Prep escapes danger with win over Malden Catholic

DANVERS – It was far from a masterpiece on the diamond Monday at Gibbons Field as St. John’s Prep and Malden Catholic met in a critical Catholic Conference battle.After being held to two hits over the first four innings, the Eagles took advantage of an MC error in the fifth to score six unearned runs and grab a big lead. They needed every one of the runs as the Lancers fought back but came up short in a 6-5 Prep win.Click here for a photo gallery.”Good thing we got all those runs,” Prep coach Pat Yanchus joked afterwards. “Because we made it way too interesting in the seventh.”The Prep (7-6, 3-3 Catholic Conference) was in a 2-0 hole heading to the fifth thanks to stellar pitching from Manny Powers, who had allowed only five baserunners to that point. The Lancers had taken the lead in the third against Pat Connaughton thanks to a pair of hits and two wild pitches.The fifth started innocently enough as Kevin Barry went down swinging to lead off. Pinch-hitter Cam Davies followed with a base hit to right. Powers then looked to be out of the inning when Anthony Capuano scorched a liner to short but James Castrucci dropped the ball and a chance at an inning-ending double play.Justin Peluso (3-for-4, RBI) drove home Davies to cut the lead to 2-1 moments later. A fielder’s choice erased Peluso for the second out before Connaughton drove a ground-rule double to left to tie the game at 2-2.Reliever Kenny Runge then intentionally walked Kevin Davis to load the bases. But the strategy backfired when Alex Markakis and Rob Atkin were hit by pitches to force home two more runs.”We weren’t getting anything going early but they gave us a chance there and we took advantage of it,” Yanchus said.Barry then drilled a 2-run single to center, scoring Davis and Markakis to make it 6-2, Eagles, after five.Connaughton, who had thrown over 120 pitches in battling through the first five innings with seven strikeouts and seven walks, departed in favor of Josh Baldwin in the sixth.Neither team scored in the sixth before the Lancers put up a big rally in the seventh.Justin Sencabaugh doubled off Connaughton’s glove at third to start the seventh. Pinch-hitter John McGonagle was hit by a pitch and Sean Glabicky walked with one out to load the bases.An error brought Sencabaugh home to make it 6-3. After a lineout back to the mound, Paul Yanacopolous drew a walk that scored McGonagle to make it 6-4 and knock Baldwin out.Nick Fabrizio came on to try to seal it and promptly hit Castrucci to force home another run and make the fans in attendance sit on the edge of their seat. But Tyler McVicar grounded out to third to finally allow the Prep to exhale.”MC is a tough team,” Yanchus said.