Lynn captures Gallant tourney title

SALEM – They had to do it the hard way, but Lynn found a way to defend its Gallant Tournament title.Bobby Alcock was dominant on the mound, striking out 16 on the way to being named the tournament?s top pitcher, while five different players drove in runs to lead the Lynners to a 9-1 victory in a winner-take-all final.?The kids finally seemed to jell together the last few days and it showed here in the finals,” Lynn manager Jeff Earp said. “We gave Bobby a game plan and he stuck to it. He kept the ball down in the zone and did a great job of shutting down a great hitting team.”It wasn?t a one-man effort for Lynn, however, as Colin Reddy was named as the tourney MVP after going 2-0 on the mound with 24 strikeouts while also racking up 10 hits in 16 trips to the plate with three RBIs and six runs scored.On Wednesday, seven of the 12 players that came to the plate got at least one hit for Lynn. Leading the way was Will Hunter, who was 3-for-4 with an RBI and three runs scored.?They 10-runned us on Sunday and we were kind of down,” Lynn coach Leon Elwell said. “But to come back and beat a team like Peabody twice is really impressive. The kids did a great job.”Facing Alcock was not strange for many of the players in Peabody?s lineup as eight of them had faced him twice during District 16 play. And early on, it looked like it might be a replay of the district final when Angelo McCullough singled to lead off the game and later scored on Jenarro Herbert?s single.Alcock, however, struck out the side in the inning to stop the threat in its tracks. His teammates then got him the lead in the bottom of the first against Peabody starter Sean Letarte.Reddy opened the inning with a walk. Andy Duverge followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Hunter then ripped a hit, plating Reddy to tie the game.After a strikeout, Alcock grounded out to second to bring in Duverge for a 2-1 lead. A passed ball would score Hunter to make it 3-1 after one.Alcock mowed down the side on strikes in the second but would be in a world of trouble in the third.Walks to McCullough, J.C. Espinal and Herbert loaded the bases with two outs but Alcock got Mike Sabella swinging to end the inning.?We just couldn?t get that key hit when we needed it,” Peabody manager Brian Herbert said. “And that?s a credit to Bobby. We faced him, what, three times and never got one out against him.”Lynn would add to its lead in the bottom of the third. Hunter led off with a single and then scored all the way from first on Matt Devin?s double to left-center. After two strikeouts, Connor Donahue singled home pinch runner Jomar Moreta for a 5-1 lead.Peabody would have its best chance of the game in the next half-inning as Alcock walked Mike Silva and Jake Murphy around a bunt single from Jared Ridley to load the bases with no outs. But that?s how it stayed as Alcock struck out Kyle Morfis and Letarte before McCullough flew out to right to end the inning.?Those two innings were huge,” Earp said. “Bobby stuck to what we wanted him to do and did a great job of getting out of them.”After adding a run in the bottom of the fourth on Duverge?s RBI single, Lynn would put the game out of reach with a bang as right fielder Aubrey Conners dropped a two-run homer just over the fence in center to make it 8-1.The teams would trade runs before Alcock retired Espinal to begin the Lynn celebration.