High School: Baseball
LOWELL, Mass. -– The Acton-Boxborough Colonials rode the left arm and bat of senior Ryan McDonald on Thursday night as they defeated Chelmsford 4-2 in the Mickey Sullivan Baseball Classic at the Lowell Spinners' Lalacheur Park.
McDonald tossed 6.1 innings of one run baseball before giving way to reliever Ethan Dukes, who battled a spirited seventh inning Chelmsford (13-7) comeback for the save.
“Ryan (McDonald) is a bulldog for us,” said A-B head coach Patrick Grucela. “His pitch count was a little high but he just works hard, throws in the mid 80’s and he also trusts his catcher and the game we are trying to call.”
McDonald struck out eight and walked five while surrendering only four hits and two runs on the evening.
“It killed me not to finish it as that is what I strive to do,” said McDonald. “I feel proud that we finished it off as a team and it boosts our confidence.”
Chelmsford’s Mike Rosa had the games only extra base hit in the fourth inning as the junior outfielder laced a double over the head of leaping center fielder Thulani Denaro. Rosa would later score the Lions’ first run of the game on an RBI single by junior third baseman Conor Barry.
Chelmsford lefthander Russell Olive relieved sophomore classmate Quinn Cooney in the third inning and went the rest of the way for the Lions on the mound.
More from McDonald: McDonald not excelled on the mound but he also provided three solid singles and helped his own cause in the third inning when he drove in Billy Jackman with a rip to left center for the game’s first run.
“I was looking for my pitch to hit and Coach (Grucela) always provides us with a good scouting report on all the pitchers we face,” said McDonald. “I just took that into the game today and it worked out.”
McDonald’s 3-for-4 performance at the plate led the A-B hitting attack that also featured two hits each from John Mielke and Andrew Sweet. The Colonials had 10 hits in the game.
Squeeze Play: A-B executed a perfect suicide squeeze in the fifth inning as Mielke laid the bunt down and Joe Euele timed it perfectly and scored. The run gave the Colonials a 4-1 lead at the time.
“We should have actually squeezed in the second,” noted Grucela. “The same situation came up again in the fifth and I learned from my mistake. That was a big play. We got the bunt down, we did not break too early and it was great execution on the kid’s part.”
Late Inning Rally: Chelmsford second baseman David DeDonato scored on a Dukes wild pitch after reaching on a single to lead off the seventh inning.
The Lions got the potential game tying run on second base but Dukes would battle out of a bases loaded situation and get Barry to fly out to center to end the game.
“I was proud of the way we came out but I was more proud of the way we finished,” said Grucela. “We have been preaching all season to be mentally tough when those moments come up and I think we did a great job of that today.”
D1 Tournament Bound: Both teams will be headed back to the MIAA Division 1 state tournament next week. A-B concluded their regular season with today’s win and finish with a 14-6 overall record.
“That is why we play those teams like Lowell twice, BC High, and Chelmsford,” Grucela said. “Those teams really prepare you for the tournament which we were fortunate enough to make this year.”
Chelmsford concludes their season this weekend as they travel to Wilmington to take part in the Dick Scanlon tournament on Saturday and Sunday. Participating teams include Salem, Wayland and host Wilmington. Chelmsford faces off against Salem at 3 p.m. on Saturday, with the Championship and Consolation games taking place on Sunday.
McDonald tossed 6.1 innings of one run baseball before giving way to reliever Ethan Dukes, who battled a spirited seventh inning Chelmsford (13-7) comeback for the save.
“Ryan (McDonald) is a bulldog for us,” said A-B head coach Patrick Grucela. “His pitch count was a little high but he just works hard, throws in the mid 80’s and he also trusts his catcher and the game we are trying to call.”
McDonald struck out eight and walked five while surrendering only four hits and two runs on the evening.
“It killed me not to finish it as that is what I strive to do,” said McDonald. “I feel proud that we finished it off as a team and it boosts our confidence.”
Chelmsford’s Mike Rosa had the games only extra base hit in the fourth inning as the junior outfielder laced a double over the head of leaping center fielder Thulani Denaro. Rosa would later score the Lions’ first run of the game on an RBI single by junior third baseman Conor Barry.
Chelmsford lefthander Russell Olive relieved sophomore classmate Quinn Cooney in the third inning and went the rest of the way for the Lions on the mound.
More from McDonald: McDonald not excelled on the mound but he also provided three solid singles and helped his own cause in the third inning when he drove in Billy Jackman with a rip to left center for the game’s first run.
“I was looking for my pitch to hit and Coach (Grucela) always provides us with a good scouting report on all the pitchers we face,” said McDonald. “I just took that into the game today and it worked out.”
McDonald’s 3-for-4 performance at the plate led the A-B hitting attack that also featured two hits each from John Mielke and Andrew Sweet. The Colonials had 10 hits in the game.
Squeeze Play: A-B executed a perfect suicide squeeze in the fifth inning as Mielke laid the bunt down and Joe Euele timed it perfectly and scored. The run gave the Colonials a 4-1 lead at the time.
“We should have actually squeezed in the second,” noted Grucela. “The same situation came up again in the fifth and I learned from my mistake. That was a big play. We got the bunt down, we did not break too early and it was great execution on the kid’s part.”
Late Inning Rally: Chelmsford second baseman David DeDonato scored on a Dukes wild pitch after reaching on a single to lead off the seventh inning.
The Lions got the potential game tying run on second base but Dukes would battle out of a bases loaded situation and get Barry to fly out to center to end the game.
“I was proud of the way we came out but I was more proud of the way we finished,” said Grucela. “We have been preaching all season to be mentally tough when those moments come up and I think we did a great job of that today.”
D1 Tournament Bound: Both teams will be headed back to the MIAA Division 1 state tournament next week. A-B concluded their regular season with today’s win and finish with a 14-6 overall record.
“That is why we play those teams like Lowell twice, BC High, and Chelmsford,” Grucela said. “Those teams really prepare you for the tournament which we were fortunate enough to make this year.”
Chelmsford concludes their season this weekend as they travel to Wilmington to take part in the Dick Scanlon tournament on Saturday and Sunday. Participating teams include Salem, Wayland and host Wilmington. Chelmsford faces off against Salem at 3 p.m. on Saturday, with the Championship and Consolation games taking place on Sunday.
Recap: Cohasset 1, No. 20 East Bridgewater 0
May, 25, 2012
May 25
1:21
AM ET
By Tom Layman | ESPNBoston.com
COHASSET, Mass. — Jamie Faber said pitching is all about confidence.
After his performance against East Bridgewater, the confidence felt by the coaching staff and the rest of his teammates probably grew ten-fold in the Skippers’ (17-2) right-handed pitcher.
Faber was brilliant in Cohasset’s 1-0 victory over the Vikings (13-4) to take the outright lead in the South Shore League as he struck out 10 and only allowed two hits in a complete-game shutout.
The coaching staff has held back Faber from logging major innings before the biggest game of the year, and Faber credited some extra rest to why he was so sharp from the first pitch to his 92nd.
“All day I was thinking about this game,” said Faber. “I knew how good they are and how they can put the ball in play. I just focused...I had more than a week off to prepare myself for this game, so I was full-throttle today.
“It’s not something that I need, but it helps a lot. My velocity tends to get lower towards the end of the innings, but my arm doesn’t even hurt right now, so it helps a lot.”
Freshman Jake Pierce lined a single into right in the first inning off of Faber, but that was all the Vikings would get until their final at-bats. Faber retired 18 in a row at one point, and from innings two through six he was throwing a perfect game. The righty picked up eight of his 10 strikeouts in that timeframe and only went to one, three-ball count as he was putting hitters away quickly.
“That’s one of the best games I’ve seen from my team pitch over the last four or five years,” said Skippers head coach Peter Afanasiw. “Against that lineup, it was unbelievable. I didn’t think one run was going to hold up in the first inning. I’m glad it did.”
Tense Situation in Seventh: Casey DeAndrade — who also started, but more on that later — only saw four pitches in his first two at-bats against Faber. He stayed a little bit more patent in the bottom of the seventh as he broke the string of 18 hitters retired by the Cohasset starter with a liner to right.
DeAndrade put his head down out of the box and with the infield playing back — because of the power the Vikings star posses to all field — he motored his way on to second to put the tying run in scoring position with one out.
Faber locked in to get a fly out to second base on the next hitter, and Colin Gideon-Murphy just got Brett DeBenedictis with his throw from the shortstop position to record the final out of the game.
“(In) last year’s state championship game, I’ve been here before and even in a worse situation with bases loaded no outs in that game,” said Faber. “I fought through that, so I feel it I can get through that then I can get through anything. It’s a game of confidence and I think I had that today.”
DeAndrade Shakes Off Earler Struggles: DeAndrade has been on the losing end of a 1-0 game already this season when he pitched good enough to get a win against Marshfield. In the first inning, DeAndrade was overthrowing, most notably on the third pitch of the game when he let out a loud grunt as he released a high fastball, and not commanding the strike zone.
He needed 24 pitches to get out of the inning and a miscue in the outfield allowed Faber to come around with the only run of the game.
DeAndrade came out for the second inning and the Skippers’ hitters helped him out with an aggressive approach that netted two outs with three pitches thrown. From that moment on, DeAndrade matched Faber pitch for pitch.
DeAndrade was near perfect from the second inning on as he only allowed a single to Faber in the sixth inning for the second hit of the game for the Skippers. The Vikings ace threw 49 pitches after the first inning to get the complete game. He threw 73 pitches and only 20 balls and finished with six strikeouts.
“I think was overthrowing (in the first inning),” said DeAndrade. “I was a little pumped up. That was the football player in me. I started to settle down.”
“With Casey he’s a football player,” added Vikings head coach Pat Cronin. “I always tell him before the game started that ‘you have to gear it down. If you can someway put it on the backburner we need you under control.’”
After his performance against East Bridgewater, the confidence felt by the coaching staff and the rest of his teammates probably grew ten-fold in the Skippers’ (17-2) right-handed pitcher.
Faber was brilliant in Cohasset’s 1-0 victory over the Vikings (13-4) to take the outright lead in the South Shore League as he struck out 10 and only allowed two hits in a complete-game shutout.
The coaching staff has held back Faber from logging major innings before the biggest game of the year, and Faber credited some extra rest to why he was so sharp from the first pitch to his 92nd.
“All day I was thinking about this game,” said Faber. “I knew how good they are and how they can put the ball in play. I just focused...I had more than a week off to prepare myself for this game, so I was full-throttle today.
“It’s not something that I need, but it helps a lot. My velocity tends to get lower towards the end of the innings, but my arm doesn’t even hurt right now, so it helps a lot.”
Freshman Jake Pierce lined a single into right in the first inning off of Faber, but that was all the Vikings would get until their final at-bats. Faber retired 18 in a row at one point, and from innings two through six he was throwing a perfect game. The righty picked up eight of his 10 strikeouts in that timeframe and only went to one, three-ball count as he was putting hitters away quickly.
“That’s one of the best games I’ve seen from my team pitch over the last four or five years,” said Skippers head coach Peter Afanasiw. “Against that lineup, it was unbelievable. I didn’t think one run was going to hold up in the first inning. I’m glad it did.”
