WALPOLE — Seven innings was not going to be enough to settle the score between Braintree and Walpole.

The Bay State Conference foes needed 11 innings to determine a winner, and a Sean Canavan double followed by some clutch small ball led the way to the 3-2 Braintree victory.

Walpole took the first game between the two on opening day, but the Wamps knew that earning a victory on the road would correct that mistake. Additionally, it was an emotional day for the program as news of former Braintree coach Don Fredericks passing hit the team prior to the game.

“We were saying before the game that we needed to win today,” Braintree head coach Bill O’Connell said. “There was a lot going on with Coach Fredericks’ passing. There was a lot of energy around the program and the word ‘Braintree’ and we just said, ‘we have to win today.’ Losing was not an option.”

Braintree scored in the first on a Cal Youhas RBI single and Walpole got on the board in the second inning via a Quinn McNeill triple followed by a Paul Whelan single. Beyond that, hits and runs were at a premium against starting pitchers Luke Joyce (Braintree) and Alex Hee (Walpole).

Joyce overcame some control issues and two early hits to throw seven innings. The freshman said that once he adjusted to the field conditions, he felt comfortable.

“It’s a tall mound and was tough to get used to since we play on a flat mound at Braintree,” Joyce said. “Curveball was definitely working; fastball has been consistent.”

Braintree got a second run in the sixth and Walpole took advantage of an error to tie it up in the seventh. This brought Braintree’s Connor Grieve and Walpole’s Andrew Burke to the mound, and they were dominant as well and kept it a 2-2 game until the 11th.

In the fourth extra inning, Wamps designated hitter Sean Canavan smashed a double into the right centerfield gap to give Braintree some life.

“I knew that I needed to get a hit to get the team going,” Canavan said. “Especially at lead-off, I had to get them going.”

Youhas would then drop down a bunt that drew an errant throw to third base, allowing Canavan to sprint home and score the go-ahead run.

“Just get to third as fast as I can,” Canavan said. “When I saw the ball go over, I was just like ‘I’ve got to keep running.”

Grieve would lock it down in the bottom of the inning to secure the victory and end a two-game losing skid within the conference.

“Those games unfortunately ended in a loss, but they helped us to stay composed,” O’Connell said. “This was a great win against a great program, and we will see what happens.”