SOMERVILLE — Friday’s state semifinal wasn’t the time for the Lynn Babe Ruth 13-year-old All-Stars to go through the motions.
A frustrating offensive display (mixed with tough luck) led to a 3-0 Lynn loss to Plymouth at Trum Field. The defeat ends Lynn’s state tournament run.
“We knew Plymouth was a good team,” Lynn manager Rich Avery said. “We knew they were deep in pitching. We tried swinging the bats early and got some guys on base but we just couldn’t push any runs across.”
Pitcher Levy Dasilva got the nod for Lynn and tossed 4 2/3 innings. Dasilva allowed four hits, walked five and struck out seven.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight going into it,” Avery said. “I thought Levy pitched an unbelievable game. He kept us in the whole game.”
Reliever Juniel Guzman held down the fort with two strikeouts over 1 1/3 innings.
Lynn pieced together a nice opportunity to tack on a few runs in the top of the first but it was to no avail. The first two batters were retired via groundouts. No. 3 hitter Guzman drew a walk and stole second base. Carlos Delarosa followed with an infield single and Dasilva reached via walk, loading the bases. Plymouth induced a groundout to escape the jam.
Dasilva surrendered a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first before settling down with four strikeouts in a row. He ran into trouble in the bottom of the second, loading the bags with a pair of one-out walks and a hit batsman. Plymouth cashed in with a RBI single for the game’s first run. Lynn ended the inning with consecutive groundouts to limit the damage.
Lynn stranded a runner on second base in the top of the third and a runner on third base in the top of the fourth. Singles from pinch-hitter Richie Avery and Darnell Leon in the top of the fifth weren’t enough to get Lynn on the board.
“We told the kids to keep swinging at good pitches,” Avery said of his team’s approach at the plate. “We told them to keep their spirits up and keep fighting. We knew it was going to be a dogfight. We had to keep fighting and see what happens.”
A leadoff double in the bottom of the fifth opened the door for Plymouth to pad its lead. Plymouth capitalized on the opportunity with a pair of RBI singles to put itself up 3-0.
With their backs against the wall, the Lynners needed a late rally to keep their postseason alive. But it wasn’t meant to be, as the final six batters were sent down in order for the 3-0 final.
Avery was proud of his team’s effort through the tournament.
“I didn’t know what to expect coming into the tournament,” he said. “I know these kids. I know their work ethic. They work hard every day. As the tournament progressed I could see what they had in them. I was proud to coach them this year.
“We have five 12-year-olds on this team,” he said. “They’re going to mature and they’re definitely going to learn from this. Hopefully it fuels their fire next year. Being top four in the state isn’t bad for our first time around, first time together as a team. It’s fun when you bring all the Lynn kids together.”
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SOFTBALL 10’s
Marblehead 9, Peabody 4
Marblehead capped of its unbeaten run through the District 16 tournament with a convincing win in the district final Friday.
Tessa Francis got it done on both sides of the ball, pitching a complete game with 10 strikeouts and also notching three hits with two RBI at the plate. Hailey Schmitt added two hits and two RBI in the win, while Tessa Andriano and Lillian Reddy each had two hits.
Marblehead (3-0) now moves on to the state semifinal, which will be played next Saturday (TBA) at Charlie Reinfuss Field against the District 13 champion.
