Stellar defense from the Old Rochester Regional boys baseball team kept the game against East Bridgewater scoreless until the seventh inning when - on the final play - a poor throw ended the Bulldogs’ playoff run.

The boys earned a spot in the MIAA Division 3 baseball South Sectional tournament after winning 12 of their last 20 games. On May 31, the boys traveled to Strong Field in East Bridgewater to play against the Vikings, who won the tournament last year.

In the final inning, pitcher Andrew Ryan walked the first batter. The Vikings then performed a sacrifice bunt to advance the runner to second.

Ryan intentionally walked the next batter. A pop fly to the outfield put the Bulldogs one out away from another chance to score runs.

That chance didn’t come as the next Viking batter hit the ball in play. A throw from third base went over the head of senior first basemen Zach Perry, allowing the runner from second to score.

Until then, the Vikings had threatened to score at several points throughout the game. In the fourth inning the Vikings had runners on first and second. Catcher Luke Mattar made a tough play five feet from the backstop when he caught a high foul ball.

"We were up against a very good pitcher," said head coach Steve Carvalho. "Obviously, I would have liked to have scored some runs, but Andrew Ryan hung in there and kept us in the game for seven innings. For the most part the defense was solid."

The boys had been absent from the playoffs for the past three years. After a difficult start, Carvalho said the team made a comeback in the second half of the season.

"It wasn’t ever just one guy. It really was a complete team effort," he said.

The team finished 12-9 for the season. And although five players are graduating this year, Carvalho said, "We have a good core nucleus to work with. I'd say the future looks bright. But it's baseball anything can happen."