The Blackstone Valley Beavers baseball team delivered a competitive performance in Wednesday’s State Vocational Tournament final but fell 1-0 to the Diman Bengals. Both starting pitchers dominated: Beaver ace Jacksen Manosh scattered four hits and mixed his fastball and off-speed pitches expertly, only yielding a solo home run to Tanyon Reis in the fifth inning. Diman’s Samuel Perry struck out eleven while surrendering four hits, two of which came against Alex Vosburgh, who went 2-3 at the plate. Diman enters as a 16-4 squad, making Blackstone Valley’s effort all the more impressive. The Beavers contended at every turn, matching the Bengals pitch for pitch before the lone swing decided the championship. Rather than dwell on the narrow loss, the Beavers now turn immediately to the MIAA playoff bracket, traveling to face Pentucket Regional today at 4 PM. Pentucket finished 11-9 and profiles as a true toss-up opponent. Having just experienced a high-pressure title-game atmosphere, Blackstone Valley carries a competitive edge into this next contest. Success will hinge on matching Pentucket’s timely hitting, especially against two quality pitchers, and maintaining error-free defense in late innings. If the Beavers can leverage their recent championship-game poise, they’ll be favorites to advance deeper in the consolation bracket.