Tense Situation in Seventh: Casey DeAndrade — who also started, but more on that later — only saw four pitches in his first two at-bats against Faber. He stayed a little bit more patent in the bottom of the seventh as he broke the string of 18 hitters retired by the Cohasset starter with a liner to right.
DeAndrade put his head down out of the box and with the infield playing back — because of the power the Vikings star posses to all field — he motored his way on to second to put the tying run in scoring position with one out.
Faber locked in to get a fly out to second base on the next hitter, and Colin Gideon-Murphy just got Brett DeBenedictis with his throw from the shortstop position to record the final out of the game.
“(In) last year’s state championship game, I’ve been here before and even in a worse situation with bases loaded no outs in that game,” said Faber. “I fought through that, so I feel it I can get through that then I can get through anything. It’s a game of confidence and I think I had that today.”
DeAndrade Shakes Off Earler Struggles: DeAndrade has been on the losing end of a 1-0 game already this season when he pitched good enough to get a win against Marshfield. In the first inning, DeAndrade was overthrowing, most notably on the third pitch of the game when he let out a loud grunt as he released a high fastball, and not commanding the strike zone.
He needed 24 pitches to get out of the inning and a miscue in the outfield allowed Faber to come around with the only run of the game.
DeAndrade came out for the second inning and the Skippers’ hitters helped him out with an aggressive approach that netted two outs with three pitches thrown. From that moment on, DeAndrade matched Faber pitch for pitch.
DeAndrade was near perfect from the second inning on as he only allowed a single to Faber in the sixth inning for the second hit of the game for the Skippers. The Vikings ace threw 49 pitches after the first inning to get the complete game. He threw 73 pitches and only 20 balls and finished with six strikeouts.
“I think was overthrowing (in the first inning),” said DeAndrade. “I was a little pumped up. That was the football player in me. I started to settle down.”
“With Casey he’s a football player,” added Vikings head coach Pat Cronin. “I always tell him before the game started that ‘you have to gear it down. If you can someway put it on the backburner we need you under control.’”
Recap: Plymouth North 9, No. 23 Auburn 4
May, 25, 2012
May 25
1:18
AM ET
By John McGuirk | ESPNBoston.com
AUBURN, Mass. -- By its own admittance, Plymouth North is not a team stockpiled with bashers up and down the lineup -- and Eagles coach Dwayne Follette will be the first one to tell you that.
What Plymouth North has reverted back to is a combination of small ball, aggressive baserunning and solid defense to register wins. All were put on display tonight as the defending Division 2 state champion Eagles scored seven runs in the sixth inning to rally back for a 9-4 non-league victory over Auburn.
“All year we have had a good pitcher on the mound and we just battle,” said Follette, whose club improves to 13-6. “Today we executed small ball which was great. We’re not crushing the ball and we’re not a great hitting team. We are solid and found a way to win tonight by laying down bunts, executing a squeeze and we were very aggressive on the base paths. We're not afraid of any situation that comes our way.
"This was a big game for us and a big game for them. We like playing each other because we both are looking to judge to see where we are at. We know we are going to have to play this style of baseball in the postseason tournament to be effective.”
With the loss, the Rockets (16-4) saw their five game win streak snapped. But through five innings, they held a 4-2 lead as starting pitcher Connor Fuller was doing an admirable job keeping the Eagles offense in check.
However, with his pitch count continuing to rise (115 pitches total), the senior lefty began to lose steam in the sixth. Fuller lasted 5-1/3 innings, allowing five hits while striking out nine. The Eagles, who were having problems catching up to Fuller’s fastball early, changed their strategy later on as they tried to force Fuller into delivering more pitches to the plate and worked executed the little things that win games.
In the decisive sixth, Plymouth North opened by putting two on with one out. Jaime Delano bounced a dribbler down the third base line for a single. On the play, in his attempt to throw out Delano, Auburn third baseman Zack Tower threw wildly to first as the ball deflected off of first baseman Mykal Diaz. Pinch runner Ben Waltuch would score on the play, coming around from second base to make it a 4-3 game. Tyler Lamonda came on in relief of Fuller.
But with runners on second and third, Pat Horgan delivered a two-run single up the middle to put the Eagles in front to stay. As it turned out, Plymouth North was just getting started.
A walk to Brian Christian put two more runners on. Leadoff batter Cody Homes then dropped down a bunt for a single. Horgan, standing on second at the time, never stopped running on the play and would score the Eagles’ sixth run. Following a steal of second by Holmes and a walk to Jamie Dougherty, Plymouth North loaded the bases.
Connor Follette, who had struck out his previous three trips to the plate, was given the sign for a squeeze. The senior executed it perfectly to score another run for the Eagles. Before this inning finally came to a close, junior David Murphy singled to left plating two more and put Plymouth North ahead by five.
“We hadn’t played a team that has put the pressure on us the way they did,” Auburn coach Eric Swedberg said. “I blame myself a little bit. When you have a senior captain you let his pitch count go to 115 which is a little high. I should have put my emotions aside but I didn't. When Connor started that sixth inning I didn’t think I was going to need anyone else. He started good but I don’t know what happened thereafter.”
Eagles senior pitcher Vinny Tavernelli, albeit not overpowering, used a mix of fastballs and a looping curve to keep the Rocket hitters off-balance. Tavernelli lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up 7 hits before Holmes came on to shut the door the rest of the way.
These two clubs are no strangers to one another. In 2008 and 2009 they met in the Division 2 state finals. Plymouth North captured the title in 2008 while the Rockets returned the favor the following year. Since then, both teams have scheduled a regular season meeting each year and that trend is expected to continue come next season.
The Eagles jumped on Fuller for a pair of runs in the opening frame. Murphy (2 hits, 3 RBI) singled in the team's first run. Moments later, with Dougherty, who had walked, on third and Murphy on first, Follette called for a double steal which worked to perfection as Dougherty slid home to make it 2-0.
But in the bottom of the inning, Auburn answered back. Tyler Desjardins reached on a Tavernelli throwing error on a comebacker and Mike Vaitkunas singled. That set the stage for Diaz, who blasted a curve deep over the left field fence for a three-run homer putting the Rockets in front 3-2. Auburn added a solo run in the fifth on a RBI single by Tower. But the two run cushion the Rockets enjoyed would be brief as the Eagle offense exploded one inning later.
“We came out on top with a good comeback victory,” Murphy said. “We played well all-around. We came off the bus fired up to play this team because we knew how good they were. Vinny did a nice job and pitched great for us. Even when we were down we still felt comfortable and started to get the pitches we wanted to see. We were able to take advantage of what they gave us to earn this win.”
What Plymouth North has reverted back to is a combination of small ball, aggressive baserunning and solid defense to register wins. All were put on display tonight as the defending Division 2 state champion Eagles scored seven runs in the sixth inning to rally back for a 9-4 non-league victory over Auburn.
“All year we have had a good pitcher on the mound and we just battle,” said Follette, whose club improves to 13-6. “Today we executed small ball which was great. We’re not crushing the ball and we’re not a great hitting team. We are solid and found a way to win tonight by laying down bunts, executing a squeeze and we were very aggressive on the base paths. We're not afraid of any situation that comes our way.
"This was a big game for us and a big game for them. We like playing each other because we both are looking to judge to see where we are at. We know we are going to have to play this style of baseball in the postseason tournament to be effective.”
With the loss, the Rockets (16-4) saw their five game win streak snapped. But through five innings, they held a 4-2 lead as starting pitcher Connor Fuller was doing an admirable job keeping the Eagles offense in check.
However, with his pitch count continuing to rise (115 pitches total), the senior lefty began to lose steam in the sixth. Fuller lasted 5-1/3 innings, allowing five hits while striking out nine. The Eagles, who were having problems catching up to Fuller’s fastball early, changed their strategy later on as they tried to force Fuller into delivering more pitches to the plate and worked executed the little things that win games.
In the decisive sixth, Plymouth North opened by putting two on with one out. Jaime Delano bounced a dribbler down the third base line for a single. On the play, in his attempt to throw out Delano, Auburn third baseman Zack Tower threw wildly to first as the ball deflected off of first baseman Mykal Diaz. Pinch runner Ben Waltuch would score on the play, coming around from second base to make it a 4-3 game. Tyler Lamonda came on in relief of Fuller.
But with runners on second and third, Pat Horgan delivered a two-run single up the middle to put the Eagles in front to stay. As it turned out, Plymouth North was just getting started.
A walk to Brian Christian put two more runners on. Leadoff batter Cody Homes then dropped down a bunt for a single. Horgan, standing on second at the time, never stopped running on the play and would score the Eagles’ sixth run. Following a steal of second by Holmes and a walk to Jamie Dougherty, Plymouth North loaded the bases.
Connor Follette, who had struck out his previous three trips to the plate, was given the sign for a squeeze. The senior executed it perfectly to score another run for the Eagles. Before this inning finally came to a close, junior David Murphy singled to left plating two more and put Plymouth North ahead by five.
“We hadn’t played a team that has put the pressure on us the way they did,” Auburn coach Eric Swedberg said. “I blame myself a little bit. When you have a senior captain you let his pitch count go to 115 which is a little high. I should have put my emotions aside but I didn't. When Connor started that sixth inning I didn’t think I was going to need anyone else. He started good but I don’t know what happened thereafter.”
Eagles senior pitcher Vinny Tavernelli, albeit not overpowering, used a mix of fastballs and a looping curve to keep the Rocket hitters off-balance. Tavernelli lasted 5 1/3 innings, giving up 7 hits before Holmes came on to shut the door the rest of the way.
These two clubs are no strangers to one another. In 2008 and 2009 they met in the Division 2 state finals. Plymouth North captured the title in 2008 while the Rockets returned the favor the following year. Since then, both teams have scheduled a regular season meeting each year and that trend is expected to continue come next season.
The Eagles jumped on Fuller for a pair of runs in the opening frame. Murphy (2 hits, 3 RBI) singled in the team's first run. Moments later, with Dougherty, who had walked, on third and Murphy on first, Follette called for a double steal which worked to perfection as Dougherty slid home to make it 2-0.
But in the bottom of the inning, Auburn answered back. Tyler Desjardins reached on a Tavernelli throwing error on a comebacker and Mike Vaitkunas singled. That set the stage for Diaz, who blasted a curve deep over the left field fence for a three-run homer putting the Rockets in front 3-2. Auburn added a solo run in the fifth on a RBI single by Tower. But the two run cushion the Rockets enjoyed would be brief as the Eagle offense exploded one inning later.
“We came out on top with a good comeback victory,” Murphy said. “We played well all-around. We came off the bus fired up to play this team because we knew how good they were. Vinny did a nice job and pitched great for us. Even when we were down we still felt comfortable and started to get the pitches we wanted to see. We were able to take advantage of what they gave us to earn this win.”
Courtesy of Bedford High Athletic Director Keith Mangan, below are the all-stars for the Large and Small divisions of the Dual County League.
Newton South first baseman John Jennings, a UMass commit, took MVP honors in the Large division. Waltham's Notre Dame-bound catcher Jack LeClair, a Notre Dame commit, took MVP honors in the Small division.
The league will be hosting an all-star game on Tuesday at Lowell's Lelaucher Park. The Small All-Stars will play at 4 p.m., followed by the Large All-Stars at 7 p.m.
