Stoughton High Baseball Stings Mansfield Hornets, Earning Much Needed Win

Tied 1-1 in the fifth at Mansfield, the broke the game open with three runs in the bottom of the inning, leading to a much-needed 5-2 win for the Black Knights.

Stoughton improves to 2-5 with the win, snapping a . Mansfield, meanwhile, falls to 1-6.

Pitcher Brian Kaplan held Mansfield to just three hits. The senior captain went the distance, tossing 110 pitches and earning the victory on the mound.

“He put just a lot of heart and soul into this team and to see him come up like that is great,” Stoughton coach Mike Armour said. “It was a great W for him and a great W for this team.”

Mansfield started the scoring off in the game with a sacrifice fly from Andrew Bukuras to bring in Steve Nagle from third base after two steals. But, Kaplan stopped Mansfield’s momentum with two strikeouts after the sac fly to end the bottom of the first inning.

Stoughton was able to tie the game, 1-1, after a bases-loaded walk from Mansfield pitcher Mike Farrell. A fly out ended the top of the second.

Stoughton stopped Mansfield with a double play at the bottom of the second after a runner tried to steal second on a fly ball.

Mansfield repaid the favor at the top of the fourth when a miscommunication between the batter (attempting a bunt) and the third base runner resulted in Will McGrath trying to steal home when Mansfield catcher Matt Harris had the ball. McGrath was tagged out and runner Zach Gibb was caught between second and third. Farrell ended the inning with a strikeout.

The top of the fifth saw Stoughton build some momentum. After Mansfield pulled Mike Farrell in favor of Jake Charette, Mike Gallagher hit a line drive single to bring in Kaplan to put Stoughton in the lead, 2-1.

Pat Raeke then hit a long double to bring in Gallagher and Mike Connelly to bring the score to 4-1.

Stoughton struck again in the top of the final inning with a sacrifice fly from Gibb to bring the score to 5-1.

Mansfield scored once in the bottom of the seventh on a sacrifice fly from Steve Nagle, but was unable to complete the comeback.

“It was nice to come out on top,” Armour said. “It seems like a lot of years we don’t make that play to finish the game. That was a plus.”

Stoughton returns home on Friday, hosting Silver Lake.

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Photos in the media gallery (above) by Fran Leonard.