LOWELL — Saturday night’s Division 2 North final between the No. 1 Masconomet and No. 3 Beverly baseball teams belonged to Panthers Spencer Brown and Clayton McAlpine.
Brown supplied the pitching with a complete-game effort, logging 11 strikeouts and one earned run on five hits. McAlpine supplied the offense, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
The result was a 3-1 Beverly win at LeLacheur Park, giving the Panthers their first Division 2 North sectional championship in program history.
“We had to play a perfect game to beat Masconomet,” Beverly coach Dave Wilbur said. “They’re really good. I’m proud of these guys and I’m just happy to be a part of it. It’s a great win for Beverly High baseball.”
Beverly pieced together a solid start in the top of the first inning. Matt Collins (1-for-4) laced a one-out single to start the Panthers rally. Nick Berry (1-for-3) followed with a two-out single and Clayton McAlpine’s RBI single plated the night’s first run.
The game stayed at 1-0 in Beverly’s favor until the Panthers racked another run to their lead in the top of the third. Once again it was McAlpine who played hero, as the junior roped a RBI double to right-center, scoring Berry for the 2-0 Beverly lead.
“Clayton struck out three times the other day and we just talked about relaxing,” Wilbur said. “He crushed it today. It was really big for our team and for him to come through.”
A perfectly executed double steal allowed the Panthers to bump their lead to 3-0 in the fourth with Conor Hanlon sprinting home for the run as Tim McCarthy (2-for-4) swiped second.
“When the pitching’s like this one run can seem like three or four runs,” Wilbur said. “Both pitchers are good. Both teams have really good pitching. Getting that lead puts a little pressure on the other guys are we were able to build on that.”
And while the Panthers were scrapping runs together and building their lead, Brown was dominating Masconomet’s order on the mound. Brown tallied five strikeouts through the first three innings and kept the Chieftains off the scoreboard until the bottom of the sixth.
“Spencer showed why he’s an all-scholastic player and the MVP of the Northeastern Conference,” Wilbur said. “He put us on his shoulders tonight and we were able to make every play for him. We got some big hits and it was a big day for Beverly baseball. I’m just proud to be a part of this.
“There’s no easy out in Masconomet’s order,” Wilbur added. “Spencer was able to move his fastball around. He kept them off balance a little bit and we played great defense. I felt we had to play our best game of the year to beat a great team like that.”
Masconomet threatened in the bottom of the fifth, when Will Hunter led the inning with a single. With quick feet and heads up baserunning, Hunter took second and third on a passed ball. Brown logged the final two outs of the inning on a groundout and a strikeout to escape the jam unscathed.
Masconomet found the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth. Andrew Manni was hit by a pitch and Patrick Costigan followed with a single. A balk granted the Chieftains runners second and third. Manni scored on Jack Seymour’s sac-fly to center, slimming Beverly’s lead to 3-1.
Brown surrendered a two-out single to Jack Hurton in the bottom of the seventh but sealed the 3-1 win with his 11th strikeout of the night to punch Beverly’s ticket to the Eastern Mass. Division 2 state final.
The Panthers, the last team from Lynn or its vicinity to be standing in the postseason, will clash against South sectional champion North Attleboro Thursday night (6:30) at LeLacheur Park.
“This is the best senior leadership of any team I’ve ever coached,” Wilbur said. “I’m just following in their lead. These guys want it, these guys are into it and I’m just making sure I don’t mess a thing up and follow them. We’re a hungry baseball team and we’re tough to beat.”
Masconomet ends its season at 21-3.