Athletic directors, coaches and administrators are encouraged to send league All-Star lists to editors Scott Barboza at sbarboza@espnboston.com or Brendan Hall at bhall@espnboston.com.
LARGE DIVISION
MVP - John Jennings, Sr. 1B, Newton South
All-Stars:
Jesse Feldstein, Jr. C, Newton South
Peter Sikalis, Sr. C, Acton-Boxborough
Tom O'Brien, Sr. 2B, Westford
John Troy, Sr. SS, Westford
David McCullough, Sr. 3B, Lincoln-Sudbury
Dan Cellucci, Sr. SS, Lincoln-Sudbury
Malcolm Nachmanoff, Jr. OF, Boston Latin
Mike Lenane, Sr. OF, Boston Latin
Mike Bibinski, Sr. OF, Westford
Brian Carroll, Jr. OF, Lincoln-Sudbury
Sid Warrenbrand, Soph. RHP, Lincoln-Sudbury
Ryan McDonald, Sr. LHP, Acton-Boxborough
Pat Naughton, Soph. LHP, Boston Latin
Will Alden, Sr. RHP, Westford
Thulani Denaro, Sr. LHP, Acton-Boxborough
SMALL DIVISION
MVP - Jack LeClair, Sr. C, Waltham
All-Stars:
Anthony Cacciatore, Sr. OF, Waltham
Joe Dwyer, Soph. 1B/DH, Waltham
Sean Kelly, Sr. OF, Waltham
Nick Neshe, Soph. P/1B, Waltham
Richie Scanlon, Jr. P, Waltham
Curtis Tirone, Soph. IF, Waltham
Kyle Laughlin, Sr. C, Bedford
Devin Liang, Sr. P, Bedford
Derek Amodei, Sr. DH/1B, Concord-Carlisle
Gibson Holland, Sr. OF, Concord-Carlisle
Phillip Mitchell, Jr. OF, Concord-Carlisle
Vincent Wnukowski, Sr. IF, Concord-Carlisle
Chris DiMico, Sr. OF, Wayland
Matt Goddard, Jr. 3B, Wayland
Andrew Herstine, Sr. DH, Wayland
James Goulart, Jr. OF/1B/P, Weston
Gage Hartman, Sr. OF, Weston
Brooks Parker, Soph. P/IF, Weston
Noah Tocci, Jr. C, Weston
Newton South first baseman John Jennings, a UMass commit, took MVP honors in the Large division. Waltham's Notre Dame-bound catcher Jack LeClair, a Notre Dame commit, took MVP honors in the Small division.
The league will be hosting an all-star game on Tuesday at Lowell's Lelaucher Park. The Small All-Stars will play at 4 p.m., followed by the Large All-Stars at 7 p.m.
Athletic directors, coaches and administrators are encouraged to send league All-Star lists to editors Scott Barboza at sbarboza@espnboston.com or Brendan Hall at bhall@espnboston.com.
LARGE DIVISION
MVP - John Jennings, Sr. 1B, Newton South
All-Stars:
Jesse Feldstein, Jr. C, Newton South
Peter Sikalis, Sr. C, Acton-Boxborough
Tom O'Brien, Sr. 2B, Westford
John Troy, Sr. SS, Westford
David McCullough, Sr. 3B, Lincoln-Sudbury
Dan Cellucci, Sr. SS, Lincoln-Sudbury
Malcolm Nachmanoff, Jr. OF, Boston Latin
Mike Lenane, Sr. OF, Boston Latin
Mike Bibinski, Sr. OF, Westford
Brian Carroll, Jr. OF, Lincoln-Sudbury
Sid Warrenbrand, Soph. RHP, Lincoln-Sudbury
Ryan McDonald, Sr. LHP, Acton-Boxborough
Pat Naughton, Soph. LHP, Boston Latin
Will Alden, Sr. RHP, Westford
Thulani Denaro, Sr. LHP, Acton-Boxborough
SMALL DIVISION
MVP - Jack LeClair, Sr. C, Waltham
All-Stars:
Anthony Cacciatore, Sr. OF, Waltham
Joe Dwyer, Soph. 1B/DH, Waltham
Sean Kelly, Sr. OF, Waltham
Nick Neshe, Soph. P/1B, Waltham
Richie Scanlon, Jr. P, Waltham
Curtis Tirone, Soph. IF, Waltham
Kyle Laughlin, Sr. C, Bedford
Devin Liang, Sr. P, Bedford
Derek Amodei, Sr. DH/1B, Concord-Carlisle
Gibson Holland, Sr. OF, Concord-Carlisle
Phillip Mitchell, Jr. OF, Concord-Carlisle
Vincent Wnukowski, Sr. IF, Concord-Carlisle
Chris DiMico, Sr. OF, Wayland
Matt Goddard, Jr. 3B, Wayland
Andrew Herstine, Sr. DH, Wayland
James Goulart, Jr. OF/1B/P, Weston
Gage Hartman, Sr. OF, Weston
Brooks Parker, Soph. P/IF, Weston
Noah Tocci, Jr. C, Weston
Secret to Ruotolo's success? Playing it cool
May, 23, 2012
May 23
10:51
PM ET
By
Brendan Hall | ESPNBoston.com
Brendan Hall/ESPNBoston.comPat Ruotolo has been dominant in his last five starts, with three no-hitters and just six hits allowed total. On the season, he's given up just four runs.A half-hour into this evening practice session, the Tanners head coach finally meets a question he can’t retort. The run this kid’s on –- three no-hitters in his last four starts, just six hits allowed in his last five, and four runs allowed all year – what does it compare to over his experiences in baseball?
And for once the eighth-year coach and Peabody alum –- whose path includes a standout career at Boston College, a year in the Cape Cod League, and eight years of coaching in the college ranks -– is stumped. To him, “this is incomprehendible,” he concedes.
He turns to assistant coach Pete Soteropoulos -– himself a former UConn standout and St. Louis Cardinals draft pick –- who reminds Bettencourt that among all the accolades of Jeff Allison, a first-round draft pick in 2003 and Peabody’s greatest high school export, the former Baseball America Player of the Year only tossed two no-no’s his senior year.
Soteropoulos, too, can think of no precedent. So Bettencourt turns to another assistant –- his father, Manny –- and draws back to another North Shore legend and first-round draft pick.
“Hey, did [Jeff] Juden ever pitch like this?” he shouts, recalling the former Salem High ace and 12th overall pick by the Astros in 1989.
Sudden Fortunes
It all started on April 26, with a trip to Marblehead, when he struck out 13, walked three and allowed no hits in a 3-0 win over the host Magicians, his first no-no of the season. From there, it only steamrolled.
Then on May 7 at Swampscott, a 7-0 decision over the Big Blue, he fanned 11, walked one, and completed his second no-hitter in three starts. Nine days later, at Salem, Ruotolo fanned a season-high 15 batters and walked two while allowing no hits.
Ever since, the camera crews and media requests have been rolling in, from both the local news stations and national outlets. Some of it is unnerving the humbled, reserved star.
“It’s kinda crazy, all the publicity, it’s been kind of overwhelming,” Ruotolo says softly.
As for his own school hallways? “I kinda get dumped on a little for breaking up the no-hit streak”, he laughs, referring to his performance Monday in a 1-0 win over Lynn Classical (Ruotolo surrendered all three of his hits in the first inning, but struck out 14).
And for senior Gennaro Ciulla, Ruotolo’s catcher since little league?
“I love it,” he smiles, cracking, “Pat just knows what he’s doing, doing his thing. And whenever the cameras are around, I’m in the shot. So, you know, keep throwing no-hitters, right?”
Ruotolo will never be confused for a show-boater, and the sudden fortune hasn’t changed him a bit. Still mild-mannered, still speaking at a low volume, he continues to keep to himself.
“Pat respects what he’s doing, he understands it’s pretty rare to do what he’s doing, and he stays humble about it,” Bettencourt said. “A lot of times you worry about a kid’s hat size getting too big if he starts doing well. But I’ve never seen that in Pat, never in conversations with him.”
On the mound, Ruotolo carries a more insular demeanor. That is to say, he’s got a pretty mean poker face when he stares down Ciulla from the plate.
“When he’s on the mound, he’s just focused in, he’s ready to go,” says Ciulla.
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Brendan Hall/ESPN.comRuotolo doesn't win the eye test at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, but head coach Mark Bettencourt calls it "a protoypical pitcher's body."
Brendan Hall/ESPN.comRuotolo doesn't win the eye test at 5-foot-10 and 195 pounds, but head coach Mark Bettencourt calls it "a protoypical pitcher's body."This much is known about Ruotolo’s ridiculous month from the mound. Five major league draft picks came straight out of Peabody High in a nine-year span from 1995 to 2004, one of the most dominant eras in the history of this storied program, and not one of them had three no-no’s in one season -- never mind one month.
And certainly, none of them looked quite like this. That is to say, at 5-foot-10 and a stocky 190 pounds, and armed with a fastball that touches the high-80’s, Ruotolo doesn’t quite fit the mold of today's prototype power pitcher.
Perhaps that’s why, despite the amazing feat, Bettencourt says the phone “hasn’t been ringing as much as you’d think” from the college coaches.
Yes, all the usual local suspects are showing interest -– UConn has inquired, as have UMass, Rhode Island, Boston College and Northeastern. But the truth of the matter is, Ruotolo’s size is going to turn off some coaches.
Even with the clean action in his delivery, even with the durability, and even with the efficiency of it all.
With a compact motion that keeps his elbows locked close to the body, Ruotolo uses superior leg strength -– built from his winter turns as a stay-at-home defenseman for the school’s ice hockey team -– to generate high velocity. Ruotolo couples that with a high arm slot that creates sharp downhill trajectory, which has yielded an improved 12-to-6 drop on his curveball.
Occasionally, he’ll drop to a three-quarters slot if hitters are catching on, to which Bettencourt cautiously concedes, “I’m not the one who taught him that, but whoever did, I understand the reasoning.”
Unafraid to pitch to contact, Ruotolo’s method has led to some pretty economical outings -– a far cry from his days as a freshman, where he might have been prone to racking up 90 pitches by the fourth inning.
In his first outing of the season, a 10-inning loss to St. John’s Prep, Ruotolo threw 133 pitches and rung up 10 strikeouts in a no-decision.
Ruotolo hasn’t touched 133 pitches again this season. In fact, his pitch counts have been pretty impressive during this scoreless streak. In his last start, he needed just 77 pitches for the 14-K, complete game effort. In the third no-hitter against Salem, he threw 88; the first, against Marblehead, needed just 91.
His two-hitter against Danvers on May 2 required just 87 pitches. Only once in the last month has he gone over the century mark – May 7’s no-no over Swampscott, which needed 103 pitches. He’ll have one more start this weekend, and will have at least one start to work with when the MIAA Division 1 North tournament commences next week.
Bettencourt knocks on wood as he explains how Ruotolo’s frame is built for the long haul. But once again, you can thank the overlap of leg workouts between hockey and baseball for his reliable lower body strength. Ruotolo boasts some big quadriceps and hamstrings to push off the mound with –- he says he has leg-pressed as much as 800 pounds –- and the amount of torso movement on slap shots has given him exceptional core strength.
