St. Mary’s takes another Clancy title

LYNN – The St. Mary’s baseball team put everything together, capturing the 33rd annual Clancy Tournament with a 10-1 win over Lynn Classical Saturday at Fraser Field. Pitcher
Brendan O’Neill held a potent Lynn Classical offense in check while the Spartans? offense pounded out 13 hits against Rams? pitching.
The Spartans had Classical on its heels right from the first at-bat when Donnie Weisse tripled to begin the game. The Rams also made three errors that led to four unearned runs which turned a 3-0 game into a St. Mary?s rout by the sixth inning.
?We just didn’t show up,” Classical (13-6) coach Mike Zukowski said. “Brendan did a great job of keeping us off balance but we need to bounce back now.”
The Spartans (13-7) got a double from John Gaeta to begin the top of the third and finally turned it into the game’s first run when he took third and scored on two passed balls.
Trailing 2-0, the Rams threatened in the bottom of the fourth. With Damien Earp (2-for-3, run scored) on second with one out, Andre Gaudet hit a shot up the middle but shortstop Antonio Felix made a running catch to start an unassisted double play that ended the inning.
Riding that momentum, the Spartans blew the game open with six runs in the top of the fifth for a commanding 8-0 lead.
?It was nice to see us get some of those hits with two outs,” said St. Mary?s coach Derek Dana said. “The guys did a great job of battling at the plate and getting the job done.”
O’Neill, meanwhile, settled down after Earp’s hit to start the fourth, retiring eight in a row through the sixth. The Spartans ended any doubts about the outcome in the top of the sixth, adding two more runs for a 10-0 lead.
Classical spoiled O’Neill’s shutout bid with a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh.
?Brendan has been a dominant pitcher for us all season,” Dana said. “He’s given us a chance to win every game that he’s thrown.”
The consolation game was dominated by English’s Jeam Castillo, who carried a no-hitter into the seventh, settling for a one-hitter in a 1-0 Bulldogs? victory.
?He pitched unbelievable,” Bulldogs coach Joe Caponigro said. “He had command of all his pitches and was around the plate all game.”All the offense came in the first when Kyle O’Connor led off with a walk and scored on a suicide squeeze by Carlos Cordero.