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WESTWOOD, Mass. -- While Brendan Ryan might prefer skating around an ice rink to running on a baseball field, there was no one who had a bigger hand in ensuring the No. 6 New ton North baseball team remained unbeaten when they bested host and No. 11 Xaverian, 8-4, on Thursday morning.

“The kicker is, he’s a hockey player,” said North coach Joe Siciliano. “He’s tough and hard-nosed, and he wants to be out there. When they went up 4-2, a lot of kids would be looking over at the sidelines expecting to be out. This kid, if I walked out there, he’d have thrown the ball at me. He just did a great job today.”

Ryan (3-0) tossed his third complete game in as many starts, striking out five and scattering eight hits while surrendering three earn runs against a team that has historically had his number.

“Every game is significant, but this one is just a little sweeter,” Ryan said. “I pitched against them the last couple of years and they’ve teed off against me. This year, I didn’t get down on myself when they started hitting the ball early.”

Ryan was as good at the plate as he was on the mound for the Tigers (6-0).

He went 1-for-2 in the win, blasting a solo homer to left to lead off the second inning to get Newton North’s offense going. In the sixth inning, he walked and scored a run, pull the Tigers within one run. And in the seventh, he put them ahead for good with a sacrifice fly to deep center field.

“Quality teams are made of quality players,” said Xaverian coach Gerry Lambert. “That’s one of coach Sicilliano’s central guys this year. I’m sure he’s thrilled to have him. He’ll be a big problem for his opponents in games he starts the rest year and into the tournament as well.”

After Ryan’s solo shot, Kevin Alexy drew a walk, stole second and eventually scored on a single by Johnny Little, giving the Tigers a 2-0 advantage heading to the bottom of the second.

Xaverian (3-4) quickly cut into that lead when Aidan Desrosiers unloaded a solo homer of his own to center field.

Adam Chochrek singled, coming around to score on an Aaron Drummey (2-for-3, walk) base hit. Xaverian starting pitcher Austin DeCarr (2-for-2, walk) gave the Hawks a lead when he delivered a pop-up down the right field line that fell for a double. From there though, Ryan locked in on the mound, allowing just two more hits and one unearned run the rest of the way.

Newton North retook the lead in the sixth inning when Phil Biancuso belted a double that scored Ryan -– who had walked to lead-off the inning. A throwing error sent Biancuso to third before he scored on a passed ball.

Chochrek led off the sixth by reaching on an error. After advancing to second base on a sacrifice bunt, he scored on a single into right by Drummey.

Newton North took advantage of some command issues Xaverian relief pitchers experience to put the game away in the seventh. A Ben Porter walk, Alex Joyce single and Michael Courtney walk loaded the bases with no outs, setting up Ryan’s go-ahead sacrifice fly. With two outs in the inning, Biancuso crushed a ball deep to right center, one-hopping the fence. Biancuso hit third with ease and turned for home, scoring when Xaverian’s catcher dropped the ball while applying a tag.

Ryan sent the Hawks down in order in the seventh, striking out the final two hitters of the game.

“When you play a quality opponent and you don’t make pitches and don’t make all the plays you can make, they’re going to beat you,” said Lambert. They’re just going to keep coming. That was Newton today.”

NORTH ATTLEBOROUGH, Mass. – Heading into the match-up between North Attleborough and King Philip, there was some talk that this might finally be the year that the Rocketeers take the Hockomock League title from the Warriors. Following Wednesday afternoon’s game, it is clear that there is still some work to be done to catch KP.

The Warriors scored four runs in the first three innings and got an impressive pitching performance from senior Anna O’Neill (nine strikeouts) to beat North 6-1 and take an early first step towards another Kelley-Rex division title.

“Obviously, that’s a good team and anytime you play a good team, you want to come out on top,” said King Philip’s first-year head coach Norm Beauchemin. “It was an important game for us because you want to be on top of the league. You don’t want to be chasing someone; you want them to be chasing you.”

The Warriors took the lead on the first batter of the second inning. O’Neill, who drove in a pair of runs in addition to her dominating work in the circle, crushed a 2-2 pitch deep over the fence in straightaway center.

KP broke the game open in the very next inning.

Clean-up hitter Renee Poirier plated Breanna Shaffer with an infield single to make it 2-0. O’Neill followed that with a sacrifice fly on a hard hit line drive to right that brought home Tori Constantin. Casey Hutnyan followed with a single to right that brought home Poirier to make it 4-0.

It was a big inning for the Warriors, but the hardest hit ball off Rocketeers starter Meg Colleran was the line drive out by O’Neill. After the inning ended, North Attleborough head coach Bill Wallace brought his team together and told them that reaching the next level means making those types of plays.

Four runs was enough for O’Neill, who allowed only three base runners (two of them on walks) through the first five innings. Although North started to have better at bats in the later innings, Beauchemin was nonchalant about the effort of his senior.

He explained, “Anna was on. She threw the ball well. If they put the ball in play, hopefully we make the plays.”

The Warriors added a pair of runs with two outs in the sixth inning. Shannon Jones lined a base hit to right that tipped off the webbing of North first baseman Allison Paquin’s glove. That was followed by a triple down the leftfield line by pinch-hitter Christa Wagner. Wagner scored on a single by Shaffer to make it 6-0.

With six runs against North, KP has scored 30 runs in the three wins that followed its shutout loss to Milford. Beauchemin credited the Warriors’ success to a more disciplined approach at the plate.

“We were undisciplined that day and the girls know it,” he remarked. “These girls swing the bat well. They actually like to see pitchers like this, top pitchers; it makes for a more interesting game. Everybody’s level of play goes up.”

North got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. Leadoff hitter Rose Mooney beat out a grounder to third and two batters later advanced to third on a single by Colleran. She came home to score on a grounder up the middle by catcher Meghan Wynn that was bobbled by KP shortstop Ashley Hession but right to Constantin to get the force at second.

Despite the loss, Wallace was proud of how his team battled. North were without middle of the order hitter Jackie Del Bonis, who injured her ankle playing field hockey, and played freshman Mycala Moody at third base for the first time. Also, Colleran made the start despite battling illness.

“We probably had seven or eight 3-2 counts, Marissa Gifford had an 11 or 12-pitch at-bat her first time up, so I thought that was good today,” Wallace remarked. “Those are two of the best pitchers in the league and I thought both teams did a good job with their plate approach.”

