WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Paul McBride went 1-for-2 with a pair of runs batted in and threw 4 and two-third innings on the mound Sunday to lead the Dalton Moneymakers to a 10-9 win over the Pontoosuc Lake Monsters to sweep their semi-final series in the Berkshire Adult Baseball League 33-and-older division.

 

Dalton, the tournament’s third seed, was able to stem a three-run Pontoosuc rally in the bottom of the seventh to secure the win and a 2-0 series sweep.

 

On Saturday morning, Dalton earned a 12-2 win to start the best of three series.

 

Now, the Moneymakers move on to face either Tunnel City Freight or the Adams Pirates, the league’s first and fourth seeds, respectively, who finished their playoff series on Friday as well.

 

On Mount Greylock Regional School’s junior varsity field on Sunday, Dalton scored twice in the top of the seventh to take a 10-6 lead with three outs left.

 

But Pontoosuc got four hits and a sacrifice fly with one out to draw within one before Dalton reliever Tim Healey got a groundball back to the mound and fired to first to end the game.

 

Dalton never trailed but never could shake the Lake Monsters in the back-and-forth game.

 

The Moneymakers scored twice in the second, getting an RBI single from McBride, who later scored on a two-base throwing error to make it 2-0.

 

Pontoosuc came right back in the bottom of the inning, getting singles from James Sylvia and Noah Berge, an RBI double from Andrew Coulter and another run-scoring single from Dan Barrett (4-for-5, four RBIs) to tie it.

 

Dalton scored twice in the fourth, but Pontoosuc got a run back on Stephen Rotter’s RBI single in the bottom of the frame.

 

The teams then combined for seven runs in a wild fifth inning.

 

First, Dalton rallied for four runs. Jarrett Bayliss got things started with a single to left, and then three walks with one out scored a run and left the bases loaded.

 

Sylvia took over on the hill and got a swinging third strike for the inning’s second out. But Frank Curtiss worked an RBI walk, and Frank Philbrick dropped a two-run single into right to give Dalton an 8-3 lead.

 

Pontoosuc came back with three runs to get within a pair. The big blow came on a three-run single by Barrett with two out, two strikes and all the runners in motion.

 

The pitchers took over again in the sixth, dealing a pair of 1-2-3 half innings.

 

But Dalton’s bats got going again in the seventh, extending their lead to 10-6 after a two-run single from Curtiss.

 

Healey started the bottom of the seventh with a strikeout, but Pontoosuc got back-to-back singles from TJ Hilliard and Andrew Coulter, who each advanced on defensive indifference before Nolan Pratt’s sacrifice fly.

 

Barrett recorded his fourth single of the game to bring in a run, and he and Coulter scored on a two-run single by Rotter to make it 10-9.

 

One batter later, Healey fielded the final out to send his team to the league’s championship round next week.

 

Next weekend also will feature a best-of-three title series in the BABL’s 20-and-over division starting on Saturday morning.

 

Photos from this game to come.