Trio of Lynners lead South to win in Agganis All-Star Baseball Classic

LYNN ? Sparked by a trio of Lynners in the 21st Agganis All-Star Baseball Game, the South trumped the North team with a 4-1 win at Fraser Field on Wednesday night.
St. Mary’s Brendan O’Neill, fresh from winning the Division 3 state title, led the way for the South team with a 2-for-2 performance at the plate, including a fifth-inning, RBI single that gave his team a 3-1 lead, earning his squad’s Most Valuable Player award for his efforts.
?I looked bad on the first two pitches,” O’Neill said of his 5th-inning at-bat. “So I was waiting on the curveball again and I put a pretty good swing on it.”
O’Neill, who is headed to Merrimack College in the fall, said he enjoyed having the opportunity to play baseball in a relaxed setting.
?I think I played great tonight,” O’Neill said. “It’s nice especially after a few stressful weeks of baseball. It was a laidback game and I liked it.”
He also chipped in on the mound, pitching a scoreless sixth inning in relief.
Everett’s Joe Lento, who coached the South team, spoke highly of O’Neill’s performance.
?He’s a great kid with a great attitude,” Lento said. “He’s having a great week. He won the state championship earlier in the week and he really lit it up in front of his home crowd tonight.”
O’Neill credited his older brother, Cam who just wrapped up his season for Holy Cross, for giving him tips on what to do to improve his hitting throughout the season.
?He texts me every day before my games,” O’Neill said. “I’ve never really been a good hitter so he really helps me out.”
For the South, Marblehead’s Harrison Engstrom, who will be going to Bridgton Academy, scored the first run of the game on a wild pitch in the second inning.
The North team answered in the fifth inning, when Pentucket’s Dylan Wright, bound for Western New England University, scored on an RBI single off the bat of Peabody’s Ryan Collins, who will be going to Southern New Hampshire University. Collins was named Most Valuable Player for the North team.
Pitcher Robert Carillo from Bishop Fenwick, who is headed to SNHU, also contributed with a nice performance for the North team. He threw three innings in a starting effort with five strikeouts and an unearned run.
Masconomet’s T.J. Baril, who coached the North team, said the game wasn’t all about getting a win.
?It’s all about taking some swings and having some laughs,” Baril said. “Obviously you want to win, but it’s not what it’s all about.
?Any All-Star game is a really cool experience. You have the top local talent and it’s cool to see them building camaraderie on the field rather than a rivalry.”
The South team broke the 1-1 tie in the fifth inning after Lynn English’s Lucas Harris, who is going to Southern Maine University, drove in a run on a double play with the bases loaded. O’Neill’s RBI single followed.
The South added an insurance run in the sixth inning when Lynn English’s Kyle O’Connor, who is headed to Southern Maine, scored on a passed ball after reaching on an error. The North team struggled defensively with five errors.Lynn Classical’s Joseph Tardiff, who is going to Salem State, earned the save pitching a scoreless seventh inning. Lento, the winning coach said it was all about getting a group of local baseball players having fun on the diamond. He credited the Lynn players on his team for putting on a strong performance in front of their home crowd.
?These guys really wanted to win,” Lento said. “We had the Lynn kids on our team and they’re tough.
?They wanted to win in front of their home crowd.”
Harold Rivera may be reached at [email protected].