Lynnfield advances to semifinals with win over Saugus

LYNNFIELD – When it comes to the tournament, regular season records go out the window. The seedings don?t mean much when the teams get on the field, and the Lynnfield baseball team is proving that.
With a 5-2 win over Saugus on Monday, the Pioneers advanced to the semifinals. It?s not every day that a No. 20 seed gets home field advantage in a third-round game, but Lynnfield and No. 21 Saugus defied the odds and both defeated higher-seeded teams to reach the quarterfinals.
The Lynnfield team has gotten production from up and down its lineup all season long. The Pioneers have played stellar defense, but the pitching has come around recently and given them the boost they need to make a deep postseason run.
?Pitching?s been the key with us,” said Lynnfield coach John O?Brien. “If we had been pitching like this all year, we might have a little higher seeding. But then again we may not be where we are. We might have gotten knocked off. I think the kids have done a great job. They really came together when we needed to.”
Nick Pascucci got the start for the Pioneers on Monday, and he ran into a bit of trouble in the first inning. After Saugus leadoff hitter Dan Cacciola doubled and Kyle Autilio singled, John Prentice brought in the game?s first run with a sacrifice fly. But Pascucci settled in and retired the next two batters.
The Sachems pushed across another run in the second as Tyler Serino singled and was driven home on Cacciola?s fielder?s choice. But over the final five frames of the contest, Saugus managed just six more baserunners.
?I think (Pascucci) was a little anxious in the first inning, but holding them to one run was huge,” said O?Brien. “I think they were very selective early and squeezed out another one. But then Pascucci kind of settled down and said ?I?ve got to go to work and let my teammates make the plays.?
?Then he got looser and got some swings and misses and that built his confidence up even more. Another big game, that?s two huge games in a row with him pitching.”
Pascucci got tougher on the Sachems as the game went on.
?The last game we played, we were scoring every inning, and it was working for us. But we couldn?t do it today,” said Saugus coach Steve Freker. “I think their pitcher was throwing pretty well. He got stronger as he went along and saved some good stuff for the end.”
The Pioneers defense made a huge play in the fourth, as the Sachems had two on and nobody out. Pascucci induced two weak grounders, but then Cacciola singled to left. Bryant Dana came up with the ball and fired to the cut-off man, who cut the runner down at the plate for the third out.
?Everybody played terrific in the infield, and that base hit, with the kid getting thrown out at the plate, that was huge,” said O?Brien. “I give credit to my coaches. They?ve been working with the kids on hitting the cutoffs. Today it paid off in a big way.”
Offensively, there was no one standout. It was, instead, a team effort from the whole lineup as the Pioneers took advantage of miscues. Tom Anastasi went 1-for-2 with a double and a walk, scoring two runs. Nick Colucci doubled and scored. Their bats came alive in the fifth against Saugus starter Prentice, and the Pioneers put a three-spot on the board to take the 5-2 lead.
Saugus? season drew to a close, as the Sachems finished with a 10-13 record. With just three seniors on the squad, Freker has high hopes for next season, and is proud of what his team accomplished this year.
?You have to look at (the season) as a success,” Freker said. “We play in a good league, we came out and played our best baseball in the postseason. We did everything we were supposed to do to win. And we did a lot of things to win today, just couldn?t get over the hump and put more runs up.”
Lynnfield (12-11) will have its work cut out against top-seeded Austin Prep (19-3) Wednesday at Fraser Field. But O?Brien is hoping that his pitching will continue its recent streak of success regardless of opponent.