Prep turns out the lights on Newton South

LOWELL – It was light out in Lowell last night ? literally.With St. John’s Prep clinging to a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth in the Division 1 North semifinal at Alumni Field, and with Newton South at bat with two outs and the bases loaded, the lights flickered momentarily. But when they came back on, the top banks on all the lights were off.The umpires immediately halted the game, delaying it for 17 minutes before the lights finally came back on. Had they stayed off, the game would have been suspended, and resumed Friday night, “which I didn’t want, of course,” said Prep coach Pat Yanchus.The Prep survived that eighth-inning scare, and went on to win the game, 6-3, to advance to Saturday’s sectional final (7) against either Lincoln-Sudbury or Lawrence at LaLacheur Park in Lowell.That game is scheduled for tonight.The hero for The Prep was relief pitcher Nick Fabrizio, who pitched 6 1/3 innings to get the win. He was coming off three days’ rest after throwing 113 pitches Saturday.”He pitched great,” Yanchus said. “He told us the last time he went on three days’ rest, he pitched a shutout.”St. John’s jumped out to a 6-0 lead by the fourth inning before Newton South started creeping back.The Eagles (14-8 and seeded eighth) got two runs each in the first, third and fourth innings.In the first, with one out, Justin Peluso walked, Pat Connaughton singled, Kevin Davis reached on an error and Tyler Coppola doubled two runs home (he had three RBI all told).Two innings later, Kevin Barry and Connaughton started things off with back-to-back singles, with Barry going to third.Davis’ sacrifice fly made it 3-0, and Coppola doubled home the fourth run.In the fourth, Alex Markakis struck out, but reached first on a passed ball. Anthony Capuano doubled, and a passed ball brought Markakis home. Connaughton’s double brought home Capuano to make it 6-0.The Lions got two back in the fourth on a double by Alex Bennett and a wild pitch. However, by then, the Lions were getting to Prep starter Dylan Gonzalez and he came out in the fifth in favor of Nick Fabrizio. Scott Lueders touched Fabrizio for an opposite-field homer off the right field foul pole in the seventh to make it 6-3, and made a serious bid to tie it by loading the bases with one out in the eighth.However, after the 17-minute delay caused by the flickering lights, Fabrizio got Lueders and Sam Forman to swing wildly at sweeping curves. Fabrizio survived another tense ninth, putting two runners on with one out before getting Reed May to hit into a double play.”I was happy the way we played,” Yanchus said. “Cold, wet night ? wet field, and we didn’t make any errors.”