He added, “Just a lot of stuff fell in today. Tip your hat to them and move on.”

Both teams step outside the Hockomock League in their next games. King Philip will host Shrewsbury on Friday, while North Attleborough travels to Durfee on Saturday.

Everett High Class of 2014 defensive back Lubern Figaro received his first Big Ten scholarship offer, from Michigan State, he confirmed to ESPNBoston.com this afternoon.

The Spartans become the third Division 1 FBS program to offer the 6-foot, 180-pound Figaro, joining Boston College and UMass. Temple has also expressed interest.

"It feels incredible, to have the chance to possibly go to the Big Ten one day," Figaro said. "I'm surprised to get an offer from the Big Ten, they don't really recruit people from Boston."

Figaro started all 13 games this past season for the Crimson Tide, alternating between strong safety and slot cornerback, as they captured their third straight Eastern Mass. Super Bowl title. Alongside seniors Jalen Felix, Gilly De Souza and Wisconsin signee Jakarrie Washington, Everett's secondary was considered the state's most feared. Figaro registered 37 tackles, five sacks and three interceptions for the season.

This marks the second time in as many months that Michigan State has dipped into the Bay State to extend an offer to a Class of 2014 prospect. Last month, the Spartans offered Millis/Hopedale lineman Jon Baker, who himself also holds offers from Rutgers, Temple, Ohio, Boston College, UMass and UConn.

CONCORD, Mass. -- Charlie Painter is an attack player by trade, but with teammate and top midfielder Will Blumenberg still recovering from a football injury, Painter proved pretty adept as a middie in his own right despite next to no practice time at the position.

Painter and Blumenberg each recorded hat tricks to help lead the Patriots to an 11-6 victory over Winchester in the final game of Day One of the Coaches Challenge Cup tournament at Doug White Memorial Field.

Blumenberg, a three-sport star who quarterbacks the football team and serves as the basketball team's point guard, suffered a foot injury during the Patriots Thanksgiving football game against Bedford. He missed the hoops season and is playing at far less than his full capacity thus far on the lacrosse fields. C-C coach Tom Dalicandro elected to move him to attack to save him some wear and tear while turning to Painter, one of the team's captains, to handle midfield duties.

"We kind of yo-yoed (Painter) because he's a really smart kid," explained Dalicandro afterward. "We put Will at attack and we let him play middie without really coaching him that much. He's a really smart kid, he knows how to play and he's a kid we can move around a little bit. We expect him to compete for us and do a good job as one of our captains."

The move also benefitted Blumenberg, who turned in his best effort so far, adding a hat trick and 10 faceoff wins to his game totals.

"This was the best he's played all year," Dalicandro said. "Will's probably about 50 percent athletically of what we was from last year because of his foot injury. Will's a middie but for us he's been struggling getting up and down the field so we played him mostly at attack and he took some faceoffs. Sometimes he just makes plays, which we need. He can carry the ball a little bit and has a good shot. I thought this was the best he's played. This was back to the Will from last year."

Winchester (3-2) was the team that got off to the stronger start, however, as Tim Mangano and Evan Carey both scored to stake the Sachems to a quick 2-0 lead. Concord-Carlisle (4-2) responded with the first of two goals from Jack Barrett and proceeded to run off six straight before Gerald Nluve stopped the bleeding for Winchester right before the half.

The Patriots blanked the Sachems in the third while scoring five of their own as Painter, Blumenberg, Barrett, freshman Aidan Cyr (two goals) and Peter Anastos all found the back of the cage to push the lead to 11-3. Winchester fought the entire way and made things interesting in the final frame as Tyler Calnan got one and Dan Marx scored twice, the second coming with 2:56 to go, but C-C was able to hold on from there.

"The thing I was very pleased about was that, even in our youth and our immaturity and our inexperience, we competed hard," said Winchester coach John Pirani in praise of his team. "I don't think we competed smart for 48 minutes but we competed hard for 48 minutes. And you could see our inexperience. Three sophomore attackmen, a couple of freshmen playing at midfield and we just didn't take advantage of what a good team gave us. They gave us a few things, we just didn't take advantage of it. But the thing that comes through here in the middle of April, and hopefully in preparation for the end of the season, is that we'll learn those lessons and get more consistent and tougher all the way through."

WELLESLEY 7, ANDOVER 4: New players stepping means new nicknames for kids who will go by "Risky Biz" and "No Name Bobby" for the time being. The hope is that those players, and others whose nicknames we've yet to learn, will help the Raiders continue to improve with each practice and game day.

Tucker "No Name Bobby" Dietrick scored twice, as did John Caraviello, and Mike "Risky Biz" Riskind made 12 saves to lead Wellesley (3-3) while Andrew Eriksen had two goals to pace the Golden Warriors (2-2).

Andover built a 3-1 lead at the half on goals from Eriksen, Jesse Greaves and Justin Bresnan while the defense did a tremendous job of limiting the Raiders to just a lone tally from Kerry Lyne.

Senior captain Andrew Volkman changed the momentum by owning the faceoff X in the third quarter, sparking Wellesley to a four-goal spurt that gave them a 5-3 advantage to take into the final frame.

"Volkman did a great job at facing off today, had some good help from the wings," praised Raiders coach Rocky Batty. "Tucker Morgan, who was out there with him on the wing, I thought did just a fantastic job of keeping it on the ground and giving us a chance to win the ball."

Eriksen fired in his second score early in the fourth to pull his team to within a goal but Caraviello put in his second, then Brian Pedersen capped the scoring with a beautiful transition goal off an Andover turnover with 55 seconds remaining.

"At the end of the third, I think we had taken the lead by then," Batty recalled. "The three coaches got together and said, 'We're still not running an offense. We're kind of getting hustle goals.' And I can't think of the last time a coach argued about a hustle goal, but after that we had to run some offense. We had possession, we struggled with transition all day and then we finally got that last one which, maybe that leads to a lot of transition from here, we'll find out."

CONCORD, Mass. –- With seven players finding the back of the net on Wednesday, Lincoln-Sudbury (5-0) showed off one of the most balanced and productive efforts of the young 2013 season as they defeated Dover-Sherborn, 15-4.

No. 2 Lincoln-Sudbury, playing at full strength for one of the first times this season, used a 7-0 second quarter run to pull away from No. 13 D-S (5-1) in the first round of the 2013 Coaches Challenge Cup.

“It was just a team effort today,” L-S head coach Brian Vona said after the game.

