PHOTO BY ANNE MARIE TOBIN
Peabody Western pitcher Chris Faraca struck out all 15 batters he faced in a shutout win over West Lynn on Tuesday.
By ANNE MARIE TOBIN
PEABODY — If Tuesday night’s game between Peabody Western and West Lynn is any indication of what’s to come in this year’s District 16 Little League tournament, then something special may be brewing for West.
Pitcher Chris Faraca defied the odds. He threw a no-hitter, striking out every one of the 15 batters he faced in Peabody’s mercy rule-shortened 12-0 win at Cy Tenney Field. Faraca threw only 61 pitches in a game that lasted all of 55 minutes.
Only four times did West Lynn get its bats on the ball (all foul), the first being No. 9 hitter Yassin Bakhovch in the bottom of the third inning.
“He’s a special player, the only one like him in the tournament,” West manager Gary Lynch said. “He was ramped up for this game and pitched a tremendous game, but I’m not surprised.”
Technically, the game was not a perfect game as West Lynn reliever Manny Percel reached on a dropped third strike in the fourth inning. He stole second, then, after Peabody catcher threw out Evan Pheun at first on another dropped third strike, Percel headed home and slid home. Unfortunately for West Lynn, the run was nullified when the umpire called interference on Pheun, to end the inning.
Faraca got all the run support he needed in the top of the first. Zach Fisher walked and scored on an infield ground out by Jager Ingham.
Peabody made it 5-0 in the top of the third. Tyler Fawcett walked. Shawn Quintal moved him to second with a single, then both scored on a blast to right by Jeff Roach, the No. 9 hitter, making it 4-0. Fisher walked and scored on a double to left by Faraca.
“Shawn Quintal’s single was a big two-strike base hit to keep the rally alive,” Lynch said. “Then Jeff Roach, the next batter hits that home run and that really picked us up. We capitalized on their errors as well.”
Roach drove in another run in the third with an infield hit that scored catcher Harry Lynch, who led off the inning with a walk. With two outs, Nick Houvardas walked and scored on a throwing error at first with Roach also scoring on the same play to make it 8-0.
Peabody kept it up with four unearned more runs in the fifth. After Faraca struck out the side for the fifth time, the game was in the books.
“We have to keep our heads up as we still have at least one more game to be played,” West Lynn manager Oliver Gravely said. “You can’t win any game with the kinds of errors we made tonight. The bottom line is some tough calls went against us, but their pitcher was great, he was really good tonight.”
For Lynch, there is no secret to what Peabody needs to do to be successful.
“We’ll go as Chris goes, that’s what it amounts to,” he said. “We will take it one day, one game at a time, but with Chris and Dom (Annesse), we have as good a chance as anyone as it all comes down to pitching.”