“And that’s what they call a prototypical pitcher’s body,” Bettencourt said. “If you’re not talking about the tall, skinny, lanky guy, you’re talking about the heavy lower-body strength guy. And that’s where Pat fits in. He’s not 6-4, 6-5. His knuckles don’t drag on the ground. He’s more of a...I call him a ‘Clemens type’. You know, wide hips, big legs, and I think a lot of his velocity is generated through his lower-body torque.
“Obviously, he has a live arm –- you don’t throw as hard as he does if you don’t. And the fact that he works so hard on his mechanics, keeps things fluid, obviously is a major factor. And the way he’s able to create the arm speed necessary to throw as hard as he throws, but also to have the looseness to throw that nasty curveball that he throws and not hurt his arm, because his mechanics are very precise.”
With his sharp downhill action, Ruotolo is able to get some late life out of his 12-to-6 curve. And with clean mechanics that utilize the leg, the pain ends up in places other than the arms and shoulders.
“Generally, if he gets soreness, it’s in his back,” Bettencourt said. “And that’s usually a good indication that he’s using the bigger muscles to help decelerate his arm, and not using his elbow and his shoulder.
“When you’re talking about a pitcher, at the point of release, his hand speed’s gotta be…You know, if he’s throwing 87-88, his arm speed’s 88 when he’s releasing the ball, and he’s only got three or four feet before his arm’s got to come to a stop on his follow through, so he’s got to use more muscles than just his elbow and shoulder, or he’s going to hurt himself. When he says his back is tight, for me that’s a good indication.”
Don’t Even Go There
Someone was bound to try and make the comparison. Because what Patrick Ewing is the Cambridge basketball, and what the Fluties are to Natick football, you can never talk Peabody baseball without recalling Jeff Allison, the superstar with 98 mile per hour heat, seemingly destined for a big league career before off-field issues, including substance abuse, derailed the path.
So let’s get it out of the way before this builds steam. Allison’s school single-season record of 142 strikeouts is within reach for Ruotolo if the Tanners make a run in the MIAA playoffs. So, too, is the school’s career strikeouts record (Ruotolo now has 208 strikeouts since the start of his sophomore season alone, and is close to 280 for his career).
But there’s a slim chance Ruotolo will go 16th overall to the Florida Marlins, and even slimmer that he’ll ever be named Baseball America’s National High School Player of the Year.
Allison’s demeanor on the mound was the stuff of legend. Before Lowell’s prized ace Matt Tulley took the field last Friday night against BC High, his coach Danny Graham encouraged him to exert some of the same grittiness he saw when watching Allison a decade ago.
Bettencourt puts it more bluntly than we can -– “Jeff, you came away from him saying to yourself, ‘Boy, he could probably handle himself in a fight’,” he chuckled. That’s not the style of the mild-mannered Ruotolo.
But as far as pitching goes...
“Pat doesn’t throw as hard as Jeff did,” Bettencourt continued. “Jeff was throwing 95, 96, and that was a gift. But the fact that Pat throws 87-88 as a junior, I don’t know what Jeff was throwing his junior year...The jury’s still out on what the future holds for him, but with the work ethic he has and the time that he’s put in, the door is open as far as what he could do over the next year.”
Is This It?
Where does it go from here? Or maybe the better question is, when will it end?
In Monday’s win over Classical, Ruotolo gave up a leadoff base hit to start the evening, only to allow two hits the rest of the way and shut out the Rams. Bettencourt called it “a huge step for Pat”, compared to where he’s been in the past.
“You want to see what happens now, if he does start to get hit around a little bit, when they square the ball up consistently,” Bettencourt said. “I know in the past that’s happened, and I won’t say he’s crumbled, but there has been a significant difference in the way he pitches. And that’s the biggest thing I think college coaches want to see. It’s great to see him when he’s doing well, what about when he’s not doing so well?”
Bettencourt is naturally concerned about his reaction when this all stops. But it’s testament to his work ethic, too, that the kid doesn’t appear rattled much when opposing bats get hot early. When given an off-day, Ruotolo isn’t resting on his laurels.
Perhaps his best quality of all, then, is his short memory.
“For Pat, I remember after Salem game walking over shaking his hand, walking off Salem State’s field, and he goes ‘I can’t wait for Classical’,” Bettencourt said. “He’s already turned the page, he’s already looking for that next start, next challenge. And I think that work ethic that he puts in, goes hand in hand with that type of an attitude.”
So maybe this run comes to an end this weekend. Or maybe it continues into next week and beyond.
Either way, he’s locked in, with nowhere to go but forward.
LYNNFIELD, Mass. — Chris Dehuelle knew it would take a solid effort from his right-arm to help Lynnfield earn a share of the Cape Ann League title for the first time in six years.
The senior produced, and then some, for the Pioneers.
Dehuelle struck out seven and only scattered five hits in a complete-game shutout as Lynnfield (15-3) defeated perennial power North Reading, 4-0, this afternoon at home.
“It means a lot,” Dehuelle said of getting the clinching victory for the Pioneers. “It’s what we work for. It was our first goal and next we are on to the state tournament. They are a great team and I knew I was going to have to pitch great to beat them.”
The Hornets (14-4) are a team that likes to consistently get the bat on the ball and be annoying outs for opposing pitchers. According to head coach Frank Carey, the Hornets haven’t been whiffed four or more times in a game at any point during the season.
Dehuelle wracked up three in the first inning.
He needed 22 pitches to strike out the side in the first, but he showed off his true strength by keeping his strong defense sharp and in the game as he needed 12 or fewer pitches in four of his final six innings.
“Once he’s going he gets a lot of ground ball outs and that’s what we are looking for because we have a nice littler infield,” said Pioneers head coach John O’Brien.
Quick with the glove, too: When runners did manage to get on, Dehuelle was able to erase them quickly.
In the third inning he displayed a bit of self defense to start an inning-ending double play. Tom Day lined a 1-0 pitch right back up the middle in the direction of Dehuelle’s head, but he has able to move to his left and stick out his glove to record the out.
He then fired over to first to double off Jon Gravalese to end the inning.
“It wasn’t going to hit me,” he said. “But I just kind of got out of the way and stuck my glove out.”
Dehuelle started another double play in the fifth inning with runners on first and second in a 2-0 game. Dennis Rollfs rolled one back to Dehuelle and the righty spun to start a 1-6-3 twin killing to escape the only time that the Hornets were able to put on two runners in an inning.
Fundamental Baseball: Craig Anderson delivered a solo home run for the Pioneers, but O’Brien’s club has made a living with some small ball this season.
The Pioneers put down three successful sacrifice bunts and two of the sacrifices led to runs.
“We bunt everyday,” said O’Brien. “I don’t know if a lot of other teams do, but we bunt everyday at practice. With the new bats it’s really come full-circle into our favor. We are a more old school team. … Our kids do they do the job, whatever it is. One through nine if it’s your turn to bunt then you get the bunt down and we move on.”
The senior produced, and then some, for the Pioneers.
Dehuelle struck out seven and only scattered five hits in a complete-game shutout as Lynnfield (15-3) defeated perennial power North Reading, 4-0, this afternoon at home.
“It means a lot,” Dehuelle said of getting the clinching victory for the Pioneers. “It’s what we work for. It was our first goal and next we are on to the state tournament. They are a great team and I knew I was going to have to pitch great to beat them.”
The Hornets (14-4) are a team that likes to consistently get the bat on the ball and be annoying outs for opposing pitchers. According to head coach Frank Carey, the Hornets haven’t been whiffed four or more times in a game at any point during the season.
Dehuelle wracked up three in the first inning.
He needed 22 pitches to strike out the side in the first, but he showed off his true strength by keeping his strong defense sharp and in the game as he needed 12 or fewer pitches in four of his final six innings.
“Once he’s going he gets a lot of ground ball outs and that’s what we are looking for because we have a nice littler infield,” said Pioneers head coach John O’Brien.
Quick with the glove, too: When runners did manage to get on, Dehuelle was able to erase them quickly.
In the third inning he displayed a bit of self defense to start an inning-ending double play. Tom Day lined a 1-0 pitch right back up the middle in the direction of Dehuelle’s head, but he has able to move to his left and stick out his glove to record the out.
He then fired over to first to double off Jon Gravalese to end the inning.
“It wasn’t going to hit me,” he said. “But I just kind of got out of the way and stuck my glove out.”
Dehuelle started another double play in the fifth inning with runners on first and second in a 2-0 game. Dennis Rollfs rolled one back to Dehuelle and the righty spun to start a 1-6-3 twin killing to escape the only time that the Hornets were able to put on two runners in an inning.
Fundamental Baseball: Craig Anderson delivered a solo home run for the Pioneers, but O’Brien’s club has made a living with some small ball this season.
The Pioneers put down three successful sacrifice bunts and two of the sacrifices led to runs.
“We bunt everyday,” said O’Brien. “I don’t know if a lot of other teams do, but we bunt everyday at practice. With the new bats it’s really come full-circle into our favor. We are a more old school team. … Our kids do they do the job, whatever it is. One through nine if it’s your turn to bunt then you get the bunt down and we move on.”
Prep's Bingel commits to Bryant University
May, 23, 2012
May 23
12:36
AM ET
By
Brendan Hall | ESPNBoston.com
St. John's Prep junior shortstop and righthanded pitcher Brandon Bingel has committed to Bryant University, he announced tonight on his Twitter account.
"All pressure's off and now I can play for love of the game," he wrote.
Heading into this week, Bingel ranked second in the Catholic Conference in batting (.407, 4 HR, 20 RBI) and pitching (4-1, 32 K, 31.2 IP, 1.12 ERA).
"All pressure's off and now I can play for love of the game," he wrote.
Heading into this week, Bingel ranked second in the Catholic Conference in batting (.407, 4 HR, 20 RBI) and pitching (4-1, 32 K, 31.2 IP, 1.12 ERA).
It's been a while, but we promise we made up for it with our latest edition of the ESPN Boston High Schools podcast.
Editors Scott Barboza and Brendan Hall caught up on the spring season action in baseball, softball and lacrosse, while taking a look at their "midseason" All-State teams, released last week. They also took a look ahead to the postseason with some predicitions for the upcoming MIAA tournaments.
Editors Scott Barboza and Brendan Hall caught up on the spring season action in baseball, softball and lacrosse, while taking a look at their "midseason" All-State teams, released last week. They also took a look ahead to the postseason with some predicitions for the upcoming MIAA tournaments.
Lowell makes jump in Top 25 baseball poll
May, 21, 2012
May 21
1:39
PM ET
By
Brendan Hall | ESPNBoston.com
We updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 Baseball Poll this morning, and while there are no changes to the top five, there are some movers and shakers.
St. John's of Shrewsbury retains the top spot for the second week in a row, while Walpole (2), Springfield Cathedral (3), Franklin (4) and Lincoln-Sudbury (5) remain in their same position from a week ago. But jumping back into the Top 10, at No. 6, is Lowell, following a thrilling 4-2 victory over BC High last Friday under the lights at Alumni Field.
Lowell held the No. 1 spot in ESPN Boston's poll four weeks ago, but dropped all the way to No. 13 following losses to Chelmsford and Andover. Auburn (16, from 23) and Milford (9, from 15) are the other big movers this week.
Elsewhere, Northbridge makes its return to the poll this week at No. 23, while Taunton makes its season debut at No. 24.
