The Classical baseball team punched its ticket to the state tournament with a 3-0 shutout win over Malden Wednesday at Fraser Field.
“That’s our first goal,” Classical coach Mike Zukowski said. “We’ve been trying to achieve that since the start of the season. We’re 13 games in and it’s great to qualify for that state tournament.
“It doesn’t get easier from here,” Zukowski said. “We still have to build on these 10 wins, work on our seeding and work on a couple things. We’ve made some mental mistakes but I was very pleased with the pitching (Wednesday).”
Rams starter Kyle Finnigan allowed three hits and struck out five over five innings. Luke Rao tossed the last two innings of relief without allowing a hit.
“Kyle’s fastball was on. Luke came in and kept guys off balance. I was very pleased with the pitching. We didn’t allow any walks.”
Leadoff hitter Nico Galeazzi set the tone with a pair of doubles and a run scored. Brett Bucklin (1-for-3, run), Dayshon Anderson (1-for-2) and James Wilkins each had one RBI. Jared DeFillipo had one hit and scored one run.
Classical (10-3) visits English (8-3) Friday night (7) at Fraser Field.
“They have a similar record to us,” Zukowski said. “The stage is set. We just have to come ready to play because we know English will.”
Archbishop Williams 2, St. Mary’s 1 (F/8)
The Spartans dropped to 9-4 with the loss. Williams grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the seventh. John Mulready reached on an error in the bottom of the seventh. Pinch-runner Kory Ouellette advanced to second base on Jared Coppola’s bunt. Lee Pacheco reached on an error, pushing Ouellette to third. Ouellette scored on a DJ DiCenso RBI groundout, tying the game at 1-1.
Pacheco gave the Spartans a valiant effort on the mound. He pitched eight innings and allowed two earned runs on eight hits with four strikeouts.
“Lee was very good,” Spartans coach Derek Dana said. “He certainly pitched well enough to win but Williams pitcher Brandon Sullivan just shut us down with a one-hitter and 10 strikeouts.
“Our defense played excellent behind Lee,” Dana said. “We played a very clean defensive game. We just got beat in the batter’s box.”
St. Mary’s hosts a double-header Saturday, welcoming Andover (11) and Austin Prep (2) to Fraser Field.
Swampscott 16, Winthrop 0 (F/5)
Ryan Graciale drove Swampscott’s offense with two home runs and five RBI. Dylan January and Zach Elwell each had two hits and three RBI. Drew Olivieri logged four walks and scored five runs.
Max Pegnato picked up the win on the mound.
Swampscott improved to 7-5 with the win.
Gloucester 4, Marblehead 3 (F/8)
At Gloucester, Marblehead dropped its third game in a row. Ben Weed gave the Magicians a solid start, allowing just one earned run on six hits over four innings.
Godot Gaskins (1-for-4) and Brady Lavender (0-for-3) each drove in a run. Erick Gonzalez went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks.
Danvers 9, Peabody 4
Peabody dropped to 5-7 with its second consecutive loss. Jordan Anzuoni had two hits at the plate and pitcher Derek DeLisi tossed all seven innings.
Mike Sabella and Chris Faraca each hit a RBI single.
The Tanners visit Winthrop Friday (4).
