PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Peabody West starting pitcher Jason Romans unloads on an East Lynn batter.
By ANNE MARIE TOBIN
PEABODY — It wasn’t pretty, but it was definitely entertaining as the Peabody White all-star Little League baseball team escaped its own Perils of Pauline with a dramatic come-from-behind 8-6 win over East Lynn in the first round of the District 16 tournament Sunday at MacArthur Park.
With a 6-3 lead and Peabody runners at the corners in the top of the sixth, East Lynn starter Brady Warren was approaching his pitch count. Manager Carlos Valentin went to the bullpen, bringing in hard-throwing Anthony Mateo to face No. 9 hitter Patrick Wood. Wood worked a 3-2 count, then fouled off three straight pitches before lining the next one out of the park to tie the game at 6-6.
Things got dicey for the White team, though, after reliever Mike Ferguson walked the bases loaded with no outs in the bottom of the inning. In a performance that even the great Houdini would be hard-pressed to match, Ferguson then struck out the next three batters to send the game into extras.
Leaving nothing to chance, Peabody’s Brendan Smith (4-for-4) ripped a one-out, two-run double, scoring Jason Romans and Jacob Palhares in the top of the the seventh for the go-ahead runs. Ferguson then sealed the win with help from catcher John Corning. Ferguson struck out the leadoff hitter, then walked Warren, who was gunned down by Corning attempting to steal second. After another walk, Ferguson polished the game in style with his fifth strikeout.
Palhares (two runs) was 2-for-3, while Jacob Cuddire and Jason Romans had RBI sacrifice flies. Danny Barrett also had a hit.
For Lynn, Manny Germosen had an RBI triple, while Nelson Carrion had a big two-run single in the fifth, Mateo (1-for-2, RBI), Preston Archer (double) and Nick Valentin also had hits.
“At no point did it feel like either team had control, but I could not have asked for a more opportune hit than that home run,” Peabody manager Justin Powers said. “That pumped life into us, then Mike did a tremendous job to get us out of that bases-loaded situation in the bottom. Nothing much ever seems to bother that guy.”
Peabody plays Pine Hill Wednesday at Swampscott.
