Monmouth Academy captured its second consecutive Class C baseball championship on Saturday, rallying to a 5‑4 victory over Washington Academy at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor.
The Mustangs fell behind early as Washington’s Jayden Mahar and George Welch sparked the opposition with a pair of doubles, building a 4‑0 lead that seemed to loom over the game.
In the seventh inning, Monmouth refused to surrender. A timely single from Noah Schultz tied the contest, and Levi Laverdiere’s hustle on a mishandled ball sent him sprinting home with the go‑ahead run.
The momentum shift was underpinned by solid pitching. Laverdiere threw seven innings, striking out eight batters while allowing just four earned runs, while Washington’s Trevor Shimabukuro worked 6 ⅓ innings with six strikeouts and four earned runs.
Dominant Pitching and Defense
Monmouth’s defense tightened over the final six frames, shutting out the Raiders and preserving the lead. Contributions from Gavin Parsons and Tyler Day added crucial hits and runs that kept the rally alive.
Coach Eric Palleschi praised the team’s resilience, noting that the players “let themselves run and hit freely” and that the fighting spirit displayed was a hallmark of the season.
The victory underscores the Mustangs’ depth and strategic flexibility, a combination that has now delivered back‑to‑back titles and cements their place among the elite programs in Class C.