Last modified: Sunday, July 20, 2008 2:32 AM EDT
Joe Swindells and the Foxboro Legion team open their Zone 6 playoff run Monday night, at home against Milton. (Staff photo by MIKE GEORGE)

Post 312 Juniors finish strong

NORTH ATTLEBORO - Two days after a complete-game dandy by Garret Briggs, the South Attleboro Junior Legion baseball team got another mound gem, this time out of Brett Mastropoll.

Mastropoll fashioned a three-hitter, striking out 11 as South Attleboro swept a doubleheader against the Fall River Indians. South Attleboro earned a forfeit win in the first game, then won the nightcap at North Attleboro High School behind Mastropoll, 2-1.

South Attleboro ends the regular season 11-5 and still has a chance to win its division, but needs Somerset to lose twice this upcoming week. Regardless, South Attleboro qualified for the playoffs in this, its inaugural season.

Mastropoll was the story Saturday as he was perfect through the first three innings. However, Fall River used two hits and a walk to score its lone run and tie the game at 1-all. South Attleboro answered in the bottom of the inning with what proved to be the game-winning run as Mastropoll singled, moved to second on a botched pickoff attempt, then scored on a Derek Burns RBI single up the middle.

Fall River threatened in the seventh after an infield single and two walks, but Mastropoll escaped the bases-loaded, no-out jam, getting two strikeouts and a nice play at first base by Ryan Santos.

In other Legion news:

The Zone playoffs kick off today with three local teams in Zone 9 action.

South Attleboro, Zone 9 champion and top seed, will play host to Easton in the first-round, best-of-three series. Post 312, which finished 20-3-1 in the Zone hosts sixth-seed Easton (11-12-1) today (2) at Bishop Feehan's Beach Field. Easton edged out Somerset for the sixth and final seed by virtue of a tiebreaker, the teams finishing with identical records. Game 2 will be Monday evening (5) at Easton's Frothingham Park and a Game 3 would be Tuesday night (5) back at Bishop Feehan.

Seekonk (16-6-2) hosts Swansea (16-7-1) this morning (10) while Game 2 will be Monday night (5) in Swansea and a potential Game 3 Tuesday (5) back at Seekonk. Also in Zone 9, Norton (fifth seed, 12-12) will visit Westport's Thomas Chew Park today and Game 2 will be at Norton High Monday (5).

In Zone 6, Foxboro Post 93 kicks off its first-round series against Milton Monday night (5:30) at Foxboro High. Game 2 will be Tuesday night (5:30) at Cunningham Park in Milton and a Game 3 would be Wednesday night (5:30) back at Foxboro High.