PEABODY — Winthrop’s Jason Rockefeller was a proud manager and father after Monday evening’s District 16 All-Star Tournament game against Wyoma.
Tied 1-1 in the bottom of the sixth with a runner on first base Winthrop third baseman Evan Rockefeller, Jason Rockefeller’s son, delivered a game-winning RBI triple to give his 12-year-old all-star team a 2-1 win over Wyoma at MacArthur Park.
“Evan grew a lot in May,” Jason Rockefeller said of his son. “He grew an inch taller. It really messed up his swing. Just in the past two weeks, he’s really starting to get that click back. He’s getting those hands in front and finding the barrel on the bat. For him to hit that triple, it was no surprise. I’m so proud of him. As a team, we’re just so proud and happy for everybody.”
With the victory, Winthrop remains alive in the District 16 All-Star Tournament. Winthrop clashes against Peabody Friday evening (5:45) at Saugus National.
Wyoma, with the loss, is eliminated from the tournament.
“It’s a great group of kids,” Wyoma manager John Meklis said. “I had a lot of fun with them. They worked really hard. We worked really hard for two weeks. We drew a bye, so we had a lot of time where these kids practiced just about every day. They worked really hard. I felt we deserved a little better but we didn’t hit the ball. I told them to keep their heads up. I hope they keep playing baseball and keep having fun.”
Wyoma, the visiting team, jumped out to quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Alex MacMillan (1-for-3, run) roped a one-out double and advanced to third base on a wild pitch. After a strikeout logged the second out of the inning, MacMillan scored on a RBI single from Chris Marks (1-for-3, RBI) to give Wyoma a 1-0 lead.
That’s how it stayed until the bottom of the fourth, as the game became a pitcher’s duel between Wyoma’s MacMillan and Winthrop starter Marco Beshere.
MacMillan pitched five-plus innings, allowing two earned runs on four hits with nine strikeouts. MacMillan walked one Winthrop batter and tallied two hit batsmen.
“Alex pitched great,” Meklis said. “I couldn’t have asked for anything more out of him. He pitched a great game. There’s not much more you can ask, two runs in six innings. He pitched a phenomenal game. It was a great pitcher’s duel but we just didn’t get the hits.
“I was hoping our guys would hit a little better but he (Beshere) was a great pitcher,” Meklis added. “He threw a lot of strikes, he threw well. I expected Alex to pitch well and he did. We just didn’t hit. It’s the second game in a row we didn’t hit.”
Beshere pitched five innings for Winthrop, allowing one earned run on three hits with 10 strikeouts. Evan Rockefeller followed Beshere in relief and pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning.
“Marco’s our ace,” Jason Rockefeller said. “He was his usual self. I thought his pitch count was different in the last inning and Evan hasn’t pitched all tournament. That was a big situation for him to come in and get three outs. We have to hand it to Wyoma’s starter (MacMillan) too. He was throwing great curveballs and they were fantastic.”
Winthrop tied the game in the bottom of the fourth. Joey Rich (1-for-1, two runs) led the inning with a single and Jackson Andy reached on a fielder’s choice. After back-to-back strikeouts, Ryan Harris drew a walk. Ryan Gagnon stepped up to the plate and was hit by a pitch, scoring Rich from third base with the game-tying run.
“Whenever we play Wyoma I expect a good battle,” Jason Rockefeller said. “They always teach their kids the right way to play. They’re really aggressive and always prepared. I always expect the best and they gave their best today.”
A scoreless fifth inning set the stage for Evan Rockefeller’s (1-for-2, RBI) late heroics in the bottom of the sixth. Philip Boncore (1-for-2) singled to start the rally and was pinch-run for by Rich. Evan Rockefeller tripled to right-center, scoring Rich from first base with the game-winning run.
“You have to take your chance in that situation because you may not get another one,” Jason Rockefeller said. “Philip had that big hit but he caught the whole game so we had to pinch-run for him. You have to go for it in that situation.”
