Big Blue called out by Clippers

LYNN – Newburyport’s Joe Clancy had pitched only one other game this season before he took the mound against Swampscott in the Division 3 North semifinals on Wednesday at Fraser Field. Even more daunting was that Clancy was facing in most people’s minds, the tourney’s top pitcher in Hunter Gordon.Given a 2-0 lead in the first inning by his teammates, Clancy used a rock solid defense behind him to defeat the Big Blue, 3-0, and send the Clippers to a Saturday (3) date with Georgetown (2-1 winners over North Reading in the other semifinal) in the North Finals at LeLacheur Park in Lowell.”He’s a gamer, an athlete and a winner,” Newburyport coach Bill Pettengill said of Clancy. “And that showed (Wednesday).”The Clippers (18-5) did their damage in bookends, getting two runs on four hits in the first, going hitless for the next five innings before piling on four more hits and an insurance run in the seventh.Swampscott started the game by putting a pair of runners on in the first but Clancy got John Pelletier on a rocket to center to end the inning. The Clippers then shocked Swampscott by getting to its Boston College-bound ace.Tyler Stotz started the bottom of the first with a sharp single to left. Clancy followed with a single one batter later before the Clippers leading run producer, Matt Mottola, bashed a triple to the fence in left-center to give Newburyport a 2-0 lead after one.”Against a great pitcher like Hunter, sometimes you have to get to him in the first couple of innings,” Pettengill said.Clancy danced his way out of a jam in the second after issuing a leadoff single to Matt Barbuzzi and a two-out single to Frank Legere by striking out Steve Moran to end the inning.Fortunately for Newburyport, Clancy was on his game because Gordon took the bats right out of their hands for the next five innings as not one Clipper got on base.Swampscott continued to hit rockets around the ballpark, but Newburyport’s slick defense was there to catch most of them. No play was bigger than the one right fielder Kyle McElroy made in the fourth to keep it 2-0.Justin Massey walked with one out and Legere got on via a catcher’s interference call with two outs, bringing Moran up. The Big Blue centerfielder hit a rocket to right, but McElroy raced back and made an over the shoulder catch to preserve the lead.”Stevie put a good charge into that ball. (McElroy) made a great play to get it,” Baril said.Newburyport still needed more offense to help erase some of the uneasiness Gordon was causing them. And the Clippers got it in the seventh thanks to a rare Swampscott mistake and some timely hitting.Kyle LeBlanc drag bunted for a base hit but was immediately thrown out trying to steal second. Clancy then singled and would be at third moments later when a pickoff throw sailed into right field.Mottola whiffed for the second out, but McElroy got the precious insurance run home with his second hit of the game. Clancy then finished off Swampscott in order to give the Clippers the victory.”Our team played as good a game defensively as you can,” Pettengill said. “They challenged us and we made the plays.”