MIDDLEBURY — The Addison County American Legion baseball team won five straight games in the past week to push itself back into what is a tight race for one of four Northern Division playoff berths. 

The local nine improved to 11-8 with the surge, which snapped a four-game skid that had threatened the squad’s hopes to play in the eight-team, double-elimination Vermont Legion tournament. That tournament, also including the top four Southern Division teams, begins this weekend, with games to be played at Castleton University and Mount St. Joseph Academy in Rutland. 

As of the Independent’s Wednesday deadline, AC had two must-win games remaining, both at the team’s home field at Middlebury Union High School. 

On Wednesday the local nine was set to host Franklin, which has been eliminated from postseason contention, and on Thursday second-place St. Johnsbury will visit at 5:30 p.m. 

The Northern Division standings heading into Wednesday — Tuesday’s scores were not posted at the Vermont American Legion baseball website, but AC’s was up to date — were: 1. South Burlington, 12-4; 2. St. Johnsbury, 12-6; 3. Essex, 11-7; 4. Montpelier, 10-7-1; 5. AC, 11-8; 6. Colchester, 7-11-1; 7. Franklin County, 5-11; 8. Champlain, 2-16.

On July 18, AC snapped its losing streak by rallying past visiting Colchester, 3-2, in eight innings; Friday brought an 11-0 thumping of host Champlain Valley; Saturday saw a doubleheader sweep of visiting Essex, 7-4 and 17-11; and on Tuesday Champlain forfeited rather than travel to MUHS with only eight players. 

AC’S COLE WARREN makes solid contact during the county Legion baseball team’s Aug. 11 home victory over Colchester.
Independent photo/Steve James

Game details were as follows.

AC VS. ESSEX, 7-4

In Saturday’s opener AC rallied from a 3-2 deficit with five runs on five hits in the top of the seventh to take a 7-3 lead on the way to their 7-4 victory over host Essex. The biggest blow in that inning was a two-run Eyon Tembreull double. Tembreull also earned the pitching win.

Carter Tosch’s triple gave Essex a 3-1 lead in the fifth after a Ryan Brouillard grounder in the fourth plated a run for AC. Tembreull also earned the pitching win, allowing nine hits over the seven innings, fanning three and walking none. Carter Paquette (two hits, two runs) and Xavier DeBlois also drove in runs for AC. Alex Sperry scored twice and stole two bases.

TUCKER WRIGHT SLIDES safely under the tag of the Colchester third basemen during the AC Legion baseball team’s critical Aug. 11 home victory.
Independent photo/Steve James

AC VS. ESSEX, 17-10

In the nightcap at Essex on Saturday, DeBlois, Tucker Wright and Riley Coffey combined for six hits, six runs and five RBIs as AC outslugged their hosts. DeBlois, Coffey and Cole Warren each drove in two runs; Sperry and DeBlois each scored three runs; and Warren, Wright, Kimball and Brouillard each scored twice. 

AC led by 14-3 entering the bottom of the fifth. Essex scored seven runs over its next three at-bats, but AC salted the win away with three runs in the top of the seventh. Brody Barnard started on the mound and allowed eight earned runs over the first five innings, but earned the pitching win. Paquette hurled the final 1.1 innings and picked up a save. 

AC CATCHER CARTER Paquette eludes the tag on a close play at home to score the sixth-inning run that made it 2-2 against visiting Colchester in the local nine’s Aug. 11 home game. AC went on to claim a critical victory, 3-2, in eight innings.
Independent photo/Steve James

AC VS CHAMPLAIN, 11-0

On Friday, July 19, AC blanked host Champlain, 11-0, as Morter tossed a four-hit shutout, walking two and fanning seven. Tembreull sparked the offense with three RBI singles, Paquette poked two singles and walked twice, Brouillard drove in three runs, Wright and DeBlois plated runs with bases-loaded walks, Morter drilled an RBI double, and Aiden Fuller singled home a run.

AC FIRST BASEMAN Xavier DeBlois and second baseman Cole Warren — and the Colchester runner and first-base coach — all look to the umpire for the call on a close play during the AC Legion baseball team’s Aug. 11 home victory over Colchester. The runner was correctly ruled out despite his hopeful safe sign.
Independent photo/Steve James

AC WINS IN EIGHT

The local nine’s July 18 victory over Colchester, 3-2 in eight innings, saw more suspense. Tembreull drove in Paquette with the first AC run, but Colchester took a 2-1 lead into the eighth. Paquette reached base and made it to second, scoring from there on a Brouillard single with a head-first dive to the plate that allowed him to sneak his hand under a tag that was a microsecond too late. 

AC won it in the eighth when Sperry started on second as per the extra-inning rules, soon reached third, and then trotted home with the decisive run on a Tembreull sac fly.

The heroics made a winner out of Kimball, who tossed an eight-inning three-hitter, walking one and whiffing one.