To view the complete poll, CLICK HERE.
Here's how the poll breaks down this week by league affiliation:
Catholic Conference - 2
Merrimack Valley - 2
Old Colony - 2
Southern Worcester County - 2
Valley League - 2
Atlantic Coast - 1
Bay State - 1
Berkshire County - 1
Big Three - 1
Central Mass. Conference - 1
Dual County - 1
Eastern Athletic - 1
Hockomock - 1
Inter-High - 1
Mid-Wach A - 1
Middlesex - 1
Northeastern - 1
South Coast - 1
South Shore - 1
Valley Wheel - 1
As always, let us know how we're doing in the comments section below, or by emailing Brendan Hall at bhall@espnboston.com
St. John's of Shrewsbury retains the top spot for the second week in a row, while Walpole (2), Springfield Cathedral (3), Franklin (4) and Lincoln-Sudbury (5) remain in their same position from a week ago. But jumping back into the Top 10, at No. 6, is Lowell, following a thrilling 4-2 victory over BC High last Friday under the lights at Alumni Field.
Lowell held the No. 1 spot in ESPN Boston's poll four weeks ago, but dropped all the way to No. 13 following losses to Chelmsford and Andover. Auburn (16, from 23) and Milford (9, from 15) are the other big movers this week.
Elsewhere, Northbridge makes its return to the poll this week at No. 23, while Taunton makes its season debut at No. 24.
To view the complete poll, CLICK HERE.
Here's how the poll breaks down this week by league affiliation:
Catholic Conference - 2
Merrimack Valley - 2
Old Colony - 2
Southern Worcester County - 2
Valley League - 2
Atlantic Coast - 1
Bay State - 1
Berkshire County - 1
Big Three - 1
Central Mass. Conference - 1
Dual County - 1
Eastern Athletic - 1
Hockomock - 1
Inter-High - 1
Mid-Wach A - 1
Middlesex - 1
Northeastern - 1
South Coast - 1
South Shore - 1
Valley Wheel - 1
As always, let us know how we're doing in the comments section below, or by emailing Brendan Hall at bhall@espnboston.com
Recap: CM 7, Bishop Hendricken (R.I.) 1
May, 19, 2012
May 19
6:13
PM ET
By Mike Scandura | ESPNBoston.com
WARWICK, R.I. -– Whoever said a team can never have enough pitching must have had Catholic Memorial in mind.
Including Saturday’s non-league game at perennial Rhode Island power Hendricken, the Knights are in a stretch where they play five games in eight days.
“We have six guys that have pitched this year,” coach Hal Carey said after the Knights clipped the Hawks, 7-1. “(Pat) Hurley is our clear number one. But after that, everyone can throw well on a given day.
“We’re going to need them all because we have five games in eight days. Two are makeups (including a Sunday game against Malden Catholic).”
Since junior right-hander Sean Heelen went the distance it allowed Carey to avoid using any relief pitchers –- which means the Knights (9-6) could be in good shape as they seek to qualify for the MIAA playoffs.
Heelen allowed four hits and three walks (the run was unearned), and struck out six. Moreover, he threw 59 of 95 pitches for strikes.
“I tried to give it all I had on the mound so we could save our pitchers for next week, especially with some big Catholic Conference games coming up including Xaverian and Malden Catholic,” Heelen said. “And we have a big game against Brockton on Monday. “I tried to give it all I had and coach was happy.”
One reason Heelen was able to muffle the Hawks (16-3) was that he utilized a new pitch.
“I’ve been trying to incorporate a slider and this was the first game I actually threw it,” he said. “So, I tried to come in with a lot of off-speed (pitches), which I usually do. And I try to work as quickly as I can so the batters don’t any time.
“I try to go out there and throw strikes and try to keep my team in it. I had some help from the catcher, Kevin White.”
Arguably nobody appreciates a pitcher’s ability to work fast more than the position players.
In this game, Heelen retired nine Hawks on three pitches or less; the Knights only made one error; and the team turned a double play.
“I try to stay in a rhythm on the mound so the fielders don’t get lethargic, especially in the outfield,” Heelen said. “As long as I throw strikes and they put the ball in play I know my teammates will make plays.”
Perhaps the most notable Hawk Heelen kept in check was senior pitcher/outfielder Tom Pannone, who already has signed a letter of intent to play his college baseball at the University of Miami.
Pannone was robbed of a hit in the first when his blooper to left was snared by Garrett Ewanowski who made a head-first dive.
First baseman Todd MacDonald made a nice pick on a hard grounder in the third.
And Pannone went down swinging in the fifth.
Heelen helped himself by going 2-for-four with an RBI while Brian McCann smacked a pair of doubles plus a single and drove in two runs.
Hendricken’s lone run came in the second when Rich Bacon reached on CM’s lone error and scored on Justin Finan’s double. But when Finan tried to stretch that hit into a triple –- with nobody out -– he was gunned down a perfect relay from Ewanowski to shortstop Joe Presti to Mike Perry.
“We’re 9-6 playing a tough schedule,” Carey said. “Our defense has been good all year. And Sean throwing great today was a huge boost for us.
“We want to try and get it done in these next few days (i.e. qualify for the playoffs). We’re good enough to beat anybody in (Massachusetts) and Rhode Island. But anyone on our schedule can beat us, too.”
Including Saturday’s non-league game at perennial Rhode Island power Hendricken, the Knights are in a stretch where they play five games in eight days.
“We have six guys that have pitched this year,” coach Hal Carey said after the Knights clipped the Hawks, 7-1. “(Pat) Hurley is our clear number one. But after that, everyone can throw well on a given day.
“We’re going to need them all because we have five games in eight days. Two are makeups (including a Sunday game against Malden Catholic).”
Since junior right-hander Sean Heelen went the distance it allowed Carey to avoid using any relief pitchers –- which means the Knights (9-6) could be in good shape as they seek to qualify for the MIAA playoffs.
Heelen allowed four hits and three walks (the run was unearned), and struck out six. Moreover, he threw 59 of 95 pitches for strikes.
“I tried to give it all I had on the mound so we could save our pitchers for next week, especially with some big Catholic Conference games coming up including Xaverian and Malden Catholic,” Heelen said. “And we have a big game against Brockton on Monday. “I tried to give it all I had and coach was happy.”
One reason Heelen was able to muffle the Hawks (16-3) was that he utilized a new pitch.
“I’ve been trying to incorporate a slider and this was the first game I actually threw it,” he said. “So, I tried to come in with a lot of off-speed (pitches), which I usually do. And I try to work as quickly as I can so the batters don’t any time.
“I try to go out there and throw strikes and try to keep my team in it. I had some help from the catcher, Kevin White.”
Arguably nobody appreciates a pitcher’s ability to work fast more than the position players.
In this game, Heelen retired nine Hawks on three pitches or less; the Knights only made one error; and the team turned a double play.
“I try to stay in a rhythm on the mound so the fielders don’t get lethargic, especially in the outfield,” Heelen said. “As long as I throw strikes and they put the ball in play I know my teammates will make plays.”
Perhaps the most notable Hawk Heelen kept in check was senior pitcher/outfielder Tom Pannone, who already has signed a letter of intent to play his college baseball at the University of Miami.
Pannone was robbed of a hit in the first when his blooper to left was snared by Garrett Ewanowski who made a head-first dive.
First baseman Todd MacDonald made a nice pick on a hard grounder in the third.
And Pannone went down swinging in the fifth.
Heelen helped himself by going 2-for-four with an RBI while Brian McCann smacked a pair of doubles plus a single and drove in two runs.
Hendricken’s lone run came in the second when Rich Bacon reached on CM’s lone error and scored on Justin Finan’s double. But when Finan tried to stretch that hit into a triple –- with nobody out -– he was gunned down a perfect relay from Ewanowski to shortstop Joe Presti to Mike Perry.
“We’re 9-6 playing a tough schedule,” Carey said. “Our defense has been good all year. And Sean throwing great today was a huge boost for us.
“We want to try and get it done in these next few days (i.e. qualify for the playoffs). We’re good enough to beat anybody in (Massachusetts) and Rhode Island. But anyone on our schedule can beat us, too.”
Tulley shows his 'gritty' side to BC High
May, 19, 2012
May 19
12:07
AM ET
By
Brendan Hall | ESPNBoston.com
LOWELL, Mass. -– The fire remained within.
Matt Tulley leaned against the fence at the top of Lowell High’s dugout, arms outstretched, and gazed out at the BC High players warming up in the outfield at Alumni Field. He was his usual self -– that is, quiet, calm, relaxed, but locked in.
“Do you have the time, sir?” he politely called out to a nearby reporter in the dugout.
“Quarter past,” the reporter responded, and the senior righthander flashed a small grin. Forty-five minutes before first pitch meant time to warm up, time to go to work, time to buckle down and brace himself for one of the state’s best hitting lineups.
Tulley earned a scholarship to Virginia Tech this past offseason in part for the low-90’s velocity and late life on his fastball, but also for his competitive streak. In the big games, Tulley always wants the ball, and he never gives off signs of panic.
Unlike his earlier starts this season, there weren't scouts visibly out front, radar gun in tow, clocking his every pitch warming up in the bullpen. Tonight was a change of pace –- a capacity crowd for “Senior Night”, charting each of his strikeouts with “K” signs posted just below the press box windows –- and as usual, he rose to the occasion.
To end the first inning he delivered the looping 12-to-6 curveball that has become his vicious outpitch, and punched the air as he stormed back to the dugout. The next time up, Tulley ran into some trouble when an Eagles baserunner took two bases off a throwing error by Tulley on the pickoff to first. Head coach Danny Graham walked out to the mound to calm him down; Tulley exhaled, and retired the next batter to end the inning.
More trouble came in the fifth, when Rich Roach raced home on a wild pitch and easily beat Tulley’s would-be tag at home plate, tying it up at 1. Roach appeared to mutter something as he got up, and Tulley jawed right back. Tulley then got No. 2 hitter Ryan Tufts looking on another breaking ball to end the inning.
“Kid slides into home, beats the throw, Matt tags him, no big deal,” Graham said. “Kid says something to him, Matt says something right back. It probably lit a little fire under his a--. He is kind of mellow, a little bit laid-back sometimes, but the fire is within.”
More trouble in the sixth. UConn-bound cleanup hitter Bobby Melley crushed one off the wall in left-center, for a stand-up triple, then came home on another passed ball.
You get the idea by now -– Tulley grabbed the ball, and finished what he started. That was the final hit Tulley allowed, as he struck out 11 batters with just four hits scattered to pick up his fourth win of the season. That accompanies a pretty decent job at the plate, which included a sacrifice bunt and an RBI double.
“I knew I had to not just be on my A-game, but my A-plus game,” Tulley said. “They were coming for me, and everyone else.”
“His pitch count’s getting up there, I don’t know whether I’m going to have to make a move or not, how tired he’s getting,” Graham said. “When he came in in the sixth, he grabbed the pitching chart, and he’s studying it. And I know he’s not studying it for our relief pitchers that are coming in.
“So maybe that did ring true in the back of his head. This is a meaningful spot for him, with a two-run lead, and if there’s anybody out there finishing this game out, I want it to be me.”
