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ATTLEBORO - And so it was that on the final day of the regular season, the Easton Post 7 baseball team qualified for the Zone 9 playoffs, needing a tiebreaker over Somerset nonetheless.

And so it was on the turf at Beach Field on the campus of Bishop Feehan High School Tuesday, that Easton finally reached the .500 level for the season.

And so it was with dread and despair that South Attleboro American Legion Post 312, the winners of 24 games, the top seed in the eight-team tournament walked off the field for the final time.

Oliver Ames High senior righthanded pitcher Mike Cole, hurling seven innings for just the second time during the Hockomock League and American Legion seasons, mastered South Attleboro with a one-hit pitching performance as Easton recorded a series-clinching, 3-0 decision.

"He wasn't overpowering, he wasn't just throwing junk - we didn't hit the ball," offered Bishop Feehan High senior outfielder Ryan Lee. "We didn't hit enough balls in, we've been having trouble scoring runs," related senior infielder Matt Boulter.

"We started to spiral (downward), sometimes it just happens that way," said former Shamrock and current Bryant University sophomore Greg Najarian.

In losing the final two games of the best-of-three quarterfinal round series, South Attleboro was just no match for Cole, who didn't allow a hit until North Attleboro High product Greg Dusel popped a one-out single into right field in the fifth inning.

Cole retired the Post 312 side in order in the first, third and sixth innings, striking out four. More importantly, only once - when Attleboro High grad James Kelly reached base on an error in the fifth inning - did South Attleboro have a leadoff batter on base.

Only three times did Post 312 have a runner in scoring position, but no South Attleboro runner ever advanced to third base.

And unfortunately for Bishop Feehan High junior Sam Dodge, the Post 312 starting pitcher, he had little support. Dodge, despite allowing Easton baserunners in every inning (four walks, two hit batsmen), he didn't allow a hit until the fourth inning, just two through five innings.

Dodge was touched for an unearned run, Easton's game-winning run, in the fourth inning; surrendered a two-out run in the fifth; and a third run on two hits in the sixth inning.

"Sammy kept us in the game, he pitched a hell of a game," sighed South Attleboro manager John Pelland. "Easton is better than a No. 6 seed (13-13-1), they're like a 2 or a 3." Easton, ravaged by injuries and absentees, started the season at 2-8.

But, more than that, Pelland and the South Attleboro players could see a trend developing over the past month, when fewer hits were falling in, the run production falling off. "Up until about two weeks ago we were hitting the ball well, we were averaging about 10, 12 runs," said Pelland. "Then we started struggling."

Post 312 had few scoring threats against Cole. The best came in the fifth inning. After Kelly reached base on an infield throwing error, Dusel singled. Two men on, nobody out. Designated hitter Brent Burns lashed - apparently - a line single into left field. Easton leftfielder Brian Duggan played it coyly, being just unable to run onto the ball to make a catch, but being so close that Kelly could not take off for third base. As a result, the ball dropped in front of Duggan and he relayed to third base for the first out. Cole then notched a strikeout and then got one of his nine "flyball" outs to end the frame.

Kelly had drawn a two-out walk in the second inning, but Cole ended that with a K.

In the fourth, Lee drew a one-out walk and stole second base. Matt Boulter lashed what appeared to be a game-tying RBI-single into right field, but Easton's Andy Bloom made a sensational diving catch for the frame-ending out.

And in the seventh, South Attleboro had the tying run at the plate with two outs. Kelly reached base for a third time, being hit by a pitch with one out and Burns drew a two-out base on balls. But Cole got the next Post 312 batter to ground out to second baseman Matt Maloof, his fourth assist.

Dodge was the recipient of some dazzling defense in keeping Easton off the scoreboard through three innings. Boulter, at shortstop, initiated a frame-ending 6-4-3 double play in the second inning. And in the third, South Attleboro second baseman Paul Piatelli initiated a frame-ending 4-6-3 double play.

Unfortunately, Easton got on the scoreboard in the fourth as Trevor Lawson drew a leadoff walk, stole second base and scoring on a throwing error. After notching the first two outs in the fifth inning, Dodge walked Stef Capobianco, who advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch and scored Easton's second run on a Duggan double into left center field.