L-S was led in scoring on the day by senior attack Jordan Dow, who netted four goals to go with one assist.

“When we get both the midfielders and attack going we can be a tough team to beat,” Dow said.

Middies Dan Delaney, Brendan McCartthy, Harlan Smart, and Henry Guild each scored two goals and Greg Roder added one for the victors.

“It is what we talked about,” Vona said. “We had a couple of kids trying to do it all and we just talked about sharing the ball and we did.”

Two-Way Middie: Fairfield-bound middie Chris Giorgio (2 Goals) scored the games opening goal, eight seconds into the first quarter, on an aggressive dodge off a John Sexton face-off win.

As good as Giorgio looked on the offensive end it was work on the defensive end of the field that drew praise from his head coach.

“He is a very good player,” Vona said. “We did not get him into to many offensive sets today because we had him coming in on the wings so much and I did not want to gas him. He took the ball away from kids with the short stick a few times. The kid has worked really hard for us so I am proud for him.”

Opening Quarter: It may not have been how Vona drew up the start of the game but D-S came out moving and possessing the ball as they lead 2-1 after the first quarter.

“In the first quarter we were just trying to do too much,” Vona said. “Every one person was trying to do it themselves but when we sit back and trust each other and move the ball I think we are a good team.”

D-S, playing without senior attack Brandon Jaeger, who was out with an injury, got a strong opening effort from attackmen Grant Gregory (1G) and Matt Davies (1G, 1A).

From the second quarter on it would be all L-S as they used their depth, balance and strong two-way play to control the game.

“We settled down in the second quarter, got the quality dodges we wanted and executed,” Dow added.

L-S will take-on long-time neighboring rival Concord-Carlisle in the 4 p.m. semifinal game of the Coaches Challenge Cup on Thursday at Andover High School.

North Andover Advances: North Andover had finished in last place (Eighth) during the past two years of the Coaches Challenge Cup. On Wednesday they took a big step toward changing recent history as they defeated Division 2 power Hingham, 7-6, in the day’s closest contest.

After an opening half that saw both teams score only one goal each North Andover coach Ryan Connolly knew that his team had to start taking advantage of opportunities if they were going to prevail.

“We knew they would come around as long as we could start burying our opportunities,” Connolly said. “We were a little stagnant and we did not come out of the gates flying like I was expecting the guys too. Then we really started turning it on.”

Both teams came out of the second half more aggressive as Hingham middie Caleb Broadie (3 G) and North Andover attack Nick Pino (4G) matched each other goal for goal in a battle of two of the top talents in Eastern Massachusetts lacrosse.

Trailing 6-4 with 7:26 remaining in the game North Andover received three unanswered goals from attack Dante Querci (2G) and Pino to give them the final lead of the game.

The North Andover defensive unit of goalie Cosmo Capabianco and defenders Colin Cronin, Tom O’Mara, and Joe Samuelman all played very well down the stretch for NA in the win.

North Andover will take on Wellesley at 2 p.m. in the other semifinal match-up on Thursday at Andover High School.

Danvers, Mass. -- Ben Alpern eyed the signal from ball-handler Jack Sharrio as he worked his way the opposite direction behind the goalpost. Catching a pass yards in front of Beverly keeper Kevin Lally, the St. John's Prep midfielder faked left then quickly flicked the ball into the right side of the net.

As the Eagles sideline erupted, the senior embraced his teammates' to celebrate their first lead of the game -- a 12-11 advantage with 1:56 remaining. Playing catchup for 41:15 consecutive minutes, the Beverly native played a crucial role for the Prep boys' lacrosse team (4-1) by scoring both the equalizer and winner in what was a 13-11 comeback against their 32-year-old rival and former Northeastern Conference opponent, Beverly (5-1).

“We have been working a lot with picks on the crease,” said Alpern. “They lost me on the crease and I put it in. We knew we had another half to play once we were down by six (and) we kept focusing on getting one goal.”

The Eagles went on a nine to one run over the final 22 minutes and netted the last six goals to comeback from what was an early second-half six-goal deficit.

SJP junior Andrew O'Connell used his back to lose his man then bounced a shot past a sliding defender to start the six-tally streak with 2:49 left in the third quarter. Alpern equalized at 11-11 nine minutes later off an assist from junior Andrew Gallahue.

Gallahue lead all-scorers with four goals and an assist, while teammate O'Connell and Alpern netted three goals.

“It came down to momentum”, said SJP coach John Roy. “We did a little better on offense possessing the ball and moving (it). We needed to be better shooters.”

DIFFERENT TEAMS WITH DIFFERENT HALVES
Beverly dominated the first half by scoring the first three goals, including a 10-yard rocket from the side of the net by senior Dom Abate for the opening tally at 10:53 in the first quarter. The Panthers scored five straight during the second quarter starting with an isolated effort for a goal by Brendan Flaherty at 6:12 in the second quarter.

The senior assisted a score then ripped a 15-yard rocket from just inside the attack area for the 9-3 advantage with 1:02 left in the first half.

“We do a lot of transition in practice and everyday getting the ball into unsettled situations,” said Beverly coach John Pynchon. “We have a lot of dynamic midfielders and they did a good job beating their men. They know when to make the next pass.”

Flaherty converted a defensive turnover into a breakaway tally for the Panthers' second six-point margin and a 10-4 lead after 1:33 in the second half.

The senior scored three goals and assisted one, while teammate sophomore Nick Albano netted two goals and assisted one. Panthers keeper Kevin Lally was a force throughout with 17 saves.

“Some of our seniors who played football this is the first time they have lost this year,” said Pynchon. “[Lally] is very mature about his preparation and has great eyes. You take him out of the game when kids are throwing at him from three yards away.”

PLYMOUTH, Mass. -– The Silver Lake baseball team may been held hitless until the sixth inning against Plymouth North, but it was Lakers’ starting pitcher Mike Lundin who left Siever Field as the best pitcher on Tuesday.

Lundin threw a 101-pitch complete game in the Lakers' 4-1 eight-inning win in the opening round of the Brad Martin Tournament on Tuesday, setting them up with a match-up against Bridgewater-Raynham in the finals on Thursday at 2, back at Siever Field in Plymouth. Plymouth North will face New Bedford in the consolation game.

The senior hurler surrendered just two hits and one unearned run while striking out nine –- including five in the final two innings as Silver Lake improved to 5-0 on the season.

