LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield baseball team’s bats went silent Saturday afternoon in a disappointing 4-2 loss to Cape Ann League rival Hamilton-Wenham at Lynnfield High.
The Pioneers had just two hits, yet manufactured a 2-0 lead after two innings. But after that it was all Generals, who took the lead for good with a four-run fourth inning.
Generals starter Paul Horgan slammed the door shut from the third inning through the sixth, surrendering just one base hit, a sixth-inning single by Will Garofoli.
Lynnfield coach John O’Brien was not happy.
“We left the bases loaded in the first inning when we should have pushed at least a couple more runs home,” O’Brien said. “I was disappointed with our lack of hitting. We were taking too many pitches and half-swings and that’s just not the way we teach it.
“We easily walked five or six guys and also hit several batters, and there is just no need for that,” said O’Brien. “It’s all just a lack of focus. I know they had the prom last night, but that’s no excuse.”
Lynnfield took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Leadoff hitter Jonathan Luders reached on an error and stole second. With two outs, Horgan walked Fernando Gonzalez then hit Pioneer starter Clay Marengi to load the bases for Will Garofoli, who worked a walk to bring Luders home.
With two outs in the top of the second, Horgan hit Luders, who stole second. John Singer singled Luders home to make it 2-0.
Marengi’s struggles began in the second. The Generals had runners at first and second (walk, single) and one out, but Marengi ended the threat with two strikeouts.
In the third, the Generals sandwiched a pair of walks (one intentional) around a single to load the bases with one out. Lynnfield got out of the jam with two stellar defensive plays. Catcher Jaret Simpson snagged a foul pop-up at the plate wavering in a stiff breeze, then Singer made a nice play on a hard-hit grounder to second to end the inning.
But the Pioneers’ fortunes turned south in the fourth. After striking out the lead batter, Marengi walked Horgan and hit Ryan Hutchinson. The Generals then strung together five straight base hits, the big one coming from Tobin Clark-Goldfeld, who drove in the tying and go-ahead runs with a two-run triple. The damage would have been worse, but Lynnfield gunned down Keegan O’Shea at the plate attempting to score from first to get out of the inning.
The Pioneers squandered chances in the fifth and sixth.
In the fifth, Luders reached on an error. One out later, Fiore lifted a routine fly ball to center. Luders was caught off second and doubled up.
In the sixth, Marengi walked. Garofoli roped single with Marengi taking second. But Horgan retired the next two Pioneers on a routine fly ball and strikeout to end the threat.
Garofoli relieved Marengi in the fifth, allowing an infield single with one walk in two innings.
“We’ll just have to go back to the drawing board,” O’Brien said. “Their guy is a great pitcher, he no-hit us last year. But we had the chance to give him the boot early and we didn’t get the job done. Here, if you don’t hit, you don’t play. It’s obvious that it’s time to try to find some kids who are going to hit.
“We just didn’t play well today in any part of the game, except defensively as I don’t think we had an error,” said O’Brien.
Lynnfield’s next game is Thursday against Amesbury at home (3:45).
