PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Swampscott players pile on top of Connor Correnti (2) after he knocked in the winning run against Peabody West on Thursday.
By MIKE ALONGI
LYNN — It may have taken eight innings, but the Swampscott Little League baseball team was able to force a winner-take-all game for a district championship. It was a walk-off RBI bunt single in the bottom of the eighth Thursday by Connor Correnti that lifted Swampscott over Peabody West, 3-2, to stay alive in the District 16 final at Spagnoli Field.
“I think everybody in the stadium knew we were bunting right there,” said Swampscott coach Steve Correnti. “But the idea was to put the ball on the ground and make them make a play and try to get that run home. The guys executed it perfectly, I couldn’t have asked for more.”
After falling behind 2-1 in the top of the eighth, Swampscott came up for one final chance at bat. It started off with a leadoff single by Pierce Friedman, followed by a sacrifice bunt by Matthew Schroeder. But Schroeder was able to reach on a throwing error, and Friedman came all the way around from second to tie the game. That was the end of the day for Peabody West starter Chris Faraca, who pitched a gem throughout the entire game.
“He dominated us today, and he dominated us the first time we played them too,” said Correnti. “But I think us playing that small ball kind of took him off his game a little bit and took his eye off the mitt. I think it also gave our guys some confidence, which ended up working out in our favor.”
After Schroeder advanced to third on a passed ball, Correnti laid down the bunt. It wasn’t the prettiest bunt, as it was more of a line drive, but it was placed in a perfect spot right between the pitcher and the first baseman. Schroeder was off on contact, giving him a head start toward home plate. Dom Annese, Peabody West’s new pitcher, made a valiant attempt to get the out at home, but Schroeder was able to slide under the tag safely to win the game.
Swampscott’s other run came in the bottom of the second when Dylan Dubiel came home on a passed ball for the first run of the game.
Peabody was able to tie the game at 1-1 on an RBI bloop single to left-centerfield by Harry Lynch in the top of the third, and that’s where the score remained until the top of the eighth. In the eighth, it was an RBI single from Faraca that put Peabody in front 2-1.
The two teams will now meet for one last game, a winner-take-all contest this afternoon back at Spagnoli Field at 5:45 p.m., to determine the District 16 champion.
When asked who his starting pitcher will be for the final game, Correnti smiled and said, “I think we’re going to have to figure that out right now.”
