PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Dayshon Anderson follows through on the swing that resulted in a grand-slam homer during Saturday’s 15-year-old Babe Ruth game against Chelmsford
BY STEVE KRAUSE
CHELMSFORD — Lynn 15-year-old Babe Ruth manager Leon Elwell couldn’t have said it any better.
“I know they’re only 15,” Elwell said, “but this win (Saturday) was almost professional, the way we came out and took care of business.”
It was certainly efficient. And clinical. The 15s wasted no time against Chelmsford Saturday at Volunteer Field, parlaying two five-run innings into a 10-0 4½-inning win over the hosts of the state north tournament.
Lynn is back in action today (5) against Medford.
In the top of the first, pitcher David Barnard blew away the first three Chelmsford hitters on strikes (he’d go on to whiff six in three innings). And then, in the bottom of the inning, after Dan Lilja scored on Christian Burt’s single, Barnard and AJ Luciano got on base via a walk and a hit-by-pitch respectively before Dayshon Anderson unloaded a grand slam over the left-field fence.
“Ever since this post-season started,” Elwell said, “I don’t think there’s been a game where we haven’t scored right away.
“It helped today that David came out throwing strikes, attacking the zone, and then Dayshon gets us started right away.”
After Barnard gave up a leadoff single to Conor Quinn in the second, he retired the next six hitters he faced, three via strikeout.
Lynn wasn’t done scoring runs. Aedan Leydon singled and scored on Barnard’s double, Burt walked, went to third on Barnard’s double and scored on a groundout by Luciano, and both Barnard and Anderson, who had walked, were driven in on a hot gounder by Anthony Nickolakakis that got by the third baseman. The 10th run came in by way of a fielder’s-choice grounder by Brett Bucklin.
“It was a clean game,” said Elwell. “We didn’t make any errors, everybody played, everybody hit. They’re a good bunch of kids and they’ve worked hard.”
The entire north part of the tournament is in Chelmsford. After the pool-play phase ends, the top two teams in both the North and South will play for the title at BC High in Dorchester.
14-year-olds
Lynn 7, Danvers 2
At Twi Field, Danvers, Will Hunter pitched complete game, scattering seven hits, striking out five, and walking one.
Hunter helped himself at bat reaching base four times, with single, double, walk and a hit-by-pitch.
Lynn’s big inning was a four-run fourth, with Bob Alcott singling home two runs.
Kyle Finnegan reached three times on a single, double and a walk Dan Gisonno scored two runs.
13-year-olds
Lynn 8, Arlington 6
Lynn 5, Peabody 3 (8 innings)
At World Series Park in Saugus, Lynn beat Arlington 8-6 Saturday and got some payback against Peabody, which won in 19 innings in the districts, with a 5-3 eight-inning victory Sunday.
With the score tied 3-3 heading into the top of the eighth Sunday, Jack Hogan singled and pinch-runner Sennell Castro stole second. Jeffrey Hill got a base hit, with Castro stopping at third. However, the cutoff throw went all the way to the plate, allowing Castro to take second.
Lucas Fritz knocked them both in with a double to right-center.
Aiden Dow pitched the final three innings to get the win, which left fielder Sean Anderson saved by laying out to catch a looping fly ball, and then doubling a runner off third base for the final two outs.
Luke Mannion pitched the first five innings.
Saturday, Lynn scored five runs in the bottom of the first, the big hit coming on Nick Galeazzi’s bases-loaded double that scored three runs.
However, by the fifth inning, Arlington had tied the game. But in the bottom of the fifth, Andrew Luciano knocked in two runs with a single, and Derian Arias’ base hit drove home an insurance run in the sixth.
Luciano pitched the first four innings, with Hogan, and Mannion, who got the win, finishing up.
