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FOXBORO - If pitching and defense produces championship, the Foxboro High baseball teams seems to have found the formula at the most opportune time - in the MIAA Division 2-South Tournament.

The Warriors have witnessed complete-game performances on the mound from Brian Swanton and Mike Farrell and a pair of postseason wins from Joe Clagg.

And further promoting the Foxboro cause for a championship has been the Warrior defense - Foxboro has committed just one error through 28 innings of tournament competition.

"Pitching is the name of the game, but defense wins championships," said Foxboro High coach Glen Conlon after learning that the Warriors' chance for the Div. 2-South championship will have to wait a few days.

Inclement weather forced the postponement of the title tilt between the No. 18 seeded Warriors and the defending MIAA State Division 2 champion Plymouth North, seeded No. 20, from Friday to Monday, at Braintree High School at 7 p.m. Graduation exercises are scheduled for Sunday at Foxboro High, while Plymouth North is saluting its seniors today, thus necessitating another two days of delay. Not only has Foxboro flourished in the postseason by winning four games, the Warriors have won four games all on the road, against higher seeds and have won games with what many might not have considered the team's strengths.

"I mean our defense has been solid, but not great all year - but nothing like this, what we've done in the tournament," said Conlon of the Warriors' glue-filled gloves.

Other than an error in the preliminary-round game at Coyle-Cassidy, the Warriors haven't given their foes an extra at-bat due to a miscue.

"I've seen a sharpness that I haven't seen before," said Conlon of the Foxboro defense, which has made all of the plays, while the pitching has been outstanding. "To go one game without an error baffles me, to be honest," chuckled Conlon. "To go three games without an error now, I can't explain it."

With Nick Thrasher behind the plate, the Warriors have senior Mike Farrell at shortstop, flanked by Ed Carroll at third base and Brian Kronmiller at second base. If Swanton isn't pitching, he's at first base. If he's on the mound, Jake Lisowski is the designated No. 3 player.

Foxboro, with merely 11 regular season victories, has been a postseason giant-killer - limiting the No. 15 seeded Warriors of Coyle-Cassidy to one run; shutting out the No. 2 seeded Falcons of Dighton-Rehoboth in a first-round meeting; shutting out the No. 7 seeded Green Dragons of Duxbury in the quarterfinals; and then yielding just one run to No. 11 seeded Middleboro in the semifinals.

"Pitching and defense has been our forte right now," added Conlon.

Swanton will be handed the baseball for the starting pitching assignment against the Eagles, who are expected to use 90-mph thrower, senior Joe Flynn on the mound, regarded as one of the premier pitchers in the Commonwealth this season, with five career no-hitters and 25 career wins.

Swanton will have had the benefit of six days rest. He pitched a two-hitter and walked just two Tuesday in blanking Dighton-Rehoboth, retiring 10 straight Falcons in one stretch. "He's got the right attitude, he's been our MVP," said Conlon of Swanton's physical presence on the pitching mound and his production on the mound and at the plate.

"He's had a perfect rest and he's ready," added Conlon of Swanton, who has five mound wins this season. Slowed to the point that Conlon was even not considering him to pitch due to shoulder soreness, Swanton has been sound and strong through the second half of the season. "Without a doubt, he's gotten over the hump and he's getting his legs under him. "He's had very good location and what he did against Dighton-Rehoboth, a very good hitting team, was very impressive."

Farrell pitched a complete-game, five-hitter against Duxbury, while Clagg was the Warriors' starting hurler and winning pitcher (now with five wins this season) against Coyle-Cassidy (with an inning of relief from Swanton) and Middleboro (with three innings of relief from Matt Cote).

Clagg is a "Golden Glove defender in centerfield" in Conlon's view and he has been just as impressive a defensive whiz when pitching because "he covers a lot of ground and he can field bunts."

Foxboro is going to need good pitching and good defense to beat Plymouth North, which has scored 36 runs in winning its four tournament games. The Eagles had just seven hits in beating Hockomock League champion King Philip, but blasted 17 hits in beating Eastern Athletic Conference kingpin Bishop Feehan in its semifinal round game.

Since trailing 1-0 to Coyle-Cassidy in the preliminary round game, Foxboro has not had to play from behind - another key factor when focusing on pitching and defense. "I think that late in the season we developed some patience when things weren't going our way," said Conlon.

Foxboro played back-to-back games last Friday and Saturday and were in action Monday and Wednesday of this week. After four games in six days, having Friday's game postponed and graduation activities at both schools over the weekend, lends Swanton and the Warriors more time to rest and prepare.

"We can use the extra time," said Conlon.

Since losing 7-6 to Foxboro in the quarterfinal round of the MIAA Division 2-South Tournament in 2007, Plymouth North has won 10 straight postseason games.

"They're still the defending champs," added Conlon in praise of Plymouth North coach Dwayne Follette's program. "It usually comes down to pitching and defense and right now, we've been good at it."