LYNN — Thursday evening was a strange one at Fraser Field. Lynn Tech’s baseball team hosted Minuteman for two five-inning games, losing by multiple runs in the first, but dominating the second.
Tech (9-9) made things interesting in game one, but lost 5-2. The Tigers were outhit just 4-3, but Minuteman’s hits were timely.
“We kind of took our foot off the gas today,” Tech coach Edward Lewis said. “It was a big game and I don’t think we were prepared for such a quick one.”
A quick one, indeed. The five-inning games made a comeback attempt that much harder as Tech started to heat up towards the end, according to Lewis.
“Give us another inning or two. I think we can pull the game off,” Lewis said. “A seven-inning game, a six-inning game, we get it.”
But after the loss, Tech’s dugout remained loud and optimistic en route to a 10-3 win in game two – something especially impressive considering five of its starters are freshmen.
Lewis told his team between games, “Listen, we’ve got to start out early. We can’t wait.”
Well, just two innings into game two, his Tigers obliged. Chris Boyd got things started with an RBI single to score Will McCafferty (1-1).
“Chris came in and played very well,” Lewis said.
Little did Chris know – he ignited a fire. Roman Valdez plated two with a pop fly and Dylan Diffilippo hit a dart to center field to headline a six-run second inning for Tech (6-1).
And if you ask Lewis, he’ll say his team was due.
“To be honest with you, nothing really changed,” Lewis said. “We had some guys step up for us… We had a big inning, scored six runs, and we didn’t look back after that.”
Minuteman showed its heart, however, scoring two runs in the third to make it a 6-3 ballgame. That said, with Lewis telling his team “we needed a little bit more urgency,” Minuteman’s momentum didn’t last long.
Kolby Bucklin hit one to left center to plate three, followed by Dylan Nordyke who scored Mario Giordano with a single. Next thing you know, it was 10-3 Tech – the eventual final score.
“Our senior Kolby struggled a little bit early, but had three huge RBI come in,” Lewis said. “I think that changed the momentum for us.”
Valdez pitched all five innings of game two, ending the game with a 1-2-3 inning featuring three pop flys – might I add, he made it look easy.
“We had Roman come in to close this game today. That was awesome,” Lewis said. “He’s not a guy who’s usually on the mound for us. He usually plays center field.”
Back to Tech’s youth and excitement. When asked how great it is to have those things, Lewis said “100 percent.”
“For these guys to come out here and be very poised at the plate, and play for everybody, they’re up there swinging their hearts out,” Lewis said. “They’re young, but they’re getting it done.”
Tech returns to action Friday against Nashoba Tech, where the young Tigers look to keep their game-two momentum intact.
“It’s awesome, but these guys want more,” Lewis said. “They work extremely hard.”