"Mike’s a stud. Mike’s a horse," said Silver Lake coach Ken Tocci. "This was just a good old fashioned pitcher’s duel. We were lucky enough to get out on top, because he made big pitches when he had to."

He was efficient in out-dueling Eagles (3-1) starter Ken Drew, throwing 68 of his 101 pitches for strikes.

"He kept us off-balance all game," said Plymouth North interim coach Pat Lamb. "Kids were ducking out of the way on called third strikes. His curve ball was working and he throws hard. Some days you just tip your hat, and today is one of those days. He pitched a little bit better than our guy."

Drew threw the first seven innings for North, holding Silver Lake hitless until a Sam Ballerini fell in down the right field line for a two-out double in the top of the sixth inning.

After Cory Boudreau walked, stole second and took third on a throwing error in the first inning, he came in to score an unearned run on a fielder’s choice from the bat of David Murphy.

Drew quieted a pair of potential SL rallies in the third and fourth innings, as they put runners on second and third in both, despite not having any hits.

It took until the top of the seventh for the Lakers to finally get to him. Freshman Anthony Videtto led off with a walk and quickly stole second base, despite a pitch-out by Plymouth North.

With one out, the speedy second baseman swiped third, forcing Plymouth North to pull its infield in to try and prevent the game-tying run from scoring.

Sophomore Tanner Bouchard –- who was Silver Lake’s first base runner after drawing a walk to conclude a nine-pitch at-bat in the third – fought off a pair of two-strike pitches before smacking a grounder toward shortstop.

Videtto was off on contact, and slid across the plate with the tying run just a blink of the eye ahead of the tag.

“We’re aggressive,” said Tocci. “Anyone who watches us know we’re aggressive, and you live by the sword, and die by the sword. He could have very easily been thrown out. We noticed that it was sort of a slow infield and balls weren’t getting to position players the way they would if the grass was cut lower. One out, working toward the bottom of the order, we decided to be off on contact.”

Plymouth North made a move to the bullpen in the eighth with Drew already at 116 pitches, and Silver Lake took advantage.

Josh O’Neill led off with a walk, and Matt Kauchon followed with one as well. Ballerini laced a line drive deep toward the right center field gap that was caught near the fence, allowing O’Neill to race to third base.

O’Neill scored the go-ahead run for SL on a wild pitch with Tucker Bouchard at the plate.

Bouchard was award first base after being hit by the next pitch, bringing Videtto back to the plate. He drew his third walk of the game.

Tanner Bouchard extended the lead when he laced a two-out single over the third baseman’s head, scoring both Kauchon and his older brother.

Lundin allowed two base runners in the bottom of the eighth, but ultimately recorded all three outs via strikeout to cap his impressive showing and punch Silver Lake’s ticket to Thursday’s championship game.

"Good pitching will always shut down good hitting," said Tocci. "We found a way to scratch one out and pulled ahead late."

WORCESTER, Mass. -- It is a uncommon, especially in New England, to have two pitchers from the same high school being coveted by Division 1 college baseball programs.

To the naked eye you do not need to be a baseball expert to understand how talented a duo Zach Zona and Jack Riley have become.

The two St. Peter-Marian standouts are as good a one-two punch on the mound as anywhere to be found. Although the team’s current 1-4 record does not reflect it, these two aces are, without a doubt, the real deal. Enough so that both already have their futures planned beyond high school.

Zona, a senior, will play at UMass next year while Riley, only a junior, has verbally committed to UConn.

“I feel that I am very lucky and fortunate to have two guys of their caliber go out there and compete because you know most of the time the both of them are going to keep you in a baseball game,” fourth-year head coach and SPM legend Ed Riley said. “The other players on this team know it too. With Zach and Jack, whomever the opponent is, we know we are going to have a good shot at winning with either of them on the mound.”

Zona, a right-hander, is beginning his second year with the Guardians. As a freshman and sophomore, he played for archrival St. John’s of Shrewsbury before transferring.

“It really wasn’t a tough transition for me,” said Zona, also a prolific hockey player for the Guardians. “I knew a lot of the kids here prior so I was pretty comfortable coming over here when I did. I am a very out-going person so I can make friends pretty easily.”

After getting feelers from a host of college programs, Zona -- who tossed a no-hitter in a victory over Burncoat last week -- opted to stay local and play at UMass.

“It was always one of the schools I wanted to go to,” said Zona, who also plays first base and outfield. “There were some other schools looking at me but nothing really fell through. During one of my last summer ball showcase tournaments I attended, UMass came through and it has looked good from there.

"They were the most-convincing in terms of me having an opportunity to come in and pitch right away. The other schools didn’t offer me that guarantee. To me, it’s all about how hard you work and the time and effort you put into it to get to this point. The saying we have here is ‘Everyday you aren’t working someone else is.’ ”

For Riley, a lefthander who also platoons at first base and is the son of the head coach, making the early decision to attend UConn has helped alleviate some of the pressure he was under. With his decision behind him, Riley says he can now focus on improving his overall game and help SPM secure a spot in the postseason tournament.

“I am a lot more relaxed now,” the younger Riley said. “Now I can just go out and do what I have to do on the field. I started off here at SPM (since the eighth grade) with great leadership and it really has kept me very humble where I’ve never gotten a big head or anything like that. It’s a great school.”

The conventional wisdom and genes Jack has picked up from his father are certainly there too. Ed Riley is well-regarded as one of the greatest high school pitchers to ever come out of Massachusetts. During his time with the Guardians in the late 1980s, Riley posted an astonishing career record of 33-1 with a 1.57 ERA. His senior year he was named Gatorade Massachusetts High School Baseball Player of the Year; he also won a state title his junior season.

Drafted by the Red Sox in the sixth round of the 1988 MLB Draft, he spent eight seasons with the organization, reaching the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Pawtucket. He later went on to have successful campaigns in the Northeast League, Atlantic League and Can-Am League. He later succeeded another SPM alum, and former Red Sox catcher, Rich Gedman as manager of the Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am League.

When you comprehend the kind of of success Ed Riley basked in, the general consensus by some, albeit unfairly, is to presume Jack will follow a similar path. But in the Riley household there is no such talk.

“People always try to compare me to him but I think I have better mechanics than him,” laughs Jack Riley. “To be honest I don’t listen to what anybody says because it is irrelevant. I just go out and do what I have to do to try and help my team win a game.”