Tulley went into the last offseason with some kinks to be worked out with his curve. And so he went to a local legend, Mark Deschenes, a Lowell native and UMass-Lowell star who at one point was one of the Cleveland Indians’ top pitching prospects. Among other things, Deschenes stressed the importance of not tipping his pitches, and keeping a consistent release point.
To say it’s worked would be fair. Whereas a year ago at this time, Tulley went mostly fastball-cutter, he was now pounding four pitches for strikes. Half of his strikeouts tonight came by way of the backwards-K.
“Coming into this season, I didn’t think my curveball was going to be my plus pitch,” Tulley said. “But it has been all year. I could always throw it for a strike.”
Noted BC High head coach Norm Walsh, “It’s not so much the fastball, it’s the ability to change speeds on the breaking balls. He goes from the hard slider to the softer curve with a bigger break to it. And he competes – that’s the biggest thing.”
And to that last point, Tulley recalled a recent conversation with Graham, where the coach reminisced about legendary former Peabody hurler Jeff Allison, a former first-round draft pick seemingly destined for a promising big league career before highly-publicized off-field issues derailed the path.
In Allison, Graham always appreciated the gritty side. Asked about recalling the conversation with Tulley, Graham lit up.
“Grittiness, that’s it,” he said. “I think people want to see grittiness. They want to see you be the guy that wants the ball in the most meaningful spots in the game. That’s it. If you’ve got something in the tank to give, they want to see it.
“He doesn’t necessarily have to show emotion out there, it’s just the grittiness. It’s in your body language, it’s your presence out there on the mound. Just showing it.”
Across the basepath, Tulley’s toughness drew praise from Walsh as well.
“He gets right back up on the mound, and he wants to go right after you,” Walsh said. “That’s exactly what you want to see in a pitcher. Be aggressive, go after hitters. Melley took him deep and he’s right back up there, and that’s exactly what you want from a pitcher.
“Nothing phases him. The passed ball, wild pitch, whatever you want to call it, he didn’t care. He went right back out and threw it again.”
Matt Tulley leaned against the fence at the top of Lowell High’s dugout, arms outstretched, and gazed out at the BC High players warming up in the outfield at Alumni Field. He was his usual self -– that is, quiet, calm, relaxed, but locked in.
[+] Enlarge
Brendan Hall Lowell's prized righthander Matt Tulley (11 K's, 4 hits, 2 runs) displayed what coach Dan Graham called "grittiness" in the team's win Friday over BC High.
Brendan Hall Lowell's prized righthander Matt Tulley (11 K's, 4 hits, 2 runs) displayed what coach Dan Graham called "grittiness" in the team's win Friday over BC High.“Quarter past,” the reporter responded, and the senior righthander flashed a small grin. Forty-five minutes before first pitch meant time to warm up, time to go to work, time to buckle down and brace himself for one of the state’s best hitting lineups.
Tulley earned a scholarship to Virginia Tech this past offseason in part for the low-90’s velocity and late life on his fastball, but also for his competitive streak. In the big games, Tulley always wants the ball, and he never gives off signs of panic.
Unlike his earlier starts this season, there weren't scouts visibly out front, radar gun in tow, clocking his every pitch warming up in the bullpen. Tonight was a change of pace –- a capacity crowd for “Senior Night”, charting each of his strikeouts with “K” signs posted just below the press box windows –- and as usual, he rose to the occasion.
To end the first inning he delivered the looping 12-to-6 curveball that has become his vicious outpitch, and punched the air as he stormed back to the dugout. The next time up, Tulley ran into some trouble when an Eagles baserunner took two bases off a throwing error by Tulley on the pickoff to first. Head coach Danny Graham walked out to the mound to calm him down; Tulley exhaled, and retired the next batter to end the inning.
More trouble came in the fifth, when Rich Roach raced home on a wild pitch and easily beat Tulley’s would-be tag at home plate, tying it up at 1. Roach appeared to mutter something as he got up, and Tulley jawed right back. Tulley then got No. 2 hitter Ryan Tufts looking on another breaking ball to end the inning.
“Kid slides into home, beats the throw, Matt tags him, no big deal,” Graham said. “Kid says something to him, Matt says something right back. It probably lit a little fire under his a--. He is kind of mellow, a little bit laid-back sometimes, but the fire is within.”
More trouble in the sixth. UConn-bound cleanup hitter Bobby Melley crushed one off the wall in left-center, for a stand-up triple, then came home on another passed ball.
You get the idea by now -– Tulley grabbed the ball, and finished what he started. That was the final hit Tulley allowed, as he struck out 11 batters with just four hits scattered to pick up his fourth win of the season. That accompanies a pretty decent job at the plate, which included a sacrifice bunt and an RBI double.
“I knew I had to not just be on my A-game, but my A-plus game,” Tulley said. “They were coming for me, and everyone else.”
“His pitch count’s getting up there, I don’t know whether I’m going to have to make a move or not, how tired he’s getting,” Graham said. “When he came in in the sixth, he grabbed the pitching chart, and he’s studying it. And I know he’s not studying it for our relief pitchers that are coming in.
“So maybe that did ring true in the back of his head. This is a meaningful spot for him, with a two-run lead, and if there’s anybody out there finishing this game out, I want it to be me.”
Tulley went into the last offseason with some kinks to be worked out with his curve. And so he went to a local legend, Mark Deschenes, a Lowell native and UMass-Lowell star who at one point was one of the Cleveland Indians’ top pitching prospects. Among other things, Deschenes stressed the importance of not tipping his pitches, and keeping a consistent release point.
To say it’s worked would be fair. Whereas a year ago at this time, Tulley went mostly fastball-cutter, he was now pounding four pitches for strikes. Half of his strikeouts tonight came by way of the backwards-K.
“Coming into this season, I didn’t think my curveball was going to be my plus pitch,” Tulley said. “But it has been all year. I could always throw it for a strike.”
Noted BC High head coach Norm Walsh, “It’s not so much the fastball, it’s the ability to change speeds on the breaking balls. He goes from the hard slider to the softer curve with a bigger break to it. And he competes – that’s the biggest thing.”
And to that last point, Tulley recalled a recent conversation with Graham, where the coach reminisced about legendary former Peabody hurler Jeff Allison, a former first-round draft pick seemingly destined for a promising big league career before highly-publicized off-field issues derailed the path.
In Allison, Graham always appreciated the gritty side. Asked about recalling the conversation with Tulley, Graham lit up.
“Grittiness, that’s it,” he said. “I think people want to see grittiness. They want to see you be the guy that wants the ball in the most meaningful spots in the game. That’s it. If you’ve got something in the tank to give, they want to see it.
“He doesn’t necessarily have to show emotion out there, it’s just the grittiness. It’s in your body language, it’s your presence out there on the mound. Just showing it.”
Across the basepath, Tulley’s toughness drew praise from Walsh as well.
“He gets right back up on the mound, and he wants to go right after you,” Walsh said. “That’s exactly what you want to see in a pitcher. Be aggressive, go after hitters. Melley took him deep and he’s right back up there, and that’s exactly what you want from a pitcher.
“Nothing phases him. The passed ball, wild pitch, whatever you want to call it, he didn’t care. He went right back out and threw it again.”
L-S, Westford battle in 'Coaches vs. Cancer'
May, 19, 2012
May 19
12:00
AM ET
By Andy Smith | ESPNBoston.com
SUDBURY, Mass. -- Occasionally, the literal and figurative lines separating sports from real life disappear, as they did Friday night at Feeley Field.
While No. 5 Lincoln-Sudbury was scratching and clawing its way to a 2-1, eight-inning victory over Westford, there were symbols all around reminding everyone that what happened on the baseball diamond was not the life or death situation some make it out to be.
The Westford players sported pink undershirts they made for the "Coaches vs. Cancer" fundraiser they had weeks before. Most of the L-S players sported pink wristbands during the game. About 100 feet away from the concession stand, a woman stood at a Coaches vs. Cancer table, collecting donations and selling raffle tickets for a cause she believes in.
Before the game, L-S coach Kirk Fredericks presented Coaches vs. Cancer with a check for a $4,000, on behalf of the school.
These were all done to generate support and raise money for the American Cancer Society. It’s in times like these when one can see that games, at any level, are just that: games.
“Every year I watch the Jimmy Valvano speech (from the 1993 ESPYs) and that really touches me,” said Fredericks, one of the main organizers of the baseball team’s fundraising efforts. “As a matter of fact, I have it on tape because it kind of brings you back down to reality. When you’re going through every day life and you get up and you complain about your boss, or you complain about some kid you have in class.
"My daughter has had a rough two years in life. She doesn’t have cancer, but you go in the hospital and there are kids there that are living in the hospital. It makes you realize how lucky you are. We lost a kid from L-S a couple years ago to leukemia, who was in the baseball program. We have a kid now who is hopefully at the tail end of his battles, so things just make it mean a little more to you.
"Our seniors wanted to raise some money to put towards that cause and if we can have a part in that, then great.”
The team raised money by selling discount cards to various restaurants around the Sudbury area. During the game, raffle tickets were sold for the opportunity to win a signed photograph of Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis.
The total amount raised by the sales at the game and by the players in school will be added to the donation total, once it is tallied.
L-S works extra innings: On the field, it was the grind one would come to expect by two Dual County League teams.
Westford (9-9) scored its only run of the game off L-S (14-3) pitcher Sid Warrenbrand in the top of the first inning.
John Troy singled to right with one out, then stole second two batters later. He scored from second on a Riley Cox single to make it 1-0.
Troy also did well for himself on the mound also, not allowing a L-S hit until the fourth inning. He walked Matt Cahill to open the inning, then faced Michael Walsh.
Walsh hit a grounder to short, which slowed down considerably in the infield grass. By the time the shortstop could make a play on the ball, Cahill was mere feet away from second base.
Cahill slid head-first into the bag, beating the throw, making everybody safe, and giving L-S its first hit of the game.
He then moved to third, but a 6-4-3 double play gave his team two outs. He scored two pitches later on a Troy wild pitch.
L-S plated the final run of the game after Troy fell apart in the eighth inning. Michael Biggins singled to right to open the inning, then Cahill reached base safely after Troy’s throw to second pulled the shortstop off the bag, making both runners safe.
He then hit Walsh with a 3-1 pitch, which loaded the bases. Warrenbrand’s hit dropped in the outfield to send the fans home happy, and allowed him to finish the game he started.
Warrenbrand shining: Warrenbrand is only a sophomore, but did not pitch like one Friday. After he gave up the run in the first, he left 10 Westford runners on base, three of which reached third base.
His biggest scare came in the sixth inning, when he walked Riley Cox to start the inning. A William Alden single put runners on first and second with nobody out.
He came back and struck out Thomas O’Brien looking, then got Luke Morse to ground out to him, which advanced the runners, but made two outs in the inning.
Connor Murphy came up to hit, but Warrenbrand struck him out swinging, ending any hopes Westford had of scoring in the inning.
He gave up a single to start the seventh inning, but came back and forced a fly ball out and a double play to end the inning.
“He’s been struggling a little bit lately, and struggled in the early part of the game, threw a lot of pitches,” said Fredericks. “He’s been getting better as the game goes on. I think what you saw was that he’s a competitor and he’d come off the mound in each of those last three innings he pitched, and he came off like he just won the state championship. Then he goes and gets the game-winning hit. Sometimes you’re the hero, and sometime’s you’re the goat, but today he was the hero.”
