Mariners advance to ITL Finals with Game 3 win over Rowley
By Nick Curcuru Sports Editor
ROWLEY — The Intertown Twilight Baseball League Finals are finally set, and it will be a rematch of the 2021 championship series.
With a 5-3 win on Thursday in Game 3 of the Semifinals at Eiras Park, the Manchester Essex Mariners have clinched a berth in the ITL Finals for the 11th straight season. The defending ITL champion Mariners will now take on the Hamilton Generals in the best-of-five finals. Game 1 will be played on Saturday at Patton Park in Hamilton (4 p.m.). The series shifts to Memorial Field in Essex for Game 2 on Sunday (4 p.m.) with Game 3 back at Patton Park on Wednesday (5:30 p.m.). If necessary, Game 4 will be next Saturday at Memorial Field and Game 5 next Sunday at Patton Park.
The Mariners knocked off the Generals in the finals a year ago in four games.
Manchester Essex led from start to finish in Thursday’s winner-take-all game three a day after the first attempt at a Game 3 was halted due to darkness with the score tied after seven. League rules state that the game must re-start in that situation.
The Mariners took a 1-0 lead before Rowley even came to bat as Caulin Rogers led off the game with a single and came in to score on a two-out double from E.J. Field down the left field line to make it 1-0.
Manchester Essex took control for good with a three-run rally in the top of the third. Harry Painter doubled in Luke Leavitt for a 2-0 lead and later came in to score on a Dylan Wilson base knock. Field also came in to score in the inning on a fielding error to give the Mariners a 4-0 edge.
Rowley cut that lead in half in the bottom of the third with a Justin Bolla sacrifice fly and a fielding error putting the Rams on the board to make it 4-2.
The Mariners, however, would not let the Rams get any closer. Painter delivered another RBI hit in the sixth to make it 5-2. Rowley did not go down without a fight, putting the tying run on base in the bottom of the seventh after a Tim Cashman RBI single made it 5-3. But the Mariners got the final out on a fly ball to left to clinch the series.
Jack Shaw picked up the win for the Mariners, going 4 2/3 innings and allowing one earned run. Rusty Tucker earned the save, allowing an unearned run in 2 1/3 innings of work, striking out three and picking off a baserunner for the first out of the seventh.
Rogers led the Mariners at the plate with three hits and two runs scored. Painter and Wilson had two hits each while Field and Tucker each had a hit. Cashman led the Rams with two hits.