In regards to coaching his son, Ed Riley is quick to say there is no preferential treatment given.

“Jack is treated just like any other player on this team," he said. “We have a mutual understanding that I am the coach and he is a player. I think he has handled things pretty well because there has been a lot of pressure in him trying to form his own identity which I will say he has done very well.

"I believe he is going to have a lot more success than I ever did. He has learned a lot more up to now than I did at his age when I was pitching. He is going to a college program where he will receive a real good clue of how to pitch. When I got drafted I had no idea and basically had to learn things on the fly."

Even though the Guardians have stumble out of the starting gate in the early going, it is ironic that they started out the same way last season before turning things and earning a postseason berth. The mutual belief around here is they will do it again.

“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else but here,” Zona said. “No matter what our record is right now I think we’re better than most of the teams we play around here and we should be proving that soon. I know we can do it.”

WORCESTER, Mass. -- Ben White has proven over the last couple of years that he is quite capable of pitching in any situation which presents itself. Spot the senior a six run lead and it is a near-certainty the opponent is done for.

Such was the case on Monday when St. John’s of Shrewsbury jumped on rival St. Peter-Marian for six runs in the first two innings, en route to an 8-1 triumph.

While the Pioneer offense did its job, the day belong to White. The tall, lanky righthander was in control throughout during his seven innings of work on the mound, holding the Guardians to just one hit while striking out 13.

"This game is always a big rivalry game for us," said White. "It has gone back many years. That team always competes and I know all of those guys over there. My catcher Scott (Manea) called a great game and my defense was strong behind me when I needed them to be. I was throwing my slider, my change up and my two-seamer and we just continued working it in the zone and it worked today."

St. John’s (3-1) took advantage of some early wildness from SPM righty Zach Zona. The UMass-bound senior, who tossed a no-hitter against Burncoat in his previous outing, got off to a rocky first inning by hitting a pair of batters sandwiched around a walk to load the bases with none out. Zona, who played for St. John’s his first two years before transferring to SPM last season, then issued another walk to Jake Byrne forcing in the Pioneers’ first run. Owen Shea and Joey Evangalista followed with RBI singles to make it 3-0.

Zona’s woes continued the following frame. He walked Mike Sullivan and, with two out, he induced a Byrne grounder to short. What should have been the final out instead resulted in shortstop Cam Frederick misplaying the ball to keep the inning alive. Shea followed that up by launching an 0-1 pitch deep over the left field fence to put St. John’s up by six.

"Zach was off with his control early on," Guardians coach Ed Riley said. "I give him credit for gutting it out there until he was relieved in the sixth. But when you fall behind after giving up three runs in the first and three more in the second against a quality pitcher like that, it is tough to comeback. Ben threw a great game for them and hats off to him."

The six runs proved to be more than enough ammunition for White, who will play at Holy Cross next season. White thoroughly mesmerized the SPM line up all afternoon. The Guardians lone hit came in the second on a Jon Roy infield single. From there, White retired the next 15 batters before a pair of errors in the seventh cost him the shutout as SPM (1-4) was able to get a run across.

"It was important for us to get going offensively,” said Pioneers coach Charlie Eppinger. "We felt our pitching and defense would take care of itself but we needed to score. We know Zach well having spent his first two years here at St. John’s and we know he’s a very good pitcher. That’s why we knew it would be important for us to get some runs off of him early.

"Ben is our ace this year. Last year he was our No. 3 and was sort of hidden behind two of our other pitchers. This year he is going to pitch in some big games for us from now to hopefully June. I thought today he worked hard and kept his composure. He was in control and Scott did a real nice job guiding him from behind the plate."

St. John’s added solo runs in the fifth and seventh innings. In the fifth, Micah Cummins delivered an RBI single and in the seventh, with the bases full, Guardian reliever Danny Bushe plunked Kevin Quinlivan to drive in the eighth run.

SCITUATE, Mass. – Marshfield’s victory in Saturday’s Chowda Cup Championship game bore multifold benefits.

First and foremost, of course, was the hardware. The Rams ran through Scituate before besting No. 7 Catholic Memorial, 11-10, in overtime to claim the Cup. Second, and perhaps more importantly, there was the matter of proof in the quality of Marshfield’s opponent in the final. After an up-and-down 2012, the Rams are off to a 5-0 start and have now claimed a win against a Top 10 opponent.

Marshfield again found success on Saturday behind a patient, balanced possession game, bolstered by Mike Carbone’s four-goal game. Carbone also tallied the overtime game-winner.

Robbie Keuther also added a four-point game (2 G, 2 A) while goaltender Pat Burchill collected 12 saves to keep the Knights (4-2) at bay. Meanwhile, tournament MVP Joe Parnell tallied two goals and was a demon on faceoffs, winning 17 of 26 draws.

The team battled to a 5-5 tie at the half, in large part due to Burchill’s seven saves in the second quarter.

“If Pat [Burchill] wasn’t such a strong goalie, that game would’ve been over fast,” Carbone added.

After CM sophomore attack Tyler Bogart notched his third goal of the game for a 7-6 lead, Marshfield strung together three straight tallies to open the fourth quarter on goals by Jack Shaw, Parnell and Carbone.

CM rallied to score the next three to force overtime. The Knights did so with goals by Zach O’Brien (2 G, 1 A), Bogart (his fourth) and Kevin Bletzer (2 G, 2 A) in the final three minutes, eight seconds of regulation. Bletzer tied the game with just 36 seconds remaining.

Carbone tallied the game-winner after a controversial possession call, when referees awarded the ball to Marshfield on a footrace to the end line. Following the call, Tim Colleta strafed down the middle of the field and found a cutting Carbone for the dramatic win.

DOING THE DIRTY WORK
It’s not often that face-off men get their due, but Parnell was handsomely rewarded for his efforts in the tournament, taking home the championship plaque.

After a dominating performance against Scituate, Parnell again owned the draws. He was at his best against CM in the fourth quarter, winning six of the seven faceoffs he took.

“The face-off X is an absolute battle,” Rams head coach Jake Jones said. “I wouldn’t have anybody but Joe [Parnell] in there, scrapping it up. He’s doing a great job with the faceoffs and he’s being extremely smart with the ball.”

When describing his success this weekend, Parnell doffed his cap to his brother, Kenny Parnell, who was waiting at the wings.

