The Mascenic baseball team jumped out to an early lead in their Division III semifinal game against Inter-Lakes Tuesday, but the patient Lakers worked the count, walked around the bases and won their way into the state championship game.
The No. 7 Vikings (15-5) were in familiar territory early at Laconia’s Robbie Mills Sports Complex, taking a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after a leadoff double from senior pitcher Jackson Cocozella and an RBI single from senior first baseman Blaine Krook.
“That’s kind of been the story of our season,” said Mascenic head coach Jared Stauffeneker. “Jump out early and just hold the lead defensively, because when we get out to a lead early, it builds our confidence and the defense is a lot stronger when we have a lead. It’s been a point of emphasis all year long.”
Mascenic stranded runners on second and third in the first inning; after going up 2-0 in the third when Joe Cocozella doubled and scored on an error, the Vikings again stranded two runners in scoring position. But, Mascenic’s hitters were making good contact off Inter-Lakes starter Ryan Bousquet, attacking him early in the count, and they were playing solid defense.
In the bottom of the third, though, Jackson Cocozella’s control abandoned him. The Lakers started the inning with two singles; Cocozella picked a runner off of first, but Addie Kernan hit a wicked chopper that ate up Hayes Pearson at third to allow one run to score. With two outs, Cocozella intentionally walked Bousquet, then walked the next three batters in a row, loading the bases and pushing two more runs across to give Inter-Lakes a 3-2 lead.
“Jack was certainly frustrated and you could see it,” Stauffeneker said. “We just didn’t execute, you know, and we’ve got to do a better job of preparing these guys for a world like this.”
Senior catcher Hunter Kaarto was a wall behind home plate, blocking nearly everything in the dirt and keeping balls close.
While Mascenic was hitting the ball well, they couldn’t find the timely hit they needed to regain the lead. Senior shortstop Sean Agonis (1-2, 2B, 2 SB, 2BB) reached base three times, but the Vikings simply couldn’t drive him – or anyone – in. Mascenic stranded two more runners on second and third in the fourth, left the bases loaded in the fifth and then once again stranded runners on second and third in the sixth, squandering golden opportunities.
“We just didn’t execute today,” Stauffeneker said. “We didn’t bring it. It happens.”
Cocozella (2H, 3 ER, 9BB, 1K) lasted into the fifth, where he walked the first three batters before giving way to Pearson; Inter-Lakes scored five runs in the inning punctuated by a two-run double off the bat of TJ Bailey. Pearson settled in and went the rest of the way, allowing one earned on three hits and a walk, but No. 3 Inter-Lakes had an 8-2 lead, and that was plenty.
Bousquet (7H, 0 ER, 3BB, 7K) was in trouble often, but almost always got out of it in his complete game win; the Vikings outhit the Lakers 7-5 and made fewer errors, but just couldn’t put together a big inning of their own.
Of course, Mascenic’s semifinal appearance was already a big win for the Vikings, who’d looked lost in the last week of the regular season before roaring back to beat Fall Mountain in the playoff opener and then pulling the major upset of No. 2 White Mountains in the quarterfinals.
“This is a good senior group,” Stauffeneker said. “They’re good leaders – Hunter, Blaine, Jack, Sean, all those guys. They knew what time of year it was. They didn’t want to feel the same way they did last year when we lost to Conant. So they knew what it took. They turned the switch a little bit.”
Inter-Lakes plays No. 1 Monadnock for the DIII title on Saturday at 10 a.m. at NE Delta Dental Stadium in Manchester. The undefeated Huskies knocked off No. 5 Berlin 9-5 in their semifinal matchup Tuesday.