Groton – The Mystic Schooners gathered in shallow left field Wednesday night, watching the New England Collegiate Baseball League championship trophy presentation.

A break or two, and it would have been them instead of the Vermont Mountaineers raising the Fay Vincent Sr. Cup.

"It was a hell of a game," Mystic pitching coach/general manager Dennis Long said. "That's all you can ask for."

The Schooners fell painfully short of winning their first NECBL title, losing 3-2 in 10 innings in the deciding third game of the series before 617 fans at Fitch High School.

Mystic won the series opener on Sunday before dropping two straight. It was Vermont's third NECBL title and first since 2007.

"Hats off to Vermont," manager Phil Orbe said. "They outplayed us today. I'm not necessarily sure the best team won these two out of three games, but they certainly played better than us two out of three games."

Pitching dominated the entertaining game. Vermont had a slight upper hand in that department, limiting Mystic to just four hits overall. Relievers Teddy Rodliff and Sam Delaplane, who pitched the 10th and earned the win, combined to allow only one hit in five shutout innings.

The winning run was pushed across in the top of the 10th. With runners on first and third with one out, reliever Jason Foley, who pitched so brilliantly in his 3.2 innings, bobbled Ridge Smith's bunt. Garrett Copeland raced home from third.

Like they've done all season, the Schooners fought to the end.

Dan Hoy reached on one-out error, went to second on Lou Iannotti's groundout — first baseman Simon Rosenbaum made a terrific defensive play to prevent a hit — and then stole third.

But Aaron Hill popped out to first to end the game.

"It's not the greatest feeling in the world," Iannotti said. "But if you look at what we accomplished over the summer. ... It's definitely the best team I've ever played with in the summer league.

"... We worked hard and we fought all the way to the last pitch. It's something to be proud of."

Vermont scored single runs in the first and fifth innings to take a 2-0 lead. Mystic responded with two in the bottom of the fifth.

The Mountaineers misplayed Rich Slenker's high pop up in front of home plate, and John Brucker hustled home for the first run. Iannotti's single tied the game.

Foley, the fourth Mystic pitcher, entered the game in the seventh with two runners on and one out. He threw six straight strikes to fan the next two batters and end the threat.

Mystic managed just one hit — Hoy's two-out single in the seventh — the rest of the way. Iannotti finished with two of his team's four hits.

A summer's worth of memories will stick with the Schooners far long than a disappointing loss in their first appearance in the NECBL championship series. They set a Mystic franchise record for wins. They also thoroughly enjoyed each other's company.

"It's a once in a lifetime opportunity to play in a league like this, especially for Mystic which I think is the best team to play for in the NECBL," Iannotti said. "It's been such a great experience. It's made me a better person and player."

It was an emotional postgame scene, as players packed their bags and said goodbye to their teammates and coaching staff.

"This is my second summer here," Hoy said. "The first one was just as good as this one. This organization is first class... I have so much respect for the coaches and everybody else in the dugout does, too.

"When you've got a bunch of genuinely good guys playing the game, you love to play so hard every day. It makes for such a great experience. That's what we've had. The host families are icing on the cake."

Orbe wiped away tears. He's unsure of his baseball future. He stepped down from his Montville High School baseball job to become the school's athletic director last month.

"Could be the last game I've ever coached," Orbe said before resuming his goodbyes.

g.keefe@theday.com

Twitter: @GavinKeefe