LYNNFIELD — Last Tuesday provided a highly-anticipated baseball game between North Reading and Lynnfield. Unfortunately for both teams, Mother Nature won, causing play to be suspended in the bottom of the fifth inning with North Reading ahead 7-4.
Fast forward to Friday and the game resumed. Lynnfield brought in two more runs, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the three run deficit from Tuesday’s game. North Reading won the game 7-6.
North Reading scored six runs in the top of the fourth-inning to jump ahead 7-2. When asked about the five-run deficit, Lynnfield coach John O’Brien pointed to pitching and stranded baserunners.
“We weren’t able to throw strikes and it let them back in the game,” O’Brien said. “We ended up getting a couple of runs, but we left some guys on.”
The Pioneers walked two batters home, and an errored throw to home allowed North Reading to score three of its five fourth-inning runs with ease.
“They took advantage of our mistakes, got a big hit (a single driving in two) when they needed it, and here we sit,” O’Brien said.
Despite the deficit, Lynnfield battled back – something O’Brien admired about his team earlier this season.
Madux Iovenilli drove in Henry Caulfield with a ground rule double in the fourth, then Tyler Adamo followed with a sacrifice fly to left field, bringing in Dan Dorman to cut the lead to 7-4.
“We got a pretty competitive team and the kids play hard,” O’Brien said. “We know if we get down, we have the ability to come back as long as guys do the right thing at the plate.”
The Pioneers next game is on Thursday when they travel to Georgetown with the first-pitch scheduled for 4 p.m.