“I started off with the clamp and he was wrist-breaking, so then I went with the jump and it ended up working,” Parnell said of Saturday’s matchup. “My little brother did a great job getting in on the wing, and he helped me win a lot of those.”

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
With Cohasset taking a convincing 14-3 win over host Scituate in the consolation game, another successful tournament wrapped up with the naming of the All-Tournament Team.

Here’s a look at the list:

Catholic Memorial – Kevin Bletzer, Tyler Bogart, Kameron Gingras, Scott Spangenberg.

Cohasset – Jack Conte, John Mills, Tommy Ryan,

Marshfield – Pat Burchill, Mike Carbone, Jimmy Connors, Joe Parnell, Jack Shaw.

Scituate – Tucker Ciessau, Jake Reynolds.

New Hampton (N.H.) School today announced the hiring of Pinkerton Academy's Casey Kesselring as its new head boys ice hockey coach. Director of Communications Will McCulloch sends along the following release:

NEW HAMPTON, NH. -– A familiar face in the New England hockey world will bring his expertise to Lindsay Arena and the tradition-rich men’s ice hockey program at New Hampton School next season. The School announced on Friday that Casey Kesselring will be the next Head Men’s Ice Hockey Coach for the Huskies. Kesselring will replace four-year head coach Matt Wright, who led the Huskies to a NEPSAC title game in 2011.

A former standout Division-I and professional player, Kesselring has been the Head Coach of the Pinkerton Academy (Derry, New Hampshire) hockey team for the last 10 years. He built Pinkerton’s program into a public school power during his tenure, winning state titles in 2009 and 2012.

“We are extremely lucky to get someone like Casey here at New Hampton School,” Director of Athletics Jamie Arsenault said. “With his knowledge of the game, passion for kids, ties in the hockey community, and enthusiasm for helping young men grow on and off the ice, he’s an ideal fit for New Hampton School. I believe he can help the program achieve great success and create wonderful opportunities for our student-athletes.”

Kesselring has a knack for developing players. As a club director, he has worked with 20 players currently competing in college hockey. At Pinkerton, he has coached standout players including former Hockey East Player of the Year Paul Thompson (UNH), 2013 NHL Draft prospect Zach Sanford (Junior Islanders), and JD Dudek (Boston College commit). Kesselring was named the New Hampshire Coach of the Year in 2005 and the Hockey Night In Boston Coach of the Year in 2009.

“This is a chance to move to a higher level of hockey and put more kids into the college game,” Kesselring said, “I want to build on the tradition here and put my stamp on it. This is a great opportunity for my family to move up here and be a part of community that has great academics and athletics. It made it a good match. I’m looking forward to working with the student-athletes at New Hampton.”

Kesselring is known for producing fundamentally sound players. He thinks players at New Hampton will embrace his coaching style.

“I have certain systems I like to play, but I like to adapt the system to the personnel,” said Kesselring. “I like to have an open door policy with my players. When you get on the ice, we’re very focused. When you’re off the ice, I want to be approachable. I like building relationships with the players.”

Kesselring is a fixture in Southern New Hampshire hockey as the owner and operator the New Hampshire Knights, a program of elite spring tournament teams. He is also the Director of the New Hampshire Avalanche, one of the top youth programs in New England.

A former standout at Merrimack College, Kesselring is fourth on the School’s all-time Division-I scoring list. He was a part of the Hockey East All-Rookie team in 1995, his team’s leading scorer in 1997, an assistant captain in 1998, and a Hockey East All Star as a senior.

A native of Kitchener Ontario, Kesselring played his junior hockey for the Notre Dame Hounds in Wilcox SK before earning a full hockey scholarship to Merrimack. After signing with the Calgary Flames, he spent the next five years playing minor league professional hockey in the ECHL and AHL. In his rookie season, he made the ECHL All-Star Team.

We updated our statewide MIAA Top 25 baseball poll this afternoon. To view it, CLICK HERE.

The next poll update will be Friday, April 19.

A few notes and observations about this week's poll:

BC High back on top: With its thrilling 2-1 victory over Malden Catholic under the lights Monday, BC High moves into the No. 1 spot for the first time since last season, when they were ranked No. 1 in the preseason. Once again, the Eagles make a clean sweep of the top spots, with St. John's Prep (2) and Malden Catholic (3) sweeping the top three positions. Preseason No. 1 Xaverian, off to a 1-3 start with a brutal schedule, falls back 10 spots to No. 11.

Here come the Raiders: One of the biggest statements of the early season has been Wellesley, which delivered a surprise 13-3 thrashing of Xaverian on April 6. For that, the Raiders make their season debut at No. 10. Overall, the Bay State Conference is off to a terrific start, with Walpole (4) and Newton North (6) also represented in the Top 10.

A few new debuts: Hudson storms into the poll for the first time since last season, at No. 17, following season-opening wins over D1 contenders St. Peter-Marian and Algonquin. The Hawks, along with SWCL mainstays Auburn (8) and Northbridge (20) make it three teams represented in the poll from the competitive Division 2 Central bracket.

Elsewhere, Malden (21), Lincoln-Sudbury (23), Beverly (24) and Barnstable (25) all make season debuts this week.

Here's how the poll breaks down by league affiliation:

Catholic Conference - 4
Bay State - 3
Northeastern - 3
Southern Worcester County - 2
Valley League - 2
Atlantic Coast - 1
Central Mass. Conference - 1
Dual County - 1
Greater Boston - 1
Merrimack Valley - 1
Mid-Wach A - 1
Mid-Wach B - 1
Middlesex - 1
Old Colony - 1
South Coast - 1
Valley Wheel - 1

NEEDHAM, Mass. – When Needham lacrosse is operating in the offensive half, you can hear attack Nico Panepinto and his midfielder brother Mike. They go back-and-forth volleying messages about positioning while on the field. They’re equally as vocal during timeouts, going over previous plays and the ways things could have gone better, both on their own and with Needham’s coaching staff.

During an early season league game against Framingham on Thursday, the Panepintos were frustrated through the first half and the Rockets trailed in the third quarter. After a couple of lackluster looks at the cage to start the second half, they finally synced. They began a string of absolute rips on the net, turning a once tight game into a non-competitive one by the fourth quarter.

Offense can be a struggle for all teams this early juncture of the year and the Panepintos are no exception. They understand they’ll improve – and they know they’ll have to improve as the Rockets eye a repeat final appearance at Harvard Stadium come June. But they also know they have one major advantage over their competition; that is the ability to be each other’s harshest critic.

