Oxford Rallies for Big Baseball Win

THOMASTON -- The Oxford High School baseball team scored eight runs in the final three innings Saturday to beat the Thomaston Golden Bears 11-6 and advance to the semifinals of the Class S state tournament.

The Wolverines received clutch relief pitching from Steve Mahoney, who entered the game in the top of the third inning with the game tied at three and the bases loaded with one out. Mahoney walked the first batter to put Oxford behind by one run, but he struck out the next two and Oxford got out of the inning cheap.

“Steve has been a great relief pitcher; he’s got the right mentality for it,” Head Coach Brian Hourigan said. “Big situations don’t fluster him. He put some zeros up on the board and did a nice job for us.”

Mahoney pitched four and two-thirds innings, striking out eight and allowing just two hits to get the win.

Oxford was led at the plate by leadoff hitter James Michaud, who had three hits, two runs batted in and scored twice. Mahoney also helped himself at the plate, with three hits and an RBI.

Kyle Chudoba had two RBIs, while Dan Kudej and James Badas had two hits apiece.

Chudoba, Oxford’s ace pitcher, did not pitch Saturday because he had thrown 117 pitches in Wednesday’s extra innings game against East Granby. He will start in the semifinals, when Oxford, No. 6 in the tournament, plays either No. 7 Old Lyme or No. 2 St. Bernard on Tuesday at a time and location to be determined. Those two teams play tonight.

Thomaston, 17-5, was ranked No. 3 in the Class S tournament.

This is the farthest Oxford has made it in a baseball state tournament run. Two years ago, the Wolverines lost in the second round of the tournament to Old Lyme and may have a chance for revenge.

Hourigan said he feels good about this year’s team. 

“We have some solid pitching and honestly one of the best things about this team is the guys are very tough mentally,” he said. “When they are in tight games, they seem to focus in a little more and don’t let nerves or strikeouts or anything else get them down. They have a lot of fight in them; they have been fun to watch.”