MILFORD — Milford Post 59 kept its season alive in emphatic fashion Monday afternoon, cruising to a 17-0 victory over District 4 rival Leominster Post 151 in an elimination game at the Massachusetts American Legion Baseball State Tournament at Fino Field.
The win came exactly one week after Milford defeated Leominster in an extra-inning thriller to capture the District 4 championship. This time, however, there was no late-game drama as Milford dominated from the opening inning.
Milford scored once in the first before adding two runs in the second and five more in the third to build an 8-0 advantage. After a scoreless fourth inning, Post 59 put the game away with a nine-run fifth inning, finishing with 17 runs on 14 hits while drawing nine walks.
Nick Pedroli led the offensive explosion, going 3-for-4 with three runs scored and four RBIs. Joey McGee finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, while Ben Maiorano also drove in three runs. Gavin Metcalf collected two hits and two RBIs, Matt Pedroli scored three times and added two hits, and Josh Bouchard and Brady Iarussi each finished with two hits.
On the mound, Nick Pedroli was outstanding, allowing just one hit over four shutout innings while striking out two and walking one. Brady Wajda worked a scoreless fifth inning to complete the combined one-hit shutout.
Leominster managed just a single hit in the contest, a double by Danny Nelson, as Milford’s pitching staff held Post 151 scoreless and struck out three.
The victory advances Milford to another elimination game on Tuesday at 4 p.m., where Post 59 will face the loser of Monday night’s winners bracket matchup between Franklin Post 75 and Hyde Park Post 78. Leominster’s season comes to an end after reaching the eight-team state tournament as the District 4 runner-up.
