HAVERHILL — From beginning the season 4-6 to rattling off three consecutive wins in the state tournament, it was hard imagining St. Mary’s baseball team being eliminated.
Talk about a near-perfect story – the Spartans walked off two playoff games and reached the Final Four with just five seniors on their 24-man roster. But Tuesday evening at the neutral site of Haverhill High School, King Philip played the role of the villain.
The No. 3 Warriors handled the No. 10 Spartans 6-4. That said, high school sports are more than a final score, and St. Mary’s coach Derek Dana walked off the diamond with his head held high.
“Am I disappointed that we didn’t win today? Yeah, but I’m not disappointed in anything they did,” Dana said. “I’m not disappointed in them in any way, shape, or form.”
And, boy, did they come out swinging. Cam McGonagle sent one deep into right field in the first inning, scoring pinch-runner Devin Duval for a 1-0 St. Mary’s lead.
From there, designated hitter Chris Marks connected on an RBI-triple (2-0), and all momentum was with the visitors in navy blue.
“It was a great start. I just liked the way they came in with their approaches,” Dana said. “Chris Marks – big hit, [I’m] so happy for him.”
Good teams respond, however, and the Warriors are 17-7 for a reason. They rallied off two in the second inning to even things 2-2.
“To be able to put up two runs there and answer, that just set the tone for the rest of the game,” King Philip coach Jeff Plympton said. “I thought our guys responded very well.”
They did a whole lot more than respond. King Philip racked up base hits to put pressure on St. Mary’s pitcher Tommy Falasca – who exited the game in the fourth inning trailing 6-2.
“He didn’t have his best stuff today,” Dana said. “They’ve got big, strong boys that can swing the bat. A different day, maybe, I don’t know.”
And while the defense behind Falasca was on its heels, St. Mary’s bats were struggling against King Philip’s Nate Pennini.
“We had confidence in him,” said Plympton, who watched St. Mary’s clips online heading into Tuesday. “We knew what kind of team St. Mary’s was and we thought he was the best guy to go out there. For a sophomore, I’ll take that.”
Another underclassman, St. Mary’s Jacob Peterson, relieved Falasca and retired the side in the fourth with the bases loaded.
“He’s come in and closed games,” Dana said. “He held it right down.”
Better yet, he got some run support. With all hope seemingly lost, the Spartans dug deep, walking twice with the bases loaded (Josh Doney and Jaiden Driscoll) to cut the deficit to 6-4 in the sixth.
“It was all of them,” Dana said. “I’m very proud of this team. Really, just an outstanding job of those boys sticking together.”
Peterson went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth, lining up one more chance for the Spartans in the seventh.
Enter King Philip closer Tommy Martorano, whose fastball was, well, fast. He struck out two in the seventh to seal the deal on the Spartans’ season.
“They competed until the last out,” Dana said. “[It was] just unfortunate we didn’t come away with the win today.”
The Spartans finish the season 16-8, and say goodbye to seniors Falasca, Carlos DelaRosa, Tad Giardina, Nick Maisano, and Isaiah Weston.
“I thank the seniors,” Dana said. “They kept this unit moving forward and we had a lot of success.”
