Redeem team

SOUTH PORTLAND, Maine — On a day when he didn’t know if he’d have anything, it turned out Jake Lebel had everything.

As a result, Staples Crossing (Eliot Post 188) will play on the final day of the Maine American Legion tournament for the first time ever, with a chance to win everything.

A rested Lebel threw eight strong innings, the lineup delivered some key early hits and Eliot ousted Oakland Post 51, 7-2, at the Wainwright Complex on Saturday.

“My bullpen (session) was actually pretty shaky this morning,” said Lebel, who allowed just two baserunners in his first seven innings. “But I felt good when I got out there. I was really comfortable.”

Eliot will need to win twice on Sunday, beginning with the first game at noon against Zone 3 champion Morrill Post of South Portland, to claim the state title. It will play in the championship game against Bangor right afterward if it wins.

Previously unbeaten Bangor, the Zone 1 runner-up, was beaten by South Portland, 4-3, later Saturday afternoon to set up a three-team final day.

It’s the deepest a Staples Crossing team has ever advanced in this tournament. Two years ago, with some of the same players, this was the team’s exit round.

“The program keeps getting better,” said shortstop Noah McDaniel, who was on base all day and scored three runs. “We’re just trying to get farther and farther.”

It was McDaniel’s younger brother, Cole, who got things started against Oakland, grounding a two-out single off starter Ben Frazee through the hole in the bottom of the first to score his brother, who’d reached on a wild pitch.

Eliot added four more runs off two relievers in the third. Kyle Parmley drew a walk with the bases loaded to plate one run and Nate Curtis came home on a wild pitch.

Danny Pooler replaced Cody Martin on the mound, and Zack Quintal stroked a single to center, driving in two more runs to make it 5-0.

Lebel, whose innings were limited during the Marshwood High School season and in parts of the summer, due in part to a bout with mono, was in control from the start. In his first seven innings, he faced just one batter over the minimum, with Zach Mathieu (double) and Dylan Hapworth collecting back-to-back hits in the fourth.

Oakland scored its first run on a double-steal, with catcher Holden Jackman throwing through to second base to nail Hapworth, an out-for-a-run trade that Eliot gladly accepted with a five-run lead.

Of the 28 batters Lebel faced, he threw a first-pitch strike to 20 of them, walked just one batter and struck out six.

“Jake was just what the doctor ordered today,” said Eliot coach Bob Quintal.

Lebel admittedly tired in the eighth, giving up an RBI single to Trevor Gettig after the leadoff man reached on an infield error. But with two out and two on, he induced Pooler to ground out to second baseman Cole McDaniel.

“I was running out of gas there,” said Lebel. “During the high school season I only pitched 10 innings. I haven’t really been stretched out like this in a while.”

Post 188 tacked on insurance runs on an RBI double by Lebel (two hits) in the fourth and a run-scoring single by Jackman in the eighth.

Another strong defensive effort was highlighted by a slick scoop of a throw by first baseman Curtis and a diving catch in left field by Nick Landis on consecutive plays in the top of the seventh. Curtis also had a single and double at the plate.

“Curtis had a couple of big at-bats,” said Bob Quintal. “He had a good day.”

Bob Quintal said he has six pitchers available to throw innings during what could be a marathon Sunday: front-of-the-staff guys Zack Quintal and Parmley, plus Noah McDaniel, Keith Dorr, Landis and Curtis.

“Yesterday (in a win against Tri-Town) we were trying to eat up innings, pitch different guys, keep our pitching alive here because we’re stretching everybody out,” said Noah McDaniel. ‘But we’re actually in a really good situation. We’re going to try to keep putting pressure on teams and try to win ballgames.”

As it is, it marks the program’s deepest run ever. It’s also given it a chance to close out a championship.

“Very happy, very pleased with the kids,"said Bob Quintal. “They’ve done the town and the program proud.”