Wyoma claims City Series title over Pine Hill

LYNN ? Wyoma Red Sox manager Rick Anderson had the good fortune to win the Lynn City Series as a player for Lynn Shore in 1980. On Saturday, things came full circle as his sons, Shawn and Jack, got to experience that exhilarating feeling with a 4-1 win over the Pine Hill Reds on the same field their father played on 35 years ago.
?I was very fortunate to win as a player and now to share this with my two sons and this team is really special,” Anderson said. “We were able to come up with a couple of big hits and we beat a very good team over there in Pine Hill.”
Pitchers ruled most of the game on Saturday as Shawn Anderson and Pine Hill?s Luke Rao put the clamps on two explosive offenses. Rao struck out six, walked one, and allowed two earned runs on 71 pitches over five innings, but he was outdone by Anderson.
The Sox starter held Pine Hill?s powerful lineup to one earned run on three hits over five innings, striking out nine.
?Luke pitched a great game for us,” Pine Hill manager Pete Dow said. “But (Shawn) really kept us off balance all game long.”
The Reds had a golden chance to open up a big lead right off the bat as they loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the first. But Anderson got a strikeout to end the inning.
?That was huge for us to get out of that bases-loaded situation in the first inning,” Rick Anderson said. “Shawn really seemed to settle down after that.”
The game was scoreless until the top of the third when Miguel Segura led off with a double. James Ball followed with an RBI single for a 1-0 Reds lead. An error and a wild pitch eventually put Ball at third, but Anderson got a pop out and a pair of strikeouts to end the inning.
Riding that momentum, Wyoma took the lead for good in the bottom of the third. Jack Marks was hit by a pitch to begin the inning. Billy Norcross then reached on an error and a fielder?s choice moved Marks to third before he scored on an errant pickoff throw to tie the game.
Nick Galeazzi was hit by a pitch to put men on first and second for Patrick Kasper, who grounded a 2-2 pitch through the hole at second to score Norcross for a 2-1 Wyoma lead.
?For us to get those two runs back was huge,” Anderson said.
After holding Pine Hill scoreless in the top of the fourth, Wyoma added some insurance in the bottom of the inning. Rao got the first two men before Norcross ripped a double. Shawn Anderson followed with a sharp single that plated Norcross to make it 3-1 and send Anderson to third.
A wild pitch allowed Anderson to scamper home for a three-run Wyoma lead.
Those runs proved to be big as Pine Hill made things interesting in the top of the sixth. Anderson got the first two batters on strikeouts before Junell Leon walked to keep the game going.James Scuzzarella reached on an error to put the tying runs on base for David Brown, who hit one right on the nose. But first baseman Harry Parker was able to knock it down and tag the bag to start Wyoma?s celebration.