St. Mary’s baseball uses big inning to top Tyngsboro

LYNN – The St. Mary’s baseball squad didn’t let a five-day layoff affect it on Saturday afternoon. The Spartans put together a nine-run fourth inning to offset Tyngsboro, 12-6, at Fraser Field.Click here for a photo gallery.St. Mary’s (4-2), who hadn’t played since Patriots’ Day, trailed the Tigers 4-3 entering the bottom of the fourth. Yet the club sent a baker’s dozen of batters to the plate in the frame, collecting eight hits to go with the nine runs. First baseman Matt Turmenne got things going with a single off Tigers starter Chip Stickney. Teammates Cam Mulvey and Jeremy Tranfaglia each drew a walk to load the bases. Second baseman Ryan Barrows singled across Turmenne to tie the score. Centerfielder Alex Glover followed with a grounder that second baseman Brian Silva dove to his left for, stopping the ball from heading into the outfield. Yet he couldn’t recover in time to make the throw to first, and Mulvey crossed the plate to give the Spartans a 5-4 edge.After a popup, designated hitter Joe Kasper (who had drilled a two-run homer in the first) unclogged the bases with a triple to deep right. The ball bounded along the fence towards center, and all three baserunners came around to increase the score to 8-4. An infield out followed, but catcher Angelo Codispoti kept the inning alive with another triple that scored Kasper to increase the lead to 9-4. Codispoti came home on Turmenne’s second single of the inning (10-4). Mulvey doubled, sending Turmenne to third, and Tranfaglia singled in both runners to give the Spartans the 12-4 advantage.”I liked the way that we scrapped and battled, especially getting two-strike hits, and looking for our pitch.” said St. Mary’s coach Derek Dana. “The singles that we had kept the inning going, and we took advantage of the opportunities.”Tyngsboro (4-3) got two of those runs back against reliever Kurtis White, who came on in the second. He issued a leadoff walk to left fielder Jake Pugh, and shortstop Dan Ubele followed with a homer over the fence in left to cut the St. Mary’s lead in half. Though White allowed two more singles, he got out of the jam when Stickney slipped between second and third following a single to center by DH Ben Durand. Glover fired the ball in to Tranfaglia, who threw over to Barrows to nab Stickney, ending the threat and the inning.Turmenne worked the last two frames to protect the lead and ensure the win.Tygsboro took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first, but the Spartans promptly answered in their half with back-to-back blasts. Glover reached on a single, stole second, then tagged and went to third on a fly to left. Kasper put St. Mary’s in the lead with a two-run blast over the fence in right. Right fielder Alex Fiste followed with a shot to left for a 3-1 edge.”Joe has been seeing the ball very well,” said Dana of Kasper. “He’s been doing that for us all year.”Yet Tyngsboro knocked Spartans starter Michael Stanton from the game in the second. The righty walked third baseman Zach Richall to lead off the inning, and consecutive singles by Durand and catcher Dan Labreque loaded the bases. The Tigers tied the score on singles by second baseman Brian Silva and centerfielder Adam Byron, and Dana brought in White from the bullpen. He allowed a sacrifice fly by Pugh that brought in Labreque with the lead run. Yet White retired the next two batters to end the jam (he also worked a perfect third and fourth).