Warrenbrand was relieved in the eighth by David McCullough.
While No. 5 Lincoln-Sudbury was scratching and clawing its way to a 2-1, eight-inning victory over Westford, there were symbols all around reminding everyone that what happened on the baseball diamond was not the life or death situation some make it out to be.
The Westford players sported pink undershirts they made for the "Coaches vs. Cancer" fundraiser they had weeks before. Most of the L-S players sported pink wristbands during the game. About 100 feet away from the concession stand, a woman stood at a Coaches vs. Cancer table, collecting donations and selling raffle tickets for a cause she believes in.
Before the game, L-S coach Kirk Fredericks presented Coaches vs. Cancer with a check for a $4,000, on behalf of the school.
These were all done to generate support and raise money for the American Cancer Society. It’s in times like these when one can see that games, at any level, are just that: games.
“Every year I watch the Jimmy Valvano speech (from the 1993 ESPYs) and that really touches me,” said Fredericks, one of the main organizers of the baseball team’s fundraising efforts. “As a matter of fact, I have it on tape because it kind of brings you back down to reality. When you’re going through every day life and you get up and you complain about your boss, or you complain about some kid you have in class.
"My daughter has had a rough two years in life. She doesn’t have cancer, but you go in the hospital and there are kids there that are living in the hospital. It makes you realize how lucky you are. We lost a kid from L-S a couple years ago to leukemia, who was in the baseball program. We have a kid now who is hopefully at the tail end of his battles, so things just make it mean a little more to you.
"Our seniors wanted to raise some money to put towards that cause and if we can have a part in that, then great.”
The team raised money by selling discount cards to various restaurants around the Sudbury area. During the game, raffle tickets were sold for the opportunity to win a signed photograph of Red Sox third baseman Kevin Youkilis.
The total amount raised by the sales at the game and by the players in school will be added to the donation total, once it is tallied.
L-S works extra innings: On the field, it was the grind one would come to expect by two Dual County League teams.
Westford (9-9) scored its only run of the game off L-S (14-3) pitcher Sid Warrenbrand in the top of the first inning.
John Troy singled to right with one out, then stole second two batters later. He scored from second on a Riley Cox single to make it 1-0.
Troy also did well for himself on the mound also, not allowing a L-S hit until the fourth inning. He walked Matt Cahill to open the inning, then faced Michael Walsh.
Walsh hit a grounder to short, which slowed down considerably in the infield grass. By the time the shortstop could make a play on the ball, Cahill was mere feet away from second base.
Cahill slid head-first into the bag, beating the throw, making everybody safe, and giving L-S its first hit of the game.
He then moved to third, but a 6-4-3 double play gave his team two outs. He scored two pitches later on a Troy wild pitch.
L-S plated the final run of the game after Troy fell apart in the eighth inning. Michael Biggins singled to right to open the inning, then Cahill reached base safely after Troy’s throw to second pulled the shortstop off the bag, making both runners safe.
He then hit Walsh with a 3-1 pitch, which loaded the bases. Warrenbrand’s hit dropped in the outfield to send the fans home happy, and allowed him to finish the game he started.
Warrenbrand shining: Warrenbrand is only a sophomore, but did not pitch like one Friday. After he gave up the run in the first, he left 10 Westford runners on base, three of which reached third base.
His biggest scare came in the sixth inning, when he walked Riley Cox to start the inning. A William Alden single put runners on first and second with nobody out.
He came back and struck out Thomas O’Brien looking, then got Luke Morse to ground out to him, which advanced the runners, but made two outs in the inning.
Connor Murphy came up to hit, but Warrenbrand struck him out swinging, ending any hopes Westford had of scoring in the inning.
He gave up a single to start the seventh inning, but came back and forced a fly ball out and a double play to end the inning.
“He’s been struggling a little bit lately, and struggled in the early part of the game, threw a lot of pitches,” said Fredericks. “He’s been getting better as the game goes on. I think what you saw was that he’s a competitor and he’d come off the mound in each of those last three innings he pitched, and he came off like he just won the state championship. Then he goes and gets the game-winning hit. Sometimes you’re the hero, and sometime’s you’re the goat, but today he was the hero.”
Warrenbrand was relieved in the eighth by David McCullough.
Recap: No. 13 Lowell 4, No. 7 BC High 2
May, 18, 2012
May 18
11:35
PM ET
By John McGuirk | ESPNBoston.com
LOWELL, Mass. -- It is a known fact that big-time pitchers are usually at their best in big-game situations.
Lowell High’s Matt Tulley certainly falls into that classification of big-time pitcher. Tonight the senior righty showed why, as he surrendered just four hits while striking out 11 in a complete game 4-2 non-league victory effort over BC High at Alumni Field.
“I knew this was the most-anticipated game of the year for us,” said Tulley, who will play for Virginia Tech next season. “I was just very excited to play. Coach (Danny) Graham told me about a pitcher from this area named Jeff Allison (who played at Peabody High and was a first-round pick of the Florida Marlins) and how gritty a player he was and I just tried to follow that.
"Warming up in the bullpen I didn't feel that good. I don't know what it was but I wasn't to worried about it. I just knew I had to zone in more and get focused. Once I got out there I felt great.”
Tulley mixed his fastball and cutter with a knee-buckling curve, which proved to be his most effective pitch of the evening as it kept Eagles (13-5) off-balanced throughout.
“We had chances but let to many opportunities go by,” BC High coach Norm Walsh said. “(Tulley) is obviously one of the top 4-5 guys we’ve seen all year. Him changing speeds on his breaking ball was the biggest thing. It wasn't so much the fastball but the ability for him to change speeds on the breaking ball. He competes. That’s what you want to see out of your pitchers -- to be aggressive and go after hitters like he did tonight.”
With the contest tied 2-2 through 5 1/2 innings, the Red Raiders (13-3) put this one to rest in their half of the sixth. With John Arens in relief of starter Trent Berg (5 IP, 2 runs, 7 hits, 4 Ks) on the mound, Lowell’s Roger Roman opened the frame with a single. After advancing to second on Matt Cassella’s well-executed sacrifice bunt, the senior eventually came around to score the go-ahead run on a Chad Gens fielder’s choice. The Red Raiders added another run moments later on a Tulley (2 hits, 2 RBI) single to left that scored Mike Hart, who walked.
“We knew it was going to be a good game,” Graham said. “It was a great performance by Matt, and he was very gutsy right to the end. Credit our kids. This one was fun to watch. (BC High) is a helluva team and they compete hard. You could see at the end of the game how meaningful it was to beat a program like BC High. Anytime you win it’s great but when you beat a quality team it’s even better. Our kids were definitely up for the challenge.”
The Red Raiders looked to put this contest away in their half of the first after loading the bases with no out. But Berg, who also used his 12-to-6 curveball with authority, pitched his way out of trouble by striking out Tulley and R.J. Noel before inducing Derek Reed to fly out. Walking the proverbial tightrope much of the evening, Berg, a junior, failed to escape trouble in the third.
Back-to-back singles by R.J. Gray and Gens started things. A Tulley sacrifice bunt moved both runners into scoring position. After Berg set Noel with a strike out, Reed next singled to plate Gray with Lowell’s first run.
The Eagles tied it up in the fifth. Rich Roach opened with a double to left, took third on a deep fly out by Chuckie Connors and sprinted home on a wild pitch. Lowell got that run back its half of the fifth. Gens singled, stole second and came around to score on Tulley’s double down the left field line which short-hopped over the glove of third baseman Justin Silvestro making it 2-1.
Showing great resiliency, the Eagles answered back to begin the sixth. Bobby Melley blasted a triple to right and scored moments later on a passed ball to deadlock this tilt yet again, 2-2.
But on this night, the Red Raiders simply had too much firepower offensively and it showed in the bottom of the frame after taking a two-run advantage. With Tulley in full command on the hill, that would prove to be more than enough run support for him to secure the win.
“We put some pressure on them,” said Walsh. “When we kept it on them we scored but we just didn’t get it done as often as we needed to do it.”
