Marblehead baseball works magic against Classical

LYNN – The Classical baseball team ran into Marblehead?s John Cavolina Thursday night at Fraser Field, and while you can?t say he ground their bats into sawdust anymore (thanks to aluminum), he certainly rendered them virtually useless.Classical could only muster five hits against the crafty senior in Marblehead?s 7-0 win. Cavolina had the Rams? number all night, with an assortment of off-speed pitches, including, said Rams coach Mike Zukowski, “a slurve (combination slider/curve) that kept us off balance.”In today?s baseball parlance, Cavolina pitched to contact. He only struck out three. But the Magicians (8-8) made all the plays in this one (Classical had two errors) and the Rams really didn?t hit the ball on the screws except for one or two times.?We couldn?t get that big hit,” said Zukowski. “We had some chances, but we just couldn?t deliver on them.”This was a 1-0 game until the sixth inning, as Classical freshman Herbie Newton recovered from a rocky start to settle down and pitch until there were two out in the sixth. By then, it was 2-0. The jailbreak inning occurred in the top of the seventh, when Marblehead sent nine batters to the plate and scored five runs — the last on a perfectly-executed suicide squeeze.The Magicians ended up with 11 hits off Newton and relievers Pat Finnigan and Brandon Devin.?This was by far the best game we?ve played this year,” said Magicians coach Jason Tarasuik, whose team has won four of five. “We seem to be going in the right direction.?This was John?s third time out, and it?s been that way all three times,” said Tarasuik. “He changes speeds and throws strikes.”Classical had the first scoring threat in the bottom of the first, but the Rams ended up with two runners thrown out on the bases, which ended any kind of a threat.?We need controlled aggression,” said Zukowski.The Magicians pushed a run across in the second when Harrison Engstrom?s sacrifice fly scored Tom Koopman, who had singled and reached third on two walks.After that, both Newton and Cavolina got out of their share of jams before the Magicians scored again in the top of the sixth. Kyle Malden, who hit two shots to left-center that even Brad Scuzzarella couldn?t run down, legged out a triple on the second one with one out. Newton managed to strike out the next hitter, but Kyle Koopman lined a double to right, and Malden came home with run No. 2. Finnigan came on to get the final out.Classical had runners on first and second with one out in the bottom of the sixth, but Cavolina bore down and got the final two outs. Then, Marblehead put the game away in the seventh, with base hits by Brian Daly and Tom Koopman scoring two, before Beau Dana brought home two more with a double.Kyle Koopman squeezed home Tom Koopman, but Devin, who fielded the bunt, threw out Dana trying to score from second.