MIDDLEBURY — The Addison County American Legion baseball team swept three recent home games as the local nine locked up one of the four Northern Division playoff berths with a 10-4 record and four games to go.

AC can clinch the No. 3 seed with one win in its remaining games, but will need help to earn a higher seed because the two teams ahead of the local nine in the standings, Essex and St. Johnsbury, own the head-to-head tiebreaker.

In the three recent games, AC on Saturday, July 12 swept a home doubleheader from Franklin County, 7-2 and 7-3, and on Sunday topped visiting first-place Essex, 4-3, scoring the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.

Barring upsets, AC looks to be headed for the No. 3 seed and a date with the No. 2 seed from the South when the state playoffs begin next week.

Postseason games will be played in White River Junction and at Norwich University at dates and times to be announced.

AC Coach Tim Paquette said this past Sunday’s win over Essex should give his team a boost moving forward.

“I think it gives the boys confidence. I told the boys this morning we’ve been winning the games we should win, but we need to win the games against these guys if we want to compete in the state tournament,” he said. “This is the caliber of play that we’re going to need. We’re not going to need to beat the CVUs and South Burlingtons. They’re the bottom teams. We’ve got to beat the kids at the top.”

He also noted it was the bottom of the AC batting order that came through in the seventh inning.

“They got on base like I asked them to, and we picked up the victory. They didn’t give up,” he said.

Paquette offered one last thought about the upcoming tournament: “Why not us?”

AC has four games remaining: at sixth-place Champlain Valley on Thursday, two at fifth-place Montpelier on Saturday, and one at home vs. St. Johnsbury on Sunday. One of the Montpelier games is a makeup of the July 10 home game with Montpelier, which was suspended when high winds and hail hit the Middlebury College diamond.

AC played its home games this past weekend at Middlebury Union High School due to damage suffered to the college field in the July 10 storm. The Sunday St. J. game will also be played at MUHS.

As of Tuesday night, the Northern Division standings were 1. Essex, 15-3; 2. St. Johnsbury, 12-3; 3. AC, 10-4; 4. Montpelier, 7-8; 5. Franklin County, 5-10: 6. Champlain Valley, 3-13; 7 South Burlington, 2-13.

ESSEX GAME

On Sunday, AC took a 3-0 lead in the first inning, bunching the only three hits the team had through the first six innings. In that inning Aricin Griffin singled, stole a base and scored on a Brody Barnard single. After Clark Crary walked, Ryan Brouillard doubled both runners home.

In a strong effort, AC starter Aricin Griffin kept Essex off the board for five innings, but Essex nicked him for two runs in the sixth, on a throwing error with reliever Ryan Brouillard on the mound after Griffin left with one out.

Essex tied the game off with a triple and single in the top of the seventh.

But AC walked it off in the bottom of the inning scoring against an Essex reliever. Kimball pulled a doubled to right center to lead off. Aiden Fuller pulled a sharp grounder just fair down the third-base line into the outfield grass, and Kimball raced home with the winning run.

AC SWEEPS

On Saturday, AC picked up the 7-2 win in the first game as Tucker Morter went the distance for the pitching victory, allowing eight hits, fanning six and walking two. Barnard, Griffin and Tucker Wright each singled twice, and Brouillard singled and doubled to pace the AC’s 11-hit attack.

In the second game, AC snapped a 3-3 tie in the fifth when Crary and Wright each drilled two-run homers. Barnard contributed two hits to the attack.

Wright started and went three innings, allowing three runs, two earned. Kimball relieved and tossed three scoreless innings to earn the pitching win, and Carter Paquette threw the seventh inning to lock down the win in a rare appearance on the mound.