Danvers denied Division 2 state crown

BROCKTON?Danvers got the tying run to third in the bottom of the seventh, but Middleborough held on, 4-3, to capture the Division 2 state championship Thursday at Campanelli Stadium.
The Falcons (21-4), who won the North title, were crowned the runners-up in the state tournament.
A one-out single from Andrew Olszak gave Danvers some life in the seventh. Olszak stole second and moved to third on a groundout. Jordan DeDonato got the ball in play with two strikes, but grounded to second to end the game.
?(We were aggressive) right down to that last at-bat, DeDonato, that defines them right there,” Danvers coach Roger Day said of his team. “Two strikes on him, they have all the momentum, he puts the ball in play and makes them make the play. That?s a battle. That was a good at-bat. That?s what you do, you have good at-bats and play aggressive. That?s the key.”
The Falcons jumped out to an early lead, scoring twice in the first inning off Middleborough starter Christopher Reed. Richie Martino walked to lead things off, and Tim Unczur singled. Olszak drove in the game?s first run with a single, and Danny Lynch smacked a two-out single to extend the lead to 2-0. Danvers chased Reed from the game after the first two batters of the second inning reached on a hit and a walk.
Middleborough (20-4) tied things up in the third, as Olszak hit a batter and the Sachems? Cody Braga drove a fastball over the left field wall for a two-run home run.
?That got them going a little bit, that gave them some momentum,” said Day.
The Falcons got one back in the bottom of the frame thanks to Matt Andreas? leadoff single and Devonn Allen?s RBI single.
The Sachems took a lead in the fifth that they wouldn?t relinquish. A single, intentional walk, error, and sacrifice fly plated two runs before Olszak got a fly ball to left to get out of the inning.
Danvers battled, but were shut down by Sachems? pitcher Nikolas Enos.
Olszak went the distance, allowed six hits and striking out five. The righty has been a force for the Falcons in the postseason, pitching 30 of the 36 innings Danvers played in the tournament.
?(Olszak?s) location wasn?t where it normally was, but he gave us a chance to win,” said Day. “He?s not a pitcher, he?s a shortstop and he?s a baseball player. We wouldn?t have had the season we did without him pitching. He was outstanding. And he was great today, he gave us a shot to win if we could have gotten a timely hit.”
Despite the loss in the title game, the Falcons had an excellent season, topping Beverly, 11-5, in the North Division 2 championship to grab the North title.
?The big thing is that we came here to win (today),” said Day. “We played flat out to win. I couldn?t ask for more, they played aggressive, and they weren?t happy just to be here. We expected to win. That?s what you get from him.
?Sometimes you get as much from losing as you do from winning. That?s what I?m happy about, if we came here and weren?t ready to play, I would have been upset. ”
Katie Morrison may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @KatieMo61.