SOUTH BOSTON ? Trailing Braintree 4-0 in the bottom of the first Sunday, the Saugus Babe Ruth 13s were given a mulligan of sorts when a thunderstorm halted play and forced the game to be continued the following afternoon.Eventually, the team made the most of its opportunity.After 10 hard-fought innings, Saugus prevailed with a 5-4 victory on a walk-off single by Nick Enos. The victory improved the team to 2-0 in the state tournament.Manager Anthony Guthro said the comeback victory was nothing new for his team.”We’ve come from behind to win I don’t know how many times,” he said. “We rose to the occasion from the get-go (today).”Although the winning pitcher on the day was Nick Antonucci (4 K, BB), who threw the final three innings for Saugus, it was Enos (9 K, 4 BB) who starred on the mound early and kept his team in the game with six strong innings of one-hit ball.Combined, the two pitchers allowed just one hit in the nine innings played yesterday. The performance was a big improvement in comparison to Sunday, when Braintree batted around in the first inning for its four runs.”For (Enos) to keep them at four runs and keep them at bay while our bats got us back, it was huge,” said Guthro.Saugus was held in check early, unable to score a run in the first four innings. However, the fifth innings started with a single by Ryan Hennehan, who advanced to second on a Braintree error. Nick Sweeney followed with a single, moving Hennehan to third. Moments later, Hennehan scored when Braintree threw to second a stolen base attempt by Sweeney, allowing him to take home for the first Saugus run.Antonucci led off the sixth inning with a single, and scored on a triple by Dan Trentsch. Enos followed by driving in Trentsch with a sacrifice bunt, bringing Saugus within 4-3.Braintree threatened to extend the lead in the seventh when Enos allowed two runners to reach on walks with only one out. He induced two fly balls, though, including a running catch by AJ Guthro in centerfield that ended the inning.With its back against the wall, Saugus manufactured the tying run in the seventh. Hennehan singled and was replaced by pinch runner Nick Benoit, who advanced to third when Braintree threw away an attempted pick-off. Moments later, Sweeney sacrificed Benoit home to tie the score.Saugus followed by loading the bases with two outs, but was unable to score when Trentsch flew out to end the threat.Both teams struggled in extra innings offensively, with no team posing much of a threat before the bottom of the 10th, when Antonucci singled and took second on a Braintree error. After Trentsch followed with a sacrifice bunt, Enos ended the marathon game with a single to centerfield.Saugus coach Derek Sweeney said that the team’s comeback was a result of its ability to keep fighting.”We were down, and we had to come back,” Sweeney said. “The team just did what they had to do.”Saugus plays Norwood Wednesday at 5 p.m. at Joe Moakley Park in South Boston.
