Danvers rallies to shade Lynn in Gallant Tournament opener

SALEM – Danvers scored six unanswered runs and topped Lynn, 8-7, in the 31st annual Ray Gallant Memorial Little League Tournament Friday at Forest River Park in Salem.
Bryce Ruest hit two solo home runs and reliever Adam Bridgeo retired all 10 batters he faced to secure the win.
Lynn was down early, but grabbed two runs in the bottom of the second to take a 2-1 lead. A couple of walks and errors led to two more runs in the third, and a big hit from Billy Norcross and a few walks gave Lynn a 7-2 lead.
A run in the fourth got the Danvers squad within four. A few errors in the sixth coupled with Ruest?s second home run knotted things at 7-7.
?We ran into some trouble in the sixth,” said Lynn manager Jeff Earp. “There were just some bizarre plays. We lost focus. But (pitcher Aidan Dow) kept his composure. He?s a competitor.”
In the sixth, Payton Palladino?s fielder?s choice put Danvers up by one, and Lynn went 1-2-3 in the seventh.
Lynn will play the loser of Peabody/Salem on Saturday at 1:30 p.m., while Danvers will take on winner of Peabody/Salem.Katie Morrison can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @KatieMo61.