LEWISTON — The Erskine baseball team opened postseason play with an emotional one-run victory in an Eastern A quarterfinal game Thursday.

Two days later, on a sunny Saturday afternoon, the Eagles felt the sting of the other side of that score.

Luke Cote struck out 12 and made his sacrifice fly in the bottom of the first stand to lead Lewiston past Erskine 1-0 in an Eastern A semifinal game.

“They got the big hit when they had to,” Erskine coach Lars Jonassen said. “Cote kept us off-balance.”

The second-seeded Blue Devils (15-3) will play No. 4 Messalonskee (13-5) in the regional final at 5 p.m. Tuesday in Augusta.

Cote held No. 6 Erskine (11-7) to just two hits — both singles.

“We deserved to be here,” Cote said. “I knew I had one job: To pitch.”

Cote certainly did that. He threw 55 of his 84 pitches for strikes. He struck out at least two batters in four of the seven innings.

“Cote had an epic performance,” Lewiston coach Todd Cifelli said. “Erskine is one of the best teams we’ve played all seasons.”

Jonassen decided to start lefty Tyler Belanger, who had stifled the Blue Devils in a 6-1 victory earlier this month. However, Belanger walked two and hit another in the first inning. He plunked leadoff hitter Corbin Hyde and an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt put runners on first and third with nobody out.

Cote followed with a sacrifice fly to deep left.

“I was just trying to get it over the infield,” Cote said.

Belanger then gave up a hit and a walk to load the bases before Jonassen turned to reliever Tom Grady, who needed just eight pitches to wiggle out of the jam.

“(Tom) did a great job,” Jonassen said. “You can second guess myself that maybe I should have started him but Tyler pitched well against them before.”

Grady shut the Blue Devils down the rest of the way. He was aided by two catcher’s interference calls on attempted steals — in the second and sixth innings.

Erskine also cut down a runner at the plate in the bottom of the fifth on a bang-bang relay play from left fielder Jory Humphrey to third baseman Shyler Scates, who threw a strike to catcher Brenden Wood to nab Alex Small.

Grady struck out seven and allowed two hits.

“I knew right off if we had a few walks that I’d be coming in,” Grady said. “I was ready.”

Erskine had its best chance to pull even when it loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the sixth inning. However, Cote struck out freshman Ryan Rodrigue on three pitches to end the inning. Rodrigue entered the game in the fourth inning when Erskine shortstop and cleanup hitter Ryan Pulver was ejected for arguing with an umpire.

“We replaced a senior with a freshman,” Jonassen said.

Lewiston intentionally walked Scates to load the bases and get to Rodrigue.

“Erskine did a good job of getting out of jams and we got out of one, too,” Cifelli said. “It was a great game.”

Bill Stewart — 621-5640

bstewart@centralmaine.com

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