MILFORD — Milford Post 59 earned a spot in the Massachusetts District 4 American Legion Baseball Championship Series on Sunday, defeating Grafton Post 92, 8-1, in a winner-take-all elimination game at Fino Field.
The victory sends Milford into the championship round against top-seeded Leominster Post 151, while Grafton’s postseason comes to an end. The two teams met after Grafton handed Milford its first loss of the District 4 playoffs on Saturday, forcing the decisive rematch.
Milford broke a scoreless tie in the second inning before taking complete control with a five-run fourth inning. The hosts added single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to put the game out of reach.
Nick Pedroli led the offensive attack, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Joey McGee added a double and drove in two runs, while Gavin Metcalf finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a triple. Ben Maiorano collected two hits and an RBI, Matt Pedroli added two hits and scored a run, and Nolan Murray crossed the plate twice as Milford piled up 10 hits.
Pedroli also starred on the mound, throwing a complete-game three-hitter. He allowed just one run, walked two and did not record a strikeout, efficiently navigating seven innings to secure the victory.
Grafton’s lone run came in the top of the fourth when Haylan Oberg drove in Michael Nicalek with an RBI single. Oberg finished 1-for-3 with the team’s only RBI, while Kellen Caron and Aidan Thomas each added a hit.
Grafton starter Charlie Law took the loss, allowing six runs—only one earned—over 3 2/3 innings before Cam Megna and Luke Stevens combined to finish the game in relief.
With the win, Milford advances to the District 4 Championship Series against Leominster, while Grafton’s season comes to a close after an impressive postseason run that included a quarterfinal victory over North County and bringing the #2 seed in the tournament to the brink of elimination.
