Top-ranked Danvers baseball wins Division 2 North title

LOWELL — The Danvers bats were working on Saturday as the Falcons defeated the No. 10 Beverly Panthers, 11-5, to win the Division 2 North sectional championship at LeLacheur Park. Northeastern Conference MVP Andrew Olszak tossed a complete game for the No. 1 Falcons, giving up five runs on nine hits while striking out two and walking four. He pitched much better than the line suggests, as he had the Beverly hitters frustrated most of the time.
?He?s 12-0 this year for a reason,” Danvers coach Roger Day said of Olszak. “He mixes his pitches and spots his fastball and it always works for him.”
Olszak also contributed on the offensive side, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a walk.
Beverly came out swinging, starting with Sean Hanlon, who went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs and singled to lead off the game. With outs, Nick Cotraro, who went 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple, doubled to put runners on second and third. Frank DiOrio was intentionally walked to load the bases, but the Panthers couldn?t capitalize.
Danvers came right back at them in the bottom of the first. After a leadoff walk and a passed ball put Tim Unczur on second, Olszak helped his own cause on the mound with an RBI single to center field to make it 1-0 Falcons.
Beverly responded right away with a three-run second inning. After a walk and a single, Hanlon lined a two-run double down the left field line to retake the lead. Dave Drinkwater followed with an RBI single to put the score at 3-1 Beverly.
But Danvers scored four runs in the bottom of the second to grab the lead right back. Devonn Allen started things off with a walk and a stolen base. The bases were loaded for Unczur, who singled up the middle to score one run. Olszak was up next, and he lined a single to center field to tie the game. The bases were still loaded for Matt Andreas, who capitalized on his opportunity with a two-run single to give the Falcons a 5-3 lead.
Beverly only notched one hit in the top of the third, but it was a big one. After two errors and a walk loaded the bases, nine-hole hitter Garrett Desmond, who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs, stepped up and blooped a two-run single to left field to tie the game, 5-5.
Danvers retook the lead in the bottom of the third when centerfielder Chris Valles scored on a passed ball.
The bottom of the fourth was an inning to forget for Beverly. The pitching struggled with four consecutive walks. The Panthers had a tough time in the field as well, recording two errors and making some mistakes on where to throw the ball on stolen bases. By the time the inning was over, the Falcons had increased their lead to 11-5.
?We?ve got a ton of athletes on this team, probably more athletes than baseball players,” Day said. “That?s how we score runs — we get people on base. Since we?re not a great hitting team, we do a good job of pressuring throws and making good baserunning decisions. That?s our strength.”
Olszak cruised through the next three innings, keeping the Beverly batters flustered despite only striking out three the entire game. He pitched to contact and his fielders held up their end.
Beverly tried to get a couple rallies going, but Olszak wouldn?t budge. He finished strong, hitting 78 mph in the seventh inning. He finished the seventh with a flurry, and the Falcons left with the sectional title.
The win makes it 16 in a row for Danvers, and they will now face Division 2 South champion Middleboro in the EMass title game with the details to be announced.
Mike Alongi can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @m_alongi.