LYNN — It was a neck-and-neck, incredibly close game for nine full innings on Saturday night at Fraser Field, and all of a sudden it wasn’t.
Falling victim to an eight-run barrage in the top of the 10th inning, the St. Mary’s baseball team fell to Catholic Central League rival Austin Prep by a score of 9-1 in a battle of previously unbeatens on the diamond.
It was a tough day at the plate for most of the night for the Spartans, who scattered five hits in the loss. Deniel Ortiz went 1-for-3 with one RBI, while Tad Giardina went 2-for-4. Aiven Cabral (1-for-4, triple) and Terence Moynihan (1-for-3) also added hits for St. Mary’s.
Cabral was stellar on the mound, but still left with the no-decision after eight strong innings. Cabral allowed one run on just five hits, walking two and striking out 12. It was Moynihan who took the loss after he surrendered four runs over 1 1/3 innings, striking out three in the process. Tommy Falasca and Ryan Fraher also saw time on the mound.
It was a 0-0 stalemate until the bottom of the fourth, when Cabral helped his own cause by smashing a triple to get into scoring position with less than two outs. Ortiz was up next, and he skied a sacrifice fly to drive in Cabral and give the Spartans a 1-0 lead.
That lead held until the top of the sixth, when Austin Prep’s Jake Elbeery knocked an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1.
And there it remained. The game concluded its regular seven innings, then went on to the eighth. Cabral came out after eight innings and 107 pitches. And then the ninth. Finally, in the top of the 10th, the Cougars broke free.
Thanks to five walks, a hit batter and an error, Austin Prep plated four runs to jump ahead 5-1. Then, with the bases loaded, James Mahoney effectively ended things when he smashed a bases-clearing, three-run triple to make it 9-1.
The Spartans had a chance to mount a rally in the bottom of the 10th, but Austin Prep reliever Dom Gabardi was too hot to handle. He pitched five scoreless innings of relief, earning the win on the mound.
St. Mary’s (3-2) is back in action Monday afternoon (3:30) on the road at Arlington Catholic.
