 (18-6) vs. Cecil County Post 15, 4:00
Monday’s Games
Game 12 — Pairings, time TBA
Game 13 — Pairings, time TBA
Note: Pairings for Games 12 and 13 will not match previous opponents against each other unless absolutely necessary. If the host team is still in the tournament on this date, the tournament committee reserves the right to allow the host team to play in Game 13.
Tuesday’s Games
Game 14 — Game 12 winner vs. Game 13 winner, TBA
Game 15 — If needed, 30 minutes after the completion of Game 13
Note: If three teams remain on Tuesday, July 30, the winner of Game 11 automatically draws the bye in Game 14.