Groton — Senior Andy Grant was asked his secret to beating East Lyme, something that he did Wednesday for the second time this season.

He's the only pitcher to accomplish that feat.

Grant ended East Lyme's winning streak at 16 straight, leading seventh-seeded Norwich Free Academy to a 5-2 upset in an Eastern Connecticut Conference baseball tournament quarterfinal game at Fitch High School. The Wildcats (11-11) will play No. 3 Montville in the semifinals on Thursday at 4 p.m. in Groton.

Familiarity has helped the lefthander master the Vikings. Grant also threw a two-hitter in a 4-0 shutout of East Lyme on April 8.

"I know a lot of players on the other team...," Grant said. "Knowing the other team helps, it really does. If you know the other team that you're playing and you know what they like to hit and what they don't like to hit, then you already have an advantage."

With support from a solid defense and a timely offense, Grant went the distance, scattering eight hits while walking five and striking out six — including two in the final inning.

Grant danced in and out of trouble. The second-seeded Vikings (16-5) put runners on base in every inning but they stranded 11.

"Even though they're a hot team, I knew I could take them down," Grant said. "The defense behind me was excellent."

The Wildcats (11-11) forged a comeback from a 2-0 deficit, seizing the lead by scoring four runs in the sixth inning. They took advantage of three errors and received clutch hits from senior Cameron Milton (single), junior Robert Thorburn (RBI double) and junior Colby Jakan, who put NFA in front, 4-2, with two-run double that hit the fence in left-center field.

"That's high school baseball," NFA coach Luke Gabordi said. "When we've made a lot of errors this year, we've lost a lot of games. We were very, very fortunate to be able to take advantage of those late in the game."

Milton drove in an insurance run with a double in the seventh.

Up until the sixth, East Lyme starter Dylan Feeney appeared in command. He retired 12 of the first 13 batters and allowed just three hits through five innings. The Vikings scored two runs in the fourth on RBI singles from Dylan Hatajik and Jared Hunt.

But the momentum shifted in the sixth, starting with senior Caleb Bierman's one-out single.  Feeney's wild pick-off throw sent Bierman to second. The Vikings committed two more errors to keep the rally alive.

"We lost our focus in that inning," East Lyme coach Jack Biggs said. "They swung the bats and came up with the timely hits, and Andy Grant did the rest. ... He's a very good pitcher. When he's on, he's difficult to hit."

It was East Lyme's first loss since dropping a 10-5 decision to Waterford on April 11. The Vikings received a first-round bye in the ECC tournament.

NFA has turned things around after losing four of its last five regular season games. The Wildcats outlasted St. Bernard, 9-8, in 10 innings in their ECC tournament opener on Tuesday.

"We've had some games that we haven't played like us all year," Gabordi said. "The last two days, we've really put it together. It's just nice to see. .. I want to win the tournament. But what's important to me is that we get a few games under our belt this week in order to be prepared for next week."

Next week, both East Lyme and NFA will be playing in the state tournament.

g.keefe@theday.com