“I think the best thing is that we can say anything to each other and not take it personally,” said Nico, who signed his National Letter of Intent to play at Division 1 Fairfield University in November. “It might sound bad, but if I was open and Mikey took a bad shot, I would tell him, ‘What are you doing.’”

And – perhaps more importantly – the business of lacrosse remains just that.

“Even if we say something not so nice to each other, we get over it pretty fast because we live together,” added Mike, who has a verbal commitment to UMass-Amherst in place.

For the last couple of years, the name Panepinto is synonymous with Needham athletics. Whether working on offense with the Rockets football team or the lacrosse team, they’ve been targeted players by the opposition.

Nico has been among the top offensive weapons in the state on the lacrosse field for the last couple of years. He nearly single-handedly led the Rockets in a second-half comeback bid against Duxbury in last year’s Division 1 state title game. While Needham fell short, 10-8, Nico’s four-goal performance made the Dragons sweat out their ninth championship in a decade and turned a game that was supposed to be a laugher into a spell-binding nail-biter. He finished 2012 with 54 goals and 30 assists while being selected to ESPN Boston’s All-State Team.

Mike, aside from his lacrosse talent, carved out a name for himself during football season last fall. As Rockets head coach Dave Duffy searched for a starting running back during summer scrimmages, Mike moved to the forefront. He won the job and ran with it for more than 2,000 yards and 26 touchdowns – good for best among Division 1 teams in Eastern Mass.

Both brothers claim lacrosse is their favorite sport to play, but both echoed the sentiment of the importance of playing different sports.

“It’s just fun,” Mike said. “Why not play football? Why not do something different in the offseason? Plus, college coaches love that. They’re interested in what else you’re doing. I think everybody should play as many sports as they can.”

He tailed off for a moment and then added, “I would play basketball, too, but I’m just so bad at it.”

If basketball is the Pinepintos’ athletic kryptonite, there’s still a lot left over. They take after their father, who went to Hamilton College to play football and ended up adding lacrosse to his repertoire while there. Their mother, Cristina, danced ballet. They always encouraged the boys’ athletic development, but of late lacrosse has come to the forefront – if mostly because it’s portable and less destructive.

“Lacrosse, you can do it anywhere, anytime,” Nico said. “Football is something that’s real organized. You can’t really play a game of pickup football.”

To which Mike chimed in, “Well, we did play football. Until everybody started getting hurt.”

Of course, lacrosse is a shared experience for the brothers. They played together on youth teams and on out-of-season travel teams. That’s developed into a shared brain of lacrosse acumen; two bodies pulling in the same direction, both knowing how the other will react.

Aside from the natural chemistry shared by siblings, they’re also finding out how they fit in the dynamic of this year’s Needham squad. The Rockets are talented with a mixture of Division 1 talent in attack Robbie Pisano (Marquette) and long-stick midfielder Mike Elcock (UMass). But they’re also inexperienced in other areas. So the early season has turned into a bit of a trial by fire, which fits perfectly into head coach Dave Wainwright’s mentality.

“You see it every day in practice and our games, we have four, five different kids playing at attack right now,” Mike said. “Coach says it every time, that every practice, every game is a tryout.”

Still, the Rockets enter the season ranked third in ESPN Boston’s MIAA Top 25 poll. They are among the favorites in Division 1. That might fly in the face of everything Wainwright preaches, but a state championship isn’t outside of the realm of attainable goals. The mindset will not change. All the Rockets have to remember is what they proved in defeat a year ago.

“I think it showed that we have a lot of heart and how far our program has come,” Nico said. “Going into that game, we were looking at the scores that everybody was predicting for the game. We came in as real underdogs, and that’s what we like, being under the radar.”

And for the all the praise that have been heaped upon the Panepinto Bros., they remain understated. Spending even a couple minutes in their combined presence and you’ll find a pair of siblings who legitimately seem to enjoy each other’s company. Nothing is forced. They have a knack – not for finishing each other’s sentences — but for picking up on each other’s thoughts and running with it.

When talking about how they each other’s harshest critic, they both engaged in a bout of putting themselves down – not for lack of confidence, but for out of respect for each other’s accomplishments.

“I wouldn’t say that we’re some kind of dynamic duo or anything,” Mike droned.

But combined, they might just be good enough to get Needham over the hump.

CONCORD, Mass. -- By his own admission John Kelly is a baseball lifer. He says he would be a lost soul without it.

Kelly has been the varsity coach at Concord-Carlisle High School for the past seven seasons. His resume, however, goes much deeper. Kelly was a standout at the youth level leagues in Leominster and the locals soon realized this kid was going to be something special.

How right they were.

During the late 1980’s and early 90's at Leominster High, Kelly dominated the Central Mass. landscape while pitching for legendary coach Emile Johnson. Kelly was also a force at the plate as well but pitching was his ticket to greener pastures.

To this day, he is still regarded as one of the best high school pitchers ever to come out of that area. Upon graduating from Leominster, Kelly moved on to play at UConn and was named an All-Big East selection twice while recording 18 wins and compiling 181 strikeouts for the Huskies. He also spent time in the Cape Cod League.

In 1993, Kelly became a member of Team USA, playing alongside the likes of Alex Rodriguez, Todd Helton, A.J. Hinch and Todd Walker. His journey did not subside there. He was drafted in the 11th round of the MLB Draft by the New York Mets in 1994 and spent the next 17 years of his life playing pro ball.

"I have no regrets baseball-wise," said Kelly, now 40. "I do wish though that my work ethic was better as a younger player. I didn’t really develop a work ethic that worked for me until I was older like in my mid-to-late 20's."

He admits because his ability of thowing a baseball came so natural and simplistic to him, he didn’t need to pay any attention to an extensive work ethic.

"I was probably five years into my pro career which was when I began not taking my talent for granted," he said. "I actually developed some work ethic and placed goals for myself and I feel that is when I became a better pitcher. Pitching and throwing a baseball did come natural for me but after I hurt my elbow at UConn, during my senior year, throwing a baseball became more mechanical.

"I had lost some of that naturalness and some velocity. But, in turn, it helped me in terms of my control and I was starting to hit my spots with more consistency. I went from topping out at 96 [miles per hour] to 92 but my change-up and breaking ball were better because of it."