With the regular season of MIAA spring sports coming to a close in another week and half, here are our writers' picks for All-State selections in baseball and softball, based on production to this point in the spring:
BASEBALL
Brendan Hall
ESPN Boston High Schools Editor
Mr. Baseball – Steve Moyers, East Longmeadow
Coach of the Year – Kirk Fredericks, Lincoln-Sudbury
Starting Rotation
RHP – Matt Tulley, Sr., Lowell
LHP – Steve Moyers, Sr., East Longmeadow
RHP – Pat Ruotolo, Jr., Peabody
LHP – Mac Curran, Jr., Coyle-Cassidy
RHP – Mike Walkowicz, Sr., Amherst
Starting Nine
1B – John Jennings, Sr., Newton South
1B – Chris Shaw, Sr., Lexington
SS – Adam Benvie, Sr., Dighton-Rehoboth
OF – Jarrod Casey, Sr., Milford
C – Bobby Melley, Sr., BC High
SS – Matt O’Neil, Sr., East Longmeadow
SS – Regan Aghdam, Sr., Burncoat
OF – Casey DeAndrade, Sr., East Bridgewater
SS – Frank Crinella, Sr., Springfield Cathedral
Bullpen
LHP – Ben Bowden, Jr., Lynn English
LHP – Ryan McDonald, Sr., Acton-Boxborough
RHP – Willie Nastasi, Sr., Barnstable
RHP – Brandon Shileikis, Sr., Dighton-Rehoboth
LHP – Scott Tully, Jr., Reading
LHP – Tyler Buck, Sr., Franklin
Utility
SS – David McCullough, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury
SS – Johnny Adams, Jr., Walpole
OF – Brian Hocking, Sr., BC High
C – Matt Rabbito, Jr., Chelmsford
2B – Chuckie Connors, Jr., BC High
John McGuirk
Correspondent
Mr. Baseball – Steve Moyers, East Longmeadow
Coach of the Year – Pat Moriarty, Springfield Cathedral
Starting Rotation
RHP – Pat Ruotolo, Jr., Peabody
LHP – Kevin Kwedor, Sr., Marshfield
RHP – Dustin Hunt, Jr., St. John’s Prep
RHP – Matt Tulley, Sr., Lowell
RHP – Mike Walkowicz, Sr., Amherst
Starting Nine
SS – Adam Benvie, Sr., Dighton-Rehoboth
SS – Matt O’Neil, Sr., East Longmeadow
3B – Frank Crinella, Sr., Springfield Cathedral
SS – Trevor Massey, Jr., Swampscott
OF – Max DiTondo, Sr., Marshfield
1B – John Jennings, Sr., Newton South
SS – Regan Aghdam, Sr., Burncoat
C – Austin Goldberg, Jr., East Bridgewater
SS – Johnny Williams, Jr., Mashpee
Bullpen
LHP – Pat Naughton, Soph., Boston Latin
RHP – Harrison Paige, Sr., Springfield Cathedral
LHP – Nick Lemay, Sr., Oxford
RHP – Mike Badjo, Sr., St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
RHP – Brandon Shileikis, Jr., Dighton-Rehoboth
Utility
C – Will Cousins, Sr., Medfield
SS – Scott Blanchette, Sr., Pittsfield
SS – Luke Parseghian, Sr., Tahanto
OF – Brian Hocking, Sr., BC High
SS – Brendan Skidmore, Sr., Franklin
OF – Mike Valastro, Sr., Millbury
SOFTBALL
Scott Barboza
ESPN Boston High Schools Editor
Miss Softball – Shannon Smith, Jr. P, Milford
Coach of the Year – Kristen Mahoney, Burlington
Starting Rotation
Kiara Amos, Sr., Malden
Lauren Ramirez, Jr., Dracut
Meghan Rico, Sr., King Philiip
Sarah Ropiak, Sr., Acton-Boxborough
Shannon Smith, Jr., Milford
Starting Nine
Patty Borges, Sr. SS, Coyle-Cassidy
Katie Caruso, Sr. SS, Newton North
Bri Chiusano, Sr. OF, Mansfield
Alexis DeBrosse, Jr. SS, New Bedford
Olivia Godin, Sr. C, King Philip
Bella Picard, Jr. SS, Blackstone Valley Tech
Christina Raso, Sr. SS, Burlington
Madi Shaw, Soph. SS, Bridgewater-Raynham
Reilly Weiners, Jr. C, Agawam
Bullpen
Megan Cook, Soph., Bellingham
Mackenzie Coopinger, Sr., Lynn Classical
Shelby Higgins, Sr. , Lowell
Courtney Girouard, Soph., Fairhaven
Kelly Norton, Sr., Abington
Utility
Tori Constantin, Jr. 2B, King Philip
Julie LeClair, Sr. 3B, Coyle-Cassidy
Nicole Lundstrom, Jr. C, Dighton-Rehoboth
Lexi Gifford, Sr. SS, Natick
Rachel Kuhlman, Soph. C, Bellingham
BASEBALL
Brendan Hall
ESPN Boston High Schools Editor
Mr. Baseball – Steve Moyers, East Longmeadow
Coach of the Year – Kirk Fredericks, Lincoln-Sudbury
Starting Rotation
RHP – Matt Tulley, Sr., Lowell
LHP – Steve Moyers, Sr., East Longmeadow
RHP – Pat Ruotolo, Jr., Peabody
LHP – Mac Curran, Jr., Coyle-Cassidy
RHP – Mike Walkowicz, Sr., Amherst
Starting Nine
1B – John Jennings, Sr., Newton South
1B – Chris Shaw, Sr., Lexington
SS – Adam Benvie, Sr., Dighton-Rehoboth
OF – Jarrod Casey, Sr., Milford
C – Bobby Melley, Sr., BC High
SS – Matt O’Neil, Sr., East Longmeadow
SS – Regan Aghdam, Sr., Burncoat
OF – Casey DeAndrade, Sr., East Bridgewater
SS – Frank Crinella, Sr., Springfield Cathedral
Bullpen
LHP – Ben Bowden, Jr., Lynn English
LHP – Ryan McDonald, Sr., Acton-Boxborough
RHP – Willie Nastasi, Sr., Barnstable
RHP – Brandon Shileikis, Sr., Dighton-Rehoboth
LHP – Scott Tully, Jr., Reading
LHP – Tyler Buck, Sr., Franklin
Utility
SS – David McCullough, Sr., Lincoln-Sudbury
SS – Johnny Adams, Jr., Walpole
OF – Brian Hocking, Sr., BC High
C – Matt Rabbito, Jr., Chelmsford
2B – Chuckie Connors, Jr., BC High
John McGuirk
Correspondent
Mr. Baseball – Steve Moyers, East Longmeadow
Coach of the Year – Pat Moriarty, Springfield Cathedral
Starting Rotation
RHP – Pat Ruotolo, Jr., Peabody
LHP – Kevin Kwedor, Sr., Marshfield
RHP – Dustin Hunt, Jr., St. John’s Prep
RHP – Matt Tulley, Sr., Lowell
RHP – Mike Walkowicz, Sr., Amherst
Starting Nine
SS – Adam Benvie, Sr., Dighton-Rehoboth
SS – Matt O’Neil, Sr., East Longmeadow
3B – Frank Crinella, Sr., Springfield Cathedral
SS – Trevor Massey, Jr., Swampscott
OF – Max DiTondo, Sr., Marshfield
1B – John Jennings, Sr., Newton South
SS – Regan Aghdam, Sr., Burncoat
C – Austin Goldberg, Jr., East Bridgewater
SS – Johnny Williams, Jr., Mashpee
Bullpen
LHP – Pat Naughton, Soph., Boston Latin
RHP – Harrison Paige, Sr., Springfield Cathedral
LHP – Nick Lemay, Sr., Oxford
RHP – Mike Badjo, Sr., St. John’s (Shrewsbury)
RHP – Brandon Shileikis, Jr., Dighton-Rehoboth
Utility
C – Will Cousins, Sr., Medfield
SS – Scott Blanchette, Sr., Pittsfield
SS – Luke Parseghian, Sr., Tahanto
OF – Brian Hocking, Sr., BC High
SS – Brendan Skidmore, Sr., Franklin
OF – Mike Valastro, Sr., Millbury
SOFTBALL
Scott Barboza
ESPN Boston High Schools Editor
Miss Softball – Shannon Smith, Jr. P, Milford
Coach of the Year – Kristen Mahoney, Burlington
Starting Rotation
Kiara Amos, Sr., Malden
Lauren Ramirez, Jr., Dracut
Meghan Rico, Sr., King Philiip
Sarah Ropiak, Sr., Acton-Boxborough
Shannon Smith, Jr., Milford
Starting Nine
Patty Borges, Sr. SS, Coyle-Cassidy
Katie Caruso, Sr. SS, Newton North
Bri Chiusano, Sr. OF, Mansfield
Alexis DeBrosse, Jr. SS, New Bedford
Olivia Godin, Sr. C, King Philip
Bella Picard, Jr. SS, Blackstone Valley Tech
Christina Raso, Sr. SS, Burlington
Madi Shaw, Soph. SS, Bridgewater-Raynham
Reilly Weiners, Jr. C, Agawam
Bullpen
Megan Cook, Soph., Bellingham
Mackenzie Coopinger, Sr., Lynn Classical
Shelby Higgins, Sr. , Lowell
Courtney Girouard, Soph., Fairhaven
Kelly Norton, Sr., Abington
Utility
Tori Constantin, Jr. 2B, King Philip
Julie LeClair, Sr. 3B, Coyle-Cassidy
Nicole Lundstrom, Jr. C, Dighton-Rehoboth
Lexi Gifford, Sr. SS, Natick
Rachel Kuhlman, Soph. C, Bellingham
New England Roundup: Rhode Island
May, 17, 2012
May 17
10:07
PM ET
By Mike Scandura | ESPNBoston.com
At face value, the La Salle Academy boys’ lacrosse team should have been devastated last spring by graduation when six All-State players – including All-Americans Ryan Poirier (midfield) and Cody O’Donnell (defender) - departed via the cap-and-gown route.
Not quite.
Through games of May 15, the Rams were sitting atop Division I with an 8-0 record and were leading in both goals scored (107) plus goals allowed (48).
Most importantly, the Rams have established themselves as the team to beat in their pursuit of the first state championship since the school added the sport.
Over the previous four seasons, coach Steve O’Donnell’s team posted a combined record of 44-3. But the Rams have lost three times in the finals – in 2008 to North Kingstown, in 2010 to Moses Brown and in 2011 to Hendricken.
But the returning veterans have keyed La Salle’s run to a possible undefeated season.
For example, All-American attack Brady O’Donnell scored five goals in this week’s 12-9 victory over North Kingstown. And in a 7-5 non-league victory over Bishop Guertin, a Division I school from Nashua, N.H., O’Donnell collected a hat trick.
Second Team All-State midfielder Jack Collins fired home seven goals and assisted on another in a 12-8 win over Hendricken.
Senior midfielder Dan Lucchetti scored three goals and assisted on one when La Salle beat the Hawks, 11-7, in the teams’ rematch.
Senior midfielder Sam Ricci added one goal plus four assists in the second win over the Hawks.
Sophomore Peter DeSimone has played well at attack and recorded four goals plus an assist in that 11-7 win over Hendricken.
TOLMAN CLINCHES PENNANT
With three games left in the regular season, Tolman clinched the Division II-Central title on May 15 by blanking Mount Pleasant, 3-0, as Andrew Larson and Carlos Sanabria combined on a six-hitter.
That was the latest in a string of impressive victories for the Tigers (13-3 in league play and 14-3 overall).
Against arch-rival Shea, Sanabria tossed a two-hitter replete with one walk and 12 strikeouts as the Tigers prevailed, 10-0. Sanabria also went 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBI.
Earlier, Tolman received another solid mound performance from Larson who went the distance on a five-hitter as the Tigers edged Classical, 2-1.
Not quite.
Through games of May 15, the Rams were sitting atop Division I with an 8-0 record and were leading in both goals scored (107) plus goals allowed (48).
Most importantly, the Rams have established themselves as the team to beat in their pursuit of the first state championship since the school added the sport.
Over the previous four seasons, coach Steve O’Donnell’s team posted a combined record of 44-3. But the Rams have lost three times in the finals – in 2008 to North Kingstown, in 2010 to Moses Brown and in 2011 to Hendricken.
But the returning veterans have keyed La Salle’s run to a possible undefeated season.
For example, All-American attack Brady O’Donnell scored five goals in this week’s 12-9 victory over North Kingstown. And in a 7-5 non-league victory over Bishop Guertin, a Division I school from Nashua, N.H., O’Donnell collected a hat trick.
Second Team All-State midfielder Jack Collins fired home seven goals and assisted on another in a 12-8 win over Hendricken.
Senior midfielder Dan Lucchetti scored three goals and assisted on one when La Salle beat the Hawks, 11-7, in the teams’ rematch.
Senior midfielder Sam Ricci added one goal plus four assists in the second win over the Hawks.
Sophomore Peter DeSimone has played well at attack and recorded four goals plus an assist in that 11-7 win over Hendricken.
TOLMAN CLINCHES PENNANT
With three games left in the regular season, Tolman clinched the Division II-Central title on May 15 by blanking Mount Pleasant, 3-0, as Andrew Larson and Carlos Sanabria combined on a six-hitter.
That was the latest in a string of impressive victories for the Tigers (13-3 in league play and 14-3 overall).
Against arch-rival Shea, Sanabria tossed a two-hitter replete with one walk and 12 strikeouts as the Tigers prevailed, 10-0. Sanabria also went 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBI.
Earlier, Tolman received another solid mound performance from Larson who went the distance on a five-hitter as the Tigers edged Classical, 2-1.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Scott Barboza
Scott Barboza joined ESPNBoston.com as a high schools editor/reporter in May 2010. He spent the previous three seasons working in the New England Patriots media relations department after a stint at the Taunton Daily Gazette, where he covered everything from Little League baseball to the Boston Red Sox. The Fall River native is a graduate of Emerson College. He can be reached at sbarboza@espnboston.com.
Brendan Hall
Brendan Hall joined ESPNBoston.com as a high schools reporter/editor in May 2010, after four years covering high schools for The Boston Globe. The Westminster, Mass. native also served on the Globe's Bruins beat last season. Hall is a graduate of UMass Amherst. He can be reached at bhall@espnboston.com.
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