LYNN — The Greater Lynn Babe Ruth 15s are on their way to the state championship game on Saturday after a 3-2 win Thursday, which ended with a walk-off hit from Michael Demaino in the seventh inning.
Coach Leon Elwell praised his side for the tough win.
“They feel good. That’s a good win,” Elwell said. “Newton played a great game. That was a great 15-year-old Babe Ruth All-Star Game, battling back and forth.”
Newton tied the game in the top of the seventh after a passed ball allowed a runner to score from third base (2-2).
Lynn’s Jonas Auguste led off in the seventh, showing his speed as he raced down the first-base line after hitting a ground ball to short. He safely reached first, just beating the throw.
“That’s one of the things we talk about. Two hits equal one run,” Elwell said. “It doesn’t matter how you get on base, you just need to get there and then we’ll find a way to get you in and that’s what we did.”
Auguste stole second to put himself in scoring position with zero outs and Devin Duval at the plate. Duval hit a ground ball to third and once Newton’s infielder threw to first, Auguste darted towards third and reached safely.
With one out and a man on third, it was time for Demaino to step up to the plate – literally and figuratively. Demaino waited for the right pitch and hit a single to right field, bringing Auguste home for the game-winning run (3-2).
“I’m always confident any time he steps in the box,” Elwell said. “He’s a great hitter and a great player. I had all the confidence in the world that he was at least going to put the ball in play and bring that runner home.”
Elwell said his team hasn’t faced a lot of adversity since most games have been won by multiple runs, but believed it was the perfect time to play a game that went down to the wire.
“Winning in the bottom of the seventh inning is something we can take into Saturday,” Elwell said. “We haven’t had many close games this season, so this is the perfect time for us to play in this type of game going into the state final.”
Despite the win, Elwell feels his team left too many runners on base.
“I don’t think we needed to make it as hard as it was. We left a ton of guys on base,” Elwell said. “We left too many guys on base and we can’t afford to do that on Saturday.”
On defense, Lynn was sound, making the right plays – and critical ones – when it mattered most.
“Defensively, I was happy. We played really good defense throughout,” Elwell said. “We made the plays when we needed to make them… That’s what good teams do.”
Elwell praised his starting pitcher, Jayson Avery (3 strikeouts in 5 innings), for keeping Lynn in the game.
“[He] struggled with control a little bit, but he hung in there and battled. He kept us in the game and gave us a chance to win, and that’s all you can ask from your starting pitcher,” Elwell said.
Greater Lynn now travels to Libby Field in Weymouth this Saturday to play the winner of Taunton/Braintree. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m.
