Clancy ends with dramatic result

LYNN – The 32nd edition of the Nipper Clancy Tournament had a happy ending for North Reading … and a tough ending for English.In a game with heavy state tournament implications and a playoff feel, North Reading defeated host English, 7-5, at Fraser Field, ending the Bulldogs? season one win short of their desired destination.For Lynn native Frank Carey, the all-time winningest coach in Massachusetts history, the victory serves as one last memento for the tournament he helped found in 1982.Carey will be stepping down at the end of the Hornets? season.?My guys won the first Clancy title, so it?s pretty ironic that 32 years later, here we are again,” said Carey, who was honored before the game.?It was a win-win situation for me personally,” he continued. “It was either we win or Coach (Joe) Caponigro (of English) and his team make the tournament. Joe is a very good friend of mine and I honestly would have had no ill will if we lost.”English was in the driver?s seat after five innings before the visitors scored twice in their final two trips, turning a 5-3 deficit into a championship trophy.Tournament MVP Scott Allan (RBI sacrifice fly) and Thomas Day (RBI single) helped tie things in the fifth before some two-out magic put the Hornets on top an inning later.After Lucas Harris induced Keith Linnane and Colby Maiola into consecutive groundouts, Ryan Sanborn singled to left before stealing both second and third.An intentional walk to Allan set the stage for starting pitcher Scott Leslie, who helped his own cause with a double down the right field line, scoring both runners.Leslie (7 innings, 5 earned runs, 8 hits, 5 strikeouts) would set the Bulldogs down in order in the seventh, ending English?s season just short of the state tournament.?We had our chances against a very good team, but it just wasn?t meant to be,” lamented Caponigro, whose team left the bases loaded in the sixth. “I?m very proud of the way my team competed and pushed themselves to even be in this position.”English will graduate nine seniors in June; a group Caponigro knows will be hard to replace both on and off the field.?They were just a great group of kids and I?m going to miss them,” he said.North Reading took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third off Andrew Napoleon, highlighted by an RBI double from Maiola, before the hosts responded in a big way a half-inning later.Kyle O?Connor sandwiched the Bulldogs? first hit between walks to Napoleon and Anthony Delacruz before Harris delivered a single to left.After O?Connor was cut down at the plate on Mike Ausiello?s fielder?s choice to third, Brett Molea laced the go-ahead single to right-center.The Bulldogs grabbed a solo run in the fourth on an RBI single from O?Connor, scoring Napoleon, before the teams exchanged runs in the fifth.Molea?s run-scoring single plated Harris (leadoff single) to offset a sacrifice fly from Maiola that scored Blake Tamlyn-Hayden, who had walked to begin the top of the frame.In his five and a third innings, Napoleon provided his team with the chance it needed. The senior lefty scattered seven hits, walked two and struck out none, a testament to the Bulldogs? strong defensive play behind him.Despite the loss, Caponigro praised his counterpart.?I love Frank Carey,” he said. “I met him 40 years ago as a kid and he?s been a terrific mentor and friend ever since. If you?re going to lose, there really isn?t a better guy to lose to.”In the consolation game, St. Mary?s defeated Classical, 6-0, behind the strong efforts of starting pitcher Matt Costanza, who went the distance and added what proved to be the winning hit, an RBI double, in the first inning.Brian Nerich (sacrifice fly) and Connor Sakowich (double) provided RBI for the Spartans, who scored three times in their final at-bats.