WINTHROP -- Easton Morang was given the bunt sign with runners on second and third and one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. Playing for a run and a chance to tie the game, Winthrop's No. 8 hitter never got the bunt down, but he still got his job done.

Morang laced a two-run triple into the gap in right-center to give Winthrop a one-run lead in the fourth. In the sixth inning, he blooped another two-run triple down the right field line to give the Ramblers a three-run lead.

Winthrop tacked on another run on its way to a 9-5 win against rival Hall-Dale in a Western C quarterfinal on Thursday.

"Oh yeah, oh yeah," Morang said when asked if he was excited to have the opportunity to hit, instead of bunt. "We are just playing run by run at that point."

Top-ranked Winthrop (14-1) will host No. 4 Livermore Falls in the semifinals Saturday.

On a day when Winthrop ace Forrest Dwyer struggled, the Ramblers needed all the offensive production they could get.

Morang and the bottom of the order provided plenty. Winthrop's No. 5 through 9 hitters combined to go 5 for 12 with seven runs and five RBIs. Morang led the way, going 2 for 3 with five RBIs. No. 7 hitter Riley Cobb scored three times.

"(Easton) has been one of the most solid guys all season," said Dwyer, who picked up the win despite walking in three runs in the third inning. "He knows what to do when he is at the plate."

Dwyer struggled his way through seven innings to pick up the win. He walked a batter in each of the first three innings, including four in the third inning.

No. 8 Hall-Dale (9-8) took a 3-0 lead in the third on bases loaded walks to Josh Acedo, Dan Alexander and Jake Levesque. Dwyer allowed five runs on three hits, striking out seven and walking five.

"We were fortunate. What'd we have two hits?" Hall-Dale coach Tim Johnson said. "If he had his best stuff it would have been a much rougher night. Early in the game he struggled and we were opportunistic."

Winthrop got within a run in the bottom of the third and scored twice in the fourth thanks to a double by Cobb and Morang's first triple to take a 4-3 lead.

The Ramblers made it 5-3 in the fifth on a sac fly by David Ricker but Hall-Dale rallied back to tie the game on a two-run triple by Dylan Dupont in the top of the sixth. The inning started with an infield single off Dwyer's glove and a hit batter.

"Lately, it seems that the longer Forrest goes the better he gets, and he did with the exception of that one inning," Winthrop coach Marc Fortin said.

"He was pretty consistent after the third inning."

The Ramblers won the game in the sixth, when Dwyer led off with a triple and scored on Morang's second triple. Pinch hitter Zach Farrington and Tyler Cobb added RBI singles later in the inning.

Scott Martin -- 621-5618

smartin@centralmaine.com