LYNNFIELD — The Lynnfield baseball team has had some offensive struggles this season, but all of that went out the window Saturday afternoon in a 22-12 victory over Cape Ann League foe on a soggy Senior Day at Lynnfield High School.
Prior to the game, Lynnfield honored its group of seven seniors — Jack Bird, Blake Peters, Luke Martinho, Dante Gesamondo, Trent Balian, Evan Balian and Jake DeBenedictis — for their contributions to the program over the past four years.
While the Pioneers’ bats didn’t exactly explode in the win (they only had 10 hits to go with their 22 runs), Lynnfield was able to put together a number of runs behind heads-up baserunning and taking advantage of mistakes by Ipswich throughout.
The offensive charge was led by Spencer Riley (2-for-3, double), Blake Peters (2-for-4) and Evan Balian (2-for-4), who each notched two hits and three runs scored in the win. Martinho (1-for-3), Gesamondo (1-for-3), Bird (1-for-2) and DeBenedictis (1-for-1, three walks) each had one hit in the win.
Gesamondo earned the win on the hill for the Pioneers after getting the start.
Things weren’t looking good early on, as Lynnfield fell behind 2-0 in the top of the first inning after a two-run double.
But then the Pioneers came up to bat.
Lynnfield went through its lineup a full two times in the first inning alone, plating 10 runs behind a combination of eight walks, two hit batters and a couple of clutch RBI hits from Peters and Gesamondo.
But even with that 10-2 lead, the Pioneers weren’t in the clear yet. Ipswich battled back with five runs of its own in the top of the third to make it 10-7. The Tigers added two more runs in the top of the fourth, and all of a sudden it was a ballgame again.
But in the bottom of the fourth, Lynnfield effectively put the game away. The Pioneers remained patient and forced six more walks in the frame, supplementing those walks with hits from Bird, Peters, Martinho and Evan Balian to push across 10 more runs and blow the game open at 20-9.
Ipswich scattered a few more runs in the top of the fifth, but it wasn’t nearly enough. The Pioneers scored two more times in the bottom of the fifth to stretch the lead to 10 runs and end the game early.
Lynnfield (4-6) is set to host Triton Monday morning (10) back at Lynnfield High.
