LYNNFIELD — Whether it’s in the backyard, Little League, or anywhere, there aren’t many things – in all of sports – better than a late-inning rally.
Granted, it wasn’t pretty. Lynnfield (10-3) defeated Pentucket (3-10) 14-2 in April, and trailed by two runs on four occasions Saturday.
But in the end, the host Pioneers won 7-6 in the final inning, and as Lynnfield coach John O’Brien said, “We were lucky, but pleased.”
“In this league (Cape Ann), I’m thoroughly convinced anyone can beat anyone,” O’Brien said. “We had some luck and some timely hits.”
As for how it happened, Lynnfield trailed 6-5 in the sixth inning, but not for long. Do-it-all Pioneer Tyler Adamo – who played a great game in relief – hit a double near the wall to score Dan Dorman and tie the game 6-6.
“I thought Tyler came in and pitched just a great ballgame,” O’Brien said. “When we needed it, he came in and shut them down, and then he got the game-tying double.”
From there, O’Brien said “all we needed was a ball to the outfield.” Well, Alex Gentile obliged, doing just that with a sac-fly to score Adamo (7-6).
“Alex came through after a tough at-bat before,” O’Brien said. “He came through… On offense, we put the two together.” O’Brien said.
To repeat O’Brien, Adamo did pitch a great ballgame, but the bases were loaded for Pentucket in the final inning as Lynnfield needed one more out. In came Dave Tracy, and a pop fly catch from Gentile sealed the deal.
“Everybody contributes – one way or another,” O’Brien said. “That’s huge.”
True, but no one did more than Adamo in this one. He struck out two in the sixth inning to retire the side and, more importantly, keep the Pioneers in it.
“He just stays nice and compact and throws strikes,” O’Brien said. “He’s got a nice breaking ball. He can throw strikes and throw into the dirt, which is huge.”
Beyond Adamo’s heroics with a bat and ball, O’Brien said his mindset sparked the dugout.
“He’s got a great attitude. He’s always picking up his teammates,” O’Brien said. “He’s done a great job.”
Other standouts included catcher Devin Bolger, who picked up Lynnfield’s first RBI back in the second inning. His next at-bat, he plated two more after hitting one past Pentucket’s first baseman.
“We got some timely hits and they were huge,” O’Brien said.
O’Brien credited Pentucket for playing a hard game, and his assistant coaches for keeping his players composed during a back-and-forth affair.
“That’s a nice ballclub over there. They hit the ball,” O’Brien said of Pentucket. “The assistant coaches do a great job with the kids and keeping them on track… Supporting someone when a mistake is made.”
Rob Higdon got the start for Lynnfield. Despite leaving the mound in the third inning, he fought hard through a shaky start.
“Rob pitched very well for us today [but] he didn’t have his best control,” O’Brien said. “We were able to rebound.”
Lynnfield looks to rebound some more on Tuesday as the Pioneers travel to face North Reading (11-4) at 4:15 p.m.
