Lynn Babe Ruth 14s soar past Burlington

LYNN – It’s hard to imagine a youth baseball team that’s been more impressive thus far this summer than the Lynn 14-year-old Babe Ruth squad. And now that the team is one win away from an Eastern Mass. state title, manager Jeff Earp wants to add a little perspective.”Everything they’ve done – and they’ve done a lot – doesn’t mean anything when they take the field (tonight, 5:30),” Earp said Wednesday night after the Lynners clobbered Burlington, 15-0, in a 41/2-inning state semifinal game shortened due to the 10-run rule.”Winning a state championship ? that’s what it’s about,” said Earp. “The kids understand that, and I know they’ll be ready.”Lynn will play Newton, which defeated Franklin in the other semifinal. The tournament is being played at Breed Middle School.Wednesday’s game began as if it would be a tight pitcher’s duel between Mike Ausiello of Lynn and John Torchetti of Burlington. Lynn scored a run in the first when Brad Scuzzarella led off with a walk, stole second, and came around on Carlos Cordero’s single.Burlington threatened to tie it in the top of the third, when Tom Bezrah tried to score from second on Jason Smith’s two-out single to left. But a Bradley Dill-to-Cordero-to Katie Burt relay erased him easily at the plate.That seemed to be the impetus Lynn needed to put the game away. The Lynners scored five runs in the third and nine in the fourth.In the third inning, Anthony Delacruz, the No. 9 hitter in the Lynn lineup, stroked a two-run single to key the five-run rally, during which his team sent nine runners to the plate. Dill (single), Scuzzarella (who reached on an error) and Ausiello (who squeezed home a run and reached base to boot) knocked in the other three.It could have been more, except that Kyle O’Connor ripped a line drive that Burlington second baseman Ryan Sheldon snared. Sheldon then doubled a runner off second base.Lynn scored every way imaginable in the fourth inning en route to getting nine runs. There were two sacrifice flies (Kyle O’Connor and Brent Lozzi), walks, infield hits and long drives.Dill, Burt, Ausiello, and Scuzzarella were also in the middle of the rally.Jordan Javier finished up for Lynn, and gave up Burlington’s only two hits, sandwiched around a base on balls. However, he got Smith to ground out back to the mound for the final out.”We continue to play well,” Earp said. “I thought our pitcher did well, going four innings without giving up a hit.”