Dolan pitches Summerville past Stratford

Summerville 5, Stratford 4

Summerville — Summerville began the season as an afterthought in conversation about the top baseball teams in the state.

How does the Green Wave look now?

Senior Pat Dolan tossed a four-hitter, striking out eight batters, and blasted a solo home run to lead Summerville to a 5-4 victory over rival Stratford in a Class AAAA playoff game Saturday night.

Dolan worked around four walks and a hit batsman in improving to 7-1.

His last strikeout was the biggest, getting Stratford's Aaron Preston on three pitches to end the game with the tying run at third base. Preston homered the inning before to make it 5-3.

"He battled," Summerville coach Burt Bazzle said of Dolan. "When he had to right there, he came through. He has confidence he can do that. He's a guy who has been around. That's what seniors do."

The win moved Summerville (19-7) within one victory of the Lower State final.

The Green Wave hosts Conway for the right to earn that spot Monday.

The Tigers, who ousted Summerville from the playoffs last spring, blanked Wando 5-0 on Saturday. They will send ace Colby Holmes, a South Carolina signee, to the mound.

"We've been hearing about them all year," Bazzle said. "We look forward to the challenge. We know they are the favorite, and that's OK with us."

Stratford (21-5) falls into the loser's bracket and will meet Wando Monday in an elimination game. The Knights swept both meetings against their region rivals this season.

"We gave them way too many outs," said Stratford coach John Chalus, whose team committed three errors. "In the playoffs, this deep there are things you just can't do and expect to win."

Tyler Hill took the loss for the Knights, scattering 10 hits but was hurt by the errors. He allowed two earned runs and struck out four.

Both teams struck twice in the second inning before Dolan led off the bottom of the third with a solo homer to make it 3-2. The Green Wave later loaded the bases and Grant Williamson added to their lead with an RBI single.

Stratford turned a double play to end the threat, but Dolan retired the side in order in the fourth and Summerville made it 5-2 when leadoff hitter Branden Millhouse walked and eventually scored on two passed balls.

Preston's solo shot in the sixth pulled the Knights within two, and Stratford threatened in the seventh when Dolan walked the first two batters. Jeremy Eades' infield single pushed across a run with one out in the inning.

Patric Limehouse reached on a fielder's choice but Summerville got a force out at second base, leaving Dolan to go up against Preston with the game on the line.

"We're just glad he had a couple of pitches left," Bazzle said.

WP—Dolan (7-1). LP-Hill (2-2).