Quarterfinal suspended by rain

Teams will resume game today with trip to semifinals on line

NORTH HAVEN — The scores of fans who crammed the baseline and the outfield fence at Robert E. DeMayo Field for Saturday’s Class L baseball quarterfinal showdown between SCC rivals North Haven and Guilford will have to tune in Sunday for the thrilling conclusion.

North Haven had the bases loaded and only one out in the bottom of the ninth of a 4-4 game when a 20-minute cloudburst turned DeMayo Field into DeMayo Pond and sent everybody scurrying for their cars.

The game will resume today at 4 p.m. The winner will advance to Tuesday’s Class L semifinals to face No. 11-seeded Weathersfield.

Guilford had just rallied from a 4-1 deficit with two runs in the sixth and then one in the seventh. The tying run came courtesy of Gray Stephens’ RBI single to right off reliever Zack Pincince that scored Evan Song.

The teams amped up the defense in the extra innings. North Haven catcher Kevin Lucey picked off a runner at second to end a scoring threat in the eighth. The teams traded double plays over the next two half innings to keep the game scoreless. North Haven leftfielder Steven Erbe made a diving catch to end Guilford’s ninth.

In the bottom of the ninth, Hunter Garthwait walked and Matt Soloman hit a single off Guilford reliever Jack Strand. A wild pitch advanced both into scoring position with one out.

Guilford was in the process of warming up reliever Matt McGrath to face Peyton Farina when the skies opened up, delaying the game and leaving everyone in suspense.

Back in the second inning, following a solo home run that Erbe blasted over the left-field fence to tie the game at 1, the game was delayed 30 minutes due to thunder. North Haven came out of the delay and tacked on three more runs against Guilford starter Noah Rubino to take a 4-1 lead.

But Rubino buckled down and pitched 32⁄3 scoreless innings and keep his team within striking distance. The tall senior allowed five hits, walked four and struck out four before giving way to Strand, who pitched 22⁄3 innings and struck out three.

North Haven starter Luca Lawrence was equally effective. He pitched 61⁄3 innings, scattered eight hits and struck out five.

His first and only walk of the game, a four-pitch walk to Song to lead off the seventh, wound up being the tying run.

Peter Hvizdak / Hearst Connecticut Media Guilford’s Noah Rubino pitches in the sixth inning against North Haven on Saturday in the Class L quarterfinals.