Kelly spent two seasons in the Mets organization before moving into the Pittsburgh Pirates farm system. He was later sent to the Seattle Mariners. Never quite making it to The Show, Kelly got as high as Triple-A, pitching for Mariners affiliate in Tacoma.
Upon his release from the Mariners, he returned to his New England roots and played with the North Shore Spirit, Brockton Rox and Worcester Tornadoes of the Can-Am League, also serving as pitching coach for the Rox and Tornadoes in his later years. In his 15 seasons at the professional level, Kelly went 96-53 on the hill with a 3.27 ERA and 1,237 strikeouts.

In between all of this, Kelly also played overseas in which he experienced two life-threatening situations. In 1999, while playing in Taiwan, he was asleep inside his 18th floor apartment when a 7.6 earthquake decimated the area. Kelly barely got out of his building alive, but was forced to sleep outside a number of days afterward.

"We had no place to sleep so we had to sleep outside because our building was condemned," he said. "Outside we were still getting 7.1 and 6.8 aftershocks for months afterwards. You ended up getting use to them but nothing ever prepares you for a 7.6 earthquake when you are on the 18th floor of a building just 30 miles away from the epicenter."

Another situation occurred in 2005. During a second stint playing for Team USA, a loss to Nicaragua, in the World Cup, resulted in a stone throwing attack by rowdy Nicaraguan supporters at Kelly's team bus. A shattered window left shards of glass in his eye. He had to be rushed to a nearby military hospital to have the glass removed.

"I think the ride in the ambulance was actually more scarier than being attacked," laughs Kelly. "The roads over there weren't paved and we were doing 100 MPH down these dirt roads. I was bouncing all over the place."

Having played for some outstanding coaches in Johnson, UConn’s Andy Baylock and former Red Sox catcher and Tornadoes skipper Rich Gedman, Kelly says the knowledge gained from those three alone has helped him develop his own style of coaching at Concord-Carlisle.

"Emile is a genius," Kelly said. "He could take a little league team to the Division 1 state championship. Andy had a different approach he was a bit more laid back but highly successful. A lot from both of them rubbed off on me and I have had a lot of amazing coaches throughout my career and have tried to take a little bit from all of them With Rich, to this day when I'm giving a lessor or coaching, I feel a lot of him comes out of me. Rich was a highly-positive influence on me in my later years playing pro ball."

Concord-Carlisle has yet to reach the level of the elite that Kelly is hoping for. But a plan is in place for that to change. Kelly possesses a tremendous baseball mind, viewing himself more of a teacher of the game rather than a coach. His personality and the support system he has underneath him here has made others believe in the potential of this program as well.

"Sometimes you get a little stagnant as a coach," Kelly said. "I have two great assistants in Josh Kieffer and Rafael Montero who have made me better. Both are energetic, offer up new ideas and have a great rapport with the players on this team. If both remain in baseball they'll have a lot of success."

Kelly also has the support of his family which includes four young children and his wife of nine years Cherie.

“She’s always been supportive of me and never once has asked me to quit doing what I love,’’ said Kelly.

Having played professionally for 15 years of his life, Kelly believes the biggest learning curve as a coach is never to assume that players know what you think they know.

"That’s one of the biggest mistakes many coaches make," Kelly said. "You can’t assume that kids know what to do or understand a certain situation. I think some of the things we already knew at the high school level 20 years ago aren't there as much and now you have to teach things to kids step by step. It is a big mistake to assume they already know things without making sure first."

It appears as though Kelly and his team are on the same page. He is well-respected by his players and administration. His practice sessions are very loose and relaxed with the emphasis placed on having fun.|

"He has made it fun here for us," senior first baseman Brendan Harrington said. "There is never a day I don't ever not want to come to a practice. Yes the practices are relaxed but we still work hard and get a lot positive things done in that time frame."

Adds senior catcher Andrew DellaVolpe, "Coach Kelly is one of the most supportive coaches I've ever been around," he said. "He also has one of the most knowledgeable baseball minds I have ever seen. He knows the game inside and out and has made me a better player because of it."

Having served some time as a pitching coach at Brockton and Worcester, Kelly says he has not ruled out an opportunity to coach again at the pro level again should that opportunity transpire. As DellaVolpe pointed out, Kelly does have a superior baseball mind. He understands the nuances, intricacies, strategy and teaching of the game and presents it well. Few would argue he would be a perfect fit for any organization in need of a quality pitching coach.

"Being involved in baseball you always look to move to the next level," said Kelly. "If something came up and it worked within the perimeters of my family then I would certainly think about it."

When it comes to pitching efficiency, you can't get much better than this.

Barnstable junior righthander Riley Ashe tossed a no-hitter in a 6-1 win over Falmouth yesterday in just his second varsity start, striking out three and needing just 63 pitches -- count that, 63 -- to accomplish the feat. On top of that, Ashe threw just 18 balls total, with no walks.

"He was just throwing strikes, the pitch selection was incredible," Red Raiders head coach Joe DeMartino said. "Our catcher Jack Harrington called a fantastic game. He went to a full count on the second hitter of the first inning, and never went beyond two balls [in a count] the rest of the way -- and he only threw two balls to three more guys."

That stands in stark contrast to past pitching performances. A year ago at this time, the Raiders sparked a bit of controversy across the state and beyond when staff ace Willie Nastasi, now a freshman at UConn, threw 155 pitches in a 16-strikeout, three-hit win over Taunton.

One thing is clear: DeMartino lets his pitchers pitch, because they come in all shapes and sizes. Whereas Nastasi was an overpowering fireballer at 6-foot-5, with leg power built for the long haul, Ashe relies more on precision with his wiry 6-foot, 170-pound frame. In his first start of the season, a win over rival Dennis-Yarmouth, Ashe needed only 80 pitches to go the distance, striking out two.

Averaging nine pitches per inning yesterday against Falmouth, and using just two pitches -- his fastball, and a slurve -- Ashe threw consistently to contact, with 11 outs coming on fly balls. He also benefited from a staunch defense -- three of those 11 fly-outs were diving catches in the outfield, including the game-ending dive from leftfielder Ryan Litchman. UMass-bound centerfielder Dylan Morris also recorded seven putouts in the winning effort.

So what's Ashe's secret? It may lie in an unorthodox motion that hides his pitches late, dropping his throwing arm then coming up and over with what looks a high arm slot.

"He throws 83-84, he's not gonna really blow you away but it's sneaky quick because he hides it well," DeMartino said. "Guys were out in front, popping it up or hitting weak grounders."