Montville — Two outs, bottom of the seventh, one-run game and the league's best hitter (TT Bowens of Montville) is facing the league's best pitcher (Waterford's Mike Burrows) in the league's best high school baseball rivalry.

This was late Tuesday afternoon, a moment to appreciate the theater of it all.

And Burrows, a sophomore right-hander who has already committed to UConn, was ahead on the count 0-2 before Bowens, a hulking right-handed hitter headed to Central Connecticut, checked his swing. In the ensuing 30 seconds, Bowens was ruled not to have swung, a Waterford coach was ejected, fans got irritable, expletives flew ... and there's Burrows, steely-eyed and ready on the mound, as soon as all the adults allowed him to pitch again.

Burrows struck out Bowens on the next pitch, keeping the Lancers, ranked second in the latest GameTimeCT/New Haven Register state poll, unbeaten after a 2-1 victory over Montville in a key Eastern Connecticut Conference Medium Division game.

"I knew I was still ahead on the count," Burrows said.

"We had runners in scoring position three or four different times," said Bowens, who was intentionally walked two innings prior to load the bases. Burrows escaped that, too.

Waterford (13-0, 7-0) won its second straight over Montville (11-4, 4-3) this season, clinching at least a share of the divisional title in the process. The teams could meet again in the ECC and Class M state tournaments.

"We needed this," Waterford coach Art Peluso said. "These games are great. They make you better. The 14-1 wins are great, too, but they're over early. What I liked the most is the number of good at bats we had today off a great pitcher (Bowens)."

The Lancers entered this game having amassed the following run totals: 13, 12, 10, 10, 7, 7, 17, 14, 8, 12, 14, 16. But there's something about a 2-1 gut-buster over your blood rival that means so much more.

"These are the games that are going to help us the most for what really matters," Waterford outfielder Dan Castelpoggi said.

Castelpoggi's two-out, RBI single in the fourth capped a two-run rally for the Lancers, who fell behind early when Burrows allowed his first run of the year in the first.

Castelpoggi is the team's No. 9 hitter.

"But he's not your typical No. 9 hitter," Peluso said. "He had three hits (Monday). Crushed one in the gap."

Jeremy Sagun's RBI single gave the Indians a 1-0 lead.

"Burrows kept getting getter," Montville coach Steve Stonoha said. "T's come through for us in that situation a whole bunch of times. I'm glad we saw their No. 1 twice now. If our guys don't know what's coming now, there's nothing left to the imagination."

Bowens said, "Hopefully, we see them again in the playoffs."

m.dimauro@theday.com