MIDDLEBOROUGH, Mass. – Derek Roy hit an RBI single with two out in the top of the eighth to give the Pittsfield Post 68 Juniors a one-run lead, and they held on for a 5-4 win over Sandwich to stay alive at the American Legion State Championship Tournament.

 

Connor Kirchner hit a one-out triple to start the game-winning rally.

 

Two batters later, Roy hit a 3-1 pitch to left center to drive in Kirchner and give Post 68 a 5-4 lead.

 

Colby Robb stranded a runner at first in the bottom of the eighth to secure the win and send Pittsfield into Monday’s 1 p.m. game in the losers’ bracket of the double-elimination tournament at Middleborough High School.

 

Post 68 jumped out to a 4-0 lead with four runs in the top of the first.

 

Matt Egan hit a two-run triple to drive in the game’s first two runs. Connor Devine hit a sacrifice fly, and Ethan O’Donnell reached on an error and eventually scored on a wild pitch to make it a four-run game.

 

Sandwich Post 188 clawed back with a run in the first, a run in the fourth and two in the sixth to tie it.

 

In the bottom of the seventh, Sandwich put the leadoff runner on first for a chance to end it, but Robb retired the next two hitters before Devine, the catcher, threw out a runner attempting to steal second.

 

Gavin O’Donnell and Jason Codey each had a pair of hits to pace Pittsfield’s offense.

 

Codey got the start on the mound and struck out seven while allowing three earned runs in 5 and two-thirds innings. Christian Aldrich got the final out of the sixth.