PORTLAND – The Westbrook Blue Blazes (11-6) watched their season come to a close with an early quarterfinals exit against on Thursday against the Cheverus Stags (13-4) with a 2-0 loss.

Keenan Lowe went the distance for the No. 5 Blue Blazes, giving up two runs on five hits and striking out four. Lowe surrendered all five hits in the first two innings of the game before settling down and allowing only one base runner the rest of the way.

It took just three batters for the Stags to push across what turned out to be the game-winning run in the first inning. Louis DiStasio led off the first with a single up the middle. Tyler Flaherty laid down a sacrifice bunt to force DiStasio to second before Harry Ridge blooped a single down the left field line.

Chris Tinsman scored the Stags’ second run of the contest after leading off the second with a single to left and advancing to second on a wild pick-off attempt. The errant pick-off proved to be huge as DiStasio followed with a single to deep short that allowed the hustling Tinsman to score all the way from second.

Offensively, the Blue Blazes could only manage two hits, singles by Sam Stauble and Matt Moody, as DiStasio pitched a complete game, striking out 10 batters.

The Blazes best scoring chance came in the top of the first after Joe Quinlan reached on an error before Stauble walked two batters later. Unfortunately for the Blazes, DiStasio settled in a struck out Moody and Lowe to retire the side.

Westbrook’s Keenan Lowe pitched a complete-game five-hitter with four strikeouts in the Blazes’ quarterfinal contest against the Cheverus Stags but still suffered the loss as Cheverus’ Louis DiStasio pitched a two-hit shutout.
Keenan Lowe watches as he lifts a deep fly ball to right field in the sixth inning of the Blue Blazes’ 2-0 loss. (Staff photos by Nate Boroyan)
Kyle Heath tries to lay down a bunt in the top of the fifth inning.
Sam Stauble, who had one of the Blazes two hits off Louis DiStasio, takes his lead from first in the top of the fourth inning at Cheverus High School.