Two of the best pitchers on the South Shore met this week. What ensued was an epic game
PLYMOUTH – Like a pair of heavyweights on a UFC card, the pitching standoff between Plymouth South's Tommy Sullivan and Hanover's Gabe Knudsen lived up to the highest of expectations.
One had a no-hitter working through seven of a nine-inning thriller, while the other spearheaded a team-wide effort to answer all adversity with a victorious last laugh.
Both rose to the challenge but Knudsen's Hawks outlasted Plymouth South and Sullivan's no-hitter bid, 1-0, on Wednesday to clinch a gut-check road win.
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“It’s one of the best wins that I’ve been a part of in my career, 10 years now as the head coach," Hanover coach Mike Patch said. "(I'm) just happy for the kids, that’s all.”
In the ninth, Hanover began concocting the winning rally as pinch-hitter Thomas Perkins beat out a throw to first, reaching with no outs. It was just the second hit of three total hits on Sullivan's line. And the third, a base hit from sophomore Johnny McDonald, scored Perkins from second after he advanced on a wild pitch.
“(There were) two strikes in the count and I knew I had to get one in play,” McDonald said. “We were having trouble with (Sullivan) all day, getting hits and getting on base so it felt good to get one there in a big spot.”
The senior right-hander Sullivan struck out 13 on the day. His ERA coming into Wednesday's game was 0.19, a distant best in the Patriot League.
“He’s been phenomenal for us all year. My heart breaks for him, the way we lost today,” said Plymouth South coach Walt Fust. “In situations like that, you really wish you could give (a win) to a kid who pitched his heart out today. He deserved a way better fate.”
“There’s no better pitcher in the league than Tommy. Look at his career," Patch praised Sullivan. "It was a tough challenge. I mentioned to the boys at the beginning of the game today, ‘As athletes, you should like to compete and today’s the day.’ We have the best pitcher in the league on the mound. (He's a) two-way player, batting .500. What an epic game.”
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Knudsen, a sophomore righty whose ERA was 0.90 coming into the game (third in the Patriot League), struck out seven on the day. He kept a testy Plymouth South lineup from handing Sullivan much-needed run support, as Knudsen faced a bases-loaded, no-out scenario in the second inning and answered with a pair of Ks and a pop out to keep the scoring effort silent.
His approach was rather simple.
“Just get ahead of the batters and try to get them all out," Knudsen said.
It was quite the test for the sophomore Knudsen, as he relinquished only six hits in 7 1/3 innings. He was relieved due to a high pitch count.
“Gabe’s just old-school, ‘Give me the ball, Coach,’ and pound the strike zone,” said Patch. “You never know what’s going to happen with a young player, you just kind of throw him out there. Obviously, Gabe’s got a lot of potential. He’s a special player.”
Despite a quiet day at the plate, the Hanover bats made just enough noise to separate late. Senior Christian Henderson broke up Sullivan's no-hitter with a single to right field on the first pitch he saw to lead off the eighth.
“When we were in a tough spot in the field, we made plays," said McDonald. "It just brought us all together. It made us play better, it made us motivated. It really helped.”
With four consecutive outs, including a key strikeout, Hanover reliever Connor Hutchinson secured his first varsity win in 1 1/3 innings of work. The loss deflated an eight-game winning streak for Plymouth South, the No. 6 team in Division 2 in the latest MIAA power rankings.
“Honestly, I think today was something we needed," Sullivan said. "It makes us more hungry and everything like that. I’m looking forward to the playoffs.”
As for Hanover, the win splits the season series as Plymouth South (12-4) took the first meeting by a 2-1 score on April 29.
“When you think of Plymouth baseball – North and South – you’ve got to put your big-boy pants on and come down here to compete," Patch said. "It’s sink or swim against these guys.”
The Hawks, the 13th-ranked team in Division 3, are now 8-7 on the season with three games left: vs. Pembroke and Quincy at home, then a trip to Marshfield to finish the regular season.
Plymouth South has five games left, three of which come on the road: at Hingham, Scituate and North Quincy.
“We get better as players, we get better as coaches from these types of losses and we don't have time to dwell on it. We’ve got to bounce back tomorrow," said Fust. "We have North Quincy coming into town (Thursday at 4:00) and they’re going to come for our throats, we’ve got to be ready to fight. It’s baseball, it’s a game of numbers. You learn from failure.”
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Hanover High baseball defeats Plymouth South in epic pitcher's duel
