LYNN — For the second game in a row, the St. Mary’s baseball team got a stellar pitching performance. And for the second game in a row, the Spartans picked up a 7-0 win.
Behind the strong arm of Eric Bridges and a six-run fourth inning, St. Mary’s knocked off Lynn English to win the inaugural Doug Mullins Memorial Tournament Sunday afternoon at Fraser Field.
“It’s really special to be a part of this tournament, let alone win it,” said St. Mary’s coach Derek Dana. “Dougie was a great friend, and I remember coaching him in football and baseball before he joined the staff here (at St. Mary’s). He was a special guy and it’s great to honor him at this tournament.”
Bridges — a sophomore — tossed a complete-game shutout on the mound Sunday, allowing just two hits and notching 10 strikeouts. His performance backed up the nearly unhittable performance from senior Aiven Cabral in the opening round against Lynn Classical, where Cabral — who was named Tournament MVP — struck out 17 batters in a one-hitter.
“When you have two guys like that, guys who keep you in the game every single time they’re on the mound, it’s really comforting,” said Dana. “There have been times over the course of this year where we haven’t hit as well as I’d have liked, but those guys kept us in every one of those games with their performances on the mound.”
Cabral went 1-for-3 with one RBI and one run scored in the win, while Tommy Falasca went 1-for-3 with two RBI and one run scored to lead the offense. Zach Fisher went 1-for-3 with a double and one RBI, while Bridges (0-for-2) and Jason Donohue (0-for-2) each had one RBI.
For English, the only two hits came from Yordy Contreras (1-for-3, double) and Jason Figuereo (1-for-2).
Victor Cambero took the loss despite a solid performance on the mound, going 3 2/3 innings and allowing six runs on two hits with eight strikeouts. Ray Contreras and Alex MacMillan each pitched one inning of relief.
“It may not have gone our way out there on the field, but we’re just happy and honored to be a part of this tournament,” said English coach Esteban Paula, who was an assistant coach under Mullins before taking over the job following his death. “He gave me my opportunity to coach, and I’ll forever be grateful to him for that. He was an incredible guy and we all miss him a lot, so it’s great for us to get together and honor him at this tournament.”
The Spartans scored the difference-making run in the very first inning, loading up the bases right away thanks to a walk, an error and a hit-by-pitch. That brought up Cabral, who knocked a ball up the middle that bounced off Cambero’s glove on the mound and allowed Cabral to notch an RBI infield hit.
But things didn’t get out of hand until the fourth inning, when the Spartans started hitting. Fisher’s RBI double made it a 2-0 game, then a run on an error and a two-run single from Tommy Falasca pushed the lead to 5-0. Bridges and Donohue then drew back-to-back, bases-loaded RBI walks to drive in another pair of runs and round out the scoring.
Bridges took care of things on the mound from there. He only allowed one hit over the final three innings — a double from Yordy Contreras in the top of the sixth — as he coasted to the win for the Spartans.
Lynn English closes the year at 12-7 and awaits its seeding in the upcoming Div. 1 state tournament. The Bulldogs are currently the No. 56 team in the latest MIAA power rankings, but they’ve earned an automatic bid after finishing above .500 for the season.
St. Mary’s wraps up the regular season at 12-9 and awaits its seeding in the upcoming Div. 2 state tournament. The Spartans are currently the No. 7 team in the latest MIAA power rankings.
