BRISTOL, Conn. – Colton Johnson reared back and delivered his 79th and final pitch of the night, a fastball over the outside corner.
Strike three!
The right-hander delivered the knockout punch to Maine.
Then he fired his hat in the air, knowing his three-hit shutout, 2-0, win over Maine in the New England Championship final played Thursday night at Breen Field, put Salem’s 12-year-old all-star baseball team into the Little League World Series.
“I was wicked happy because I have always wanted to make it to (Williamsport),” he said. “That’s always been my dream.”
Salem becomes just the second team in our region to make it to the Little League World Series, following the 1988 Andover squad.
In 2011, Andover reached the New England Championship and was defeated by Rhode Island. Last year, Salem’s 12 year old team – with completely different coaches and players — finished 1-2 in the regionals.
This year’s team was on the brink of elimination not once, not twice, not three times, not four times, not five times, but six times.
And when it mattered most, they played their best game of the summer.
Johnson dominated on the mound.
The defense was spectacular, going four games in this regional without an error.
And the bats came through with timely hits, including back-to-back bunts leading to the eventual game-winning run in the third inning.
“It’s very hard to get to Williamsport. You need to put in the work. Not too many teams make it and we’re very lucky. You have to put in the work to get a good reward,” said Zach Bolduc.
Bolduc, by the way, played a phenomenal game which included him scoring the game’s first run and later making a sensational over-the-head grab for the second out of the bottom of the sixth inning. It helped preserve the win.
“I got dizzy there (making that catch),” he said. “I froze a little bit.”
Earlier in the third inning with the game scoreless, he took a four-pitch walk, was sacrificed to second before taking third on a passed ball. Patrick DeFrancesco followed with another bunt, and Bolduc waited until the throw went to first before sprinting sixty feet, scoring the biggest run of his young baseball life.
“We work on that play a lot. It’s a winning combination with Zach running and Patrick. Zach is an incredible runner and Patrick put down the bunt,” said manager Dan DeFrancesco.
In the next inning, Jackson Lemire singled to left-center to drive in Grayson Buckley, who led off the inning with a double to make it 2-0.
The rest was up to Johnson. At one point of the game he struck out five straight batters, followed by five ground outs. His sixth strikeout of the game was the biggest and one he will remember for the rest of his life.
“I have watched Hooksett play and Maine play (in the Little League World Series), and now we’re going to be one of those teams playing,” said Johnson. “We can’t wait for it.”
Salem opens the U.S. bracket on Wed., Aug. 14 at 3 p.m. against the always powerful West champion.
“Our goal was to get to the (New England) regional and once we got here we knew we belonged,” said DeFrancesco.
Indeed they did.
You can email Jamie Pote at jpote@eagletribune.com.
Salem, N.H. 2, Portland, Me. 0At Bristol, Conn.
Salem 001 100 – 2 7 0
Portland 000 000 – 0 3 0
Salem: Jacob Guerrero-Lomba 3-0-2, Grayson Buckley 2-1-2, Nolan Dupuis 3-0-0, Brayden Miller 3-0-1, Jackson Lemire 3-0-2, Colton Johnson (P) 2-0-0, Wes Boudreau 2-0-1, William Briggs 1-0-0, Zach Bolduc 1-1-0, Owen Griffin 0-0-0, Patrick DeFrancesco 2-0-0, Kevin McDonough, 1-0-0. Totals: 23-2-7.
Portland: Peltier 2-0-1, Bechard 2-0-0, Minervino 2-0-0, Armstrong 2-0-0, King 2-0-0, Rank 1-0-0, Day 2-0-1, Salvaggio 2-0-0, Carlson 2-0-0, Brown-Phillips 2-0-1, O’Brien 1-0-0, Fitzgerald 1-0-0. Totals: 21-0-3.
2B: Salem, Buckley; RBI: Salem, DeFrancesco and Lemire; WP: Johnson 6 IP, 0 R, 3 H, 0 BB, 6K.