Christian Wheeler raced home on a wild pitch with two outs in the sixth inning to give the Hopkinton High School baseball team a 1-0 victory over visiting Whitman-Hanson on Sunday evening in a first-round game of the Division 2 state tournament.
The Hillers (15-7), seeded 15th, next will play the winner of Monday’s game between No. 2 seed Reading and No. 31 seed West Springfield.
Whitman-Hanson, the 18th seed, finished its season at 12-9.
The Hillers’ winning run came toward the end of an inning filled with ups and downs. Nick Pedroli led off the frame by slamming a shot over the head of the right fielder. The ball one-hopped the fence as Pedroli raced to a triple. However, Pedroli was thrown out at home trying to score on a grounder to shortstop by Michael Sullivan, the next batter.
Sullivan reached first on the fielder’s choice and was replaced by pinch runner Christian Wheeler. Cal Mahon then was hit by a pitch and replaced by pinch runner Caleb Altman. Wheeler and Altman pulled off a double steal, putting runners and second and third.
One out later, with Andrew Beauchemin batting, a wild pitch bounced off the catcher and about 10 feet up the first base line, and an alert Wheeler scooted home.
Pedroli, the seventh pitcher of the game for the Hillers, recorded three strikeouts — while allowing a one-out single — to complete the shutout.
Track teams finish in top 10
The HHS girls track team took seventh place at the state Division 2 championship meet. Josie Hopkins finished first in the pentathlon, third in the 100-meter hurdles and fifth in the long jump to lead the way. Bella Walkiewicz took second in the high jump and sixth in the 400 hurdles. Kaelyn Faber was third in the shot put. Evelyn Woodbury was seventh in the high jump.
The HHS boys finished ninth, led by Sean Finnegan (second in the 2-mile and sixth in the mile), Logan Sullivan (second in the high jump), Iago Ferreira (fifth in the 400), Mason Barros (fifth in the triple jump) and Ryan Morin (seventh in the shot put).
Girls lacrosse, girls tennis fall
The HHS girls lacrosse team fell behind early and could not mount a comeback in a 17-9 loss to 16th-seeded Methuen in a Division 2 first-round game Friday.
The 17th-seeded Hillers end their season with a record of 11-8. …
HHS girls tennis, seeded 20th in Division 1, fell to 13th-seeded Franklin on Thursday in the first round. The Tri-Valley League Large School Division champions end their season at 13-6.
Softball, boys lax, boys tennis on tap
HHS softball and boys lacrosse open postseason play Monday. Softball, seeded second in Division 2, hosts 31st-seeded Shepherd Hill at 5 p.m.
Boys lacrosse, the 23rd seed in Division 2, visits 10th-seeded Westwood at 6:30 p.m.
The undefeated and top-seeded HHS boys tennis team, coming off a 5-0 victory over Whitman-Hanson on Thursday in the first round of the Division 2 tournament, also is in action Monday, hosting 16th-seeded Longmeadow at 4 p.m.
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