Sophomore southpaw Devon Friedfertig scattered 3 hits over 6 innings but saw two unearned runs cross the plate in the first inning as the undefeated Pingree Highlanders held off the Beaver 9 by the score of 2-1 Thursday in South Hamilton.
Beaver would put runners on in every inning except the first but could only plate one in the second when sophomore second baseman Jeremy Kaplan batted in senior Stephen Phillips.
The two that the Highlanders took in the first would be all they would get as Friedfertig was stingy the rest of the way, not allowing a Pingree runner past second base. He would also try to help himself at the dish going 2-3 with a single and a double but it would not be enough as the Barons would leave four men in scoring position.
With the loss Beaver falls to 5-3 in the Eastern Independent League and back to .500 overall. Beaver renews one of the great prep school rivalries in New England when Berwick Academy visits Chestnut Hill on Saturday at 3:00. With a win Beaver can all but assure itself a spot in the coveted “first four” of the Eastern Independent League tournament.