WORCESTER — Trailing No. 2 Medfield 3-1 after four innings, fourth-seeded Oakmont Regional never stopped believing.
The Spartans rallied to force extra innings and then plated a pair of runs in the top of the 12th to knock off the Warriors, 5-3, and capture the Division 3 baseball title at Polar Park on Friday evening.
Ben Forbes knotted the game 3-3 with an RBI single in the seventh, pushed across the go-ahead run in the 12th and pitched six shutout innings in relief of Jayden Downing to lift the Spartans (23-3).
“This is all we’ve ever dreamed of and worked for. Heaven might be better than this, but I don’t know. .. This is the greatest moment of my life,” Forbes, a junior, said. “It’s just unreal …I felt confident (pitching). I knew the group of guys I had behind me. I was just trying to get outs and they made the plays.”
Forbes allowed six hits and walked a pair, striking out eight. Downing allowed three runs on four hits and a walk in six innings, punching out five.
The Spartans cut the Medfield lead to 3-2 on an RBI single by Johnny Losordo in the sixth before Forbes tied things in the seventh. Ty Curtis led off with a double, moving to third on a fly out. With two outs in the frame, Forbes drove a base knock to the outfield grass, bringing in Curtis and tying the game.
Medfield had its chances, leaving seven runners on base in extra innings alone.
In the 12th, Oakmont broke through, loading the bases with no outs. Forbes then delivered an RBI sac fly to plate Caleb Allen before Downing dropped down a perfect squeeze bunt to bring in Isaiah Smith.
“They’re unbelievable. They’ve been unbelievable all season,” Oakmont head coach Tim Caouette said. “We joke around and say ‘champions find a way’ and they sure did tonight. I can’t say enough about every kid on this team.”
The host Warriors opened the scoring in the second inning courtesy of a blast by senior catcher Scott Donahue, which cleared the 399-foot marker in left field.
Oakmont wasted no time responding, pulling even in the top of the second. After Smith drew a leadoff walk, catcher Colby Gouldrup worked the count full against Collins before ripped a double to left, with the ball rolling to the wall and Smith scoring easily to knot the game at 1.
Medfield plated runs on RBIs by Jack Iovino and Colby Hatch in the fourth, but ran into three outs on the bases before it could do further damage. Runners were twice caught stealing, while a botched squeeze at the plate resulted in another out.
Jack Collins went eight innings for the Warriors, allowing three runs on 10 hits and two walks, striking out 10.
“Collins battled tonight,” Medfield head coach Dave Worthley said. “He’s a kid who went 19-0 in two seasons for me and he gave it all he could tonight.”