Baseball: Revere, Portrait lose tough one to Tanners

It was kind of a tough day for Revere Wednesday and a bittersweet one for pitcher Tommy Portrait.Earlier in the day, Portrait – a two-time Item football all-star – committed to Plymouth State. Later, he and the Patriots lost a heartbreaker to Peabody, 2-1, in eight innings.And it all hinged around what coach Sean Brinkley termed a borderline balk that was instrumental in bringing home the winning run.After Peabody got a runner on first with no outs, Portrait was called for the balk. He retired the next two hitters before the Tanners got the run home with a base hit.Revere (7-11) took a 1-0 lead in the third inning when sophomore Oscar Zavala hit a double to score Brett Geaukamejian. But Peabody tied it in the fifth, setting the stage for the pivotal eighth inning.?Tommy pitched his heart out,” said Revere coach Sean Brinkley. “He pitched no-hit ball for four innings, and threw only 45 pitches. Every time he pitches, he steps up and shows what a competitor he is.”M?head 17, Swampscott 7At Sea Side, the Magicians celebrated Senior Day in style, breaking open the game with a four-run second inning followed by a nine-run third.Offensively, Marblehead (9-10) was led by Tom Koopman, who finished with six RBI including two two-run singles and two sacrifice flies. The hosts got productive days from Brian Daly (3 for 5, 2 runs, 2 rbi), Trey Blackner (3 for 5, 3 runs, 2 rbi) and Garrett Keough (2 for 4, 2 runs, 2 rbi).John Cavolina (3-4) earned his third straight win, pitching five innings of four hit ball.Swampscott (5-14) got three hits and an RBI from Louis Olivieri as well as two hits from Brendan McDonald and an RBI knock from Gavin Sullivan.Beverly 8, Salem 0At Beverly, the Panthers clinched a share of the Northeastern Conference North crown. Beverly (12-7, 11-4) finishes tied with Peabody for the division?s top spot.The hosts got a complete game, 13 strikeout performance from Eric Messina, who scattered five hits to go along with a walk. Matt Hamor had a big day with the bat, finishing 4 for 4 with three runs scored.Gloucester 6, Danvers 5At Gloucester, the Fishermen hit four home runs including three consecutive solo shots in the fourth. Peter Clark, Jordan Palazolla and Drew Shears combined on the rare feat before Conor Harris cleared the fence in the fifth.The visitors (14-5) got solid production from Ryan Kelliher (3 for 3, 2 doubles, 2 rbi), Devin Allen (2 doubles) and Raf Tylus (rbi single), who took the loss on the mound despite nine strikeouts.In a night game at Fraser Field, Greater Lawrence defeated Lynn Tech, 8-5.