Pitching and defense is key when it comes to postseason play.

The Dragons got the pitching they needed, but the defense and offense took the day off Monday afternoon, as Duxbury was eliminated from the MIAA Division II South Sectional baseball tournament by #18 seed Foxboro, 3-0.

With sophomore Phil Sciretta pitching his last game for the Dragons, Duxbury was hoping the lefthander could dispatch the Warriors in the same was they eliminated fellow Hockomock League entry Oliver Ames on Saturday.

Unfortunately for Sciretta, the game started on a sour note, as Foxboro manufactured three runs on just two hits in the first inning and got all the runs they would need to eliminate the Dragons.

Foxboro leadoff hitter Joe Clagg reached on an error, and a walk and a hit later the Warriors had the bases loaded with nobody out. Sophomore catcher Seth Khoury singled to drive in two runs, putting runners at first and second. Matt Cote would sacrifice both runners along with a bunt, and Brian Kronmiller would bring home the final run of the game with a sacrifice fly.

Sciretta was forced to throw 34 pitches in the first inning, but it didn’t seem to faze the Duxbury hurler, as he surrendered just three hits the rest of the game.

Foxboro pitcher Mike Farrell had the Dragons eating out of his hand all afternoon with an assortment of sliders and curve balls that had Duxbury hitters tied up in knots.

“Once you get to the tournament you are going to see a lot better pitching,” said Duxbury Coach Barney Earle. “Farrell was always around the plate and his breaking ball was effective in key situations. That staff has now only given up three runs in 21 innings of tournament play.”

Duxbury had its best chance at getting to Farrell in the second inning when Sciretta led off with a walk and Colin Woods singled, only to have the next three batters fly out to end the inning.

The Dragons had their chances in the fourth inning as well, with Sciretta singling and Woods walking with one out. Once again Farrell was at his best, striking out the next two batters to get out of the inning.

With Sciretta keeping Foxboro at bay, it was up to the Duxbury offense that had averaged close to nine runs a game during the regular season.

Duxbury managed to get base runners throughout the game. But doing something with them proved a major task.

A Sean Cross single with two outs in the bottom of the fifth ended in him getting caught stealing, while Tyler Genereux’s leadoff single in the sixth left him stranded at first.

Two quick outs in the bottom of the seventh brought Joe Coyne to the plate, where the sophomore singled for a glimmer of hope that was immediately dashed by Farrell’s sixth strikeout of the game.

The loss followed Duxbury’s dramatic 3-2 win over Oliver Ames on Saturday at Chandler Field.

A Cross double, a sacrifice fly by Shane DiBona, and a solo home run by Sciretta in the third inning staked the Dragons to a 2-0 lead. However, Duxbury generously gave up their two-run advantage in the top of the fourth with two outs on an error, a walk and a Matt Soucie two-run single.

Duxbury pitcher Jeff Blout (12 Ks/2 hits) was immense, retiring the next six batters in the fifth and sixth innings, including striking out the side in the sixth.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Dragons would score the winning run on singles by Sciretta and Matt Savard, followed by a sacrifice fly by junior Pat McWilliams.

Things got a little shaky in the top of the seventh when an OA runner reached third with two outs, but Savard managed to grab a corkscrew grounder at second base for the final out of the game.

The loss ends Duxbury’s season with a 15-7 record, and also marks the end of the high school baseball careers of DiBona, Cross, Liam Bevans, Genereux, Jack Garrity, Woods, Tom Dacey, and Connor Anderson.