Walpole Post 104's run at the American Legion State Final Eight continued Saturday with a 3-2 win over Weymouth that advanced it to the tournament's final day. Walpole will take on Lowell Sunday morning at 9:30 a.m. at South Hadley High, with the winner to battle Hanover directly after for the state crown.
Sam Murray pitched Post 104 into the final day with a complete-game performance, allowing two runs and eight hits and a walk while striking out four. Weymouth's Pat McDonald (4-4) doubled to put the tying run in scoring position with no one out in the ninth, but Walpole turned a line drive into a double play and got the final out to eliminate the rival District 6 champs, which came into the day unbeaten.
Joe Cabral's two-out single in the fifth inning drove home Billy Hickey for the winning run. Both team struck twice in the first inning. Hickey was 2-for-3 with two runs scored.
Hanover downed Weymouth in extra innings, 5-4, in the morning game to lock up a spot in the final before suffering its first loss of the tournament later in the day to Lowell, 10-5. Post 149, which handed Walpole its only loss of the tournament, is expected to have ace Andrew Aizenstadt of Babson available for the final.
