BEVERLY — Like a game of pinball, you think you’ve got it in the bag, when suddenly, that little ball goes down to the bottom.
After Friday morning’s baseball game at Beverly High School, Saugus coach Joe Luis shook his head and said, “A team with a few more veterans and more experience, they pull it off.”
We’ll never know. All we know is Saugus led, 1-0, through 6 1/3 innings, but saw the Panthers pounce with only two outs to play with.
After seven, a 2-1 win for Beverly.
“You, kind of, have to learn to play in close games like that to get better as a team,” said a look-on-the-bright side Luis, whose Sachems still stand at 4-2. “With only four (Saugus) hits… it was a good game – that’s all I can say.”
Good game, indeed. After an error at first, Casey McGrath of the Panthers tied the game in the seventh after getting on base with a double. Micah McMannus (6 IP, 11 strikeouts) stole third – then home – to walk it off for Beverly.
“I always have hope in the guys,” said Beverly coach Jon Cahill. “They talked amongst themselves prior to that inning and knew what it was going to take… You put the ball in play and anything can happen.”
It’s true. Cam Soroko of the Sachems hit a single in the fourth after a strong run to first base. Next thing you know, he was tapping home after a passed ball (1-0).
“He got over to third. Shane Bourque bunted him, got him over, and then it was a passed ball,” Luis said. “He’s (Soroko) an aggressive player and that’s what he’s going to do.”
Cam wasn’t the only Soroko to make plays, either. Catcher Nate Soroko gunned a man down at second base in the sixth inning – much to the delight of the visiting fans.
Still, Saugus’ lead was just one – and it could’ve been more.
“It’s telling the guys that, hey, if you got up 2-0, it’s a different game,” Luis said. “You really have to try and take advantage of every base-runner who gets on base.”
A big reason for that was McMannus on Beverly’s bump, who showed off his mental toughness as five of his 11 strikeouts came after allowing the lone Saugus run.
“Micah kept us at bay until we were able to scratch a couple runs across,” Cahill said.
Call it a pitchers’ duel. While McMannus was dealing, so was Cam Bernard of the Sachems. The starting right-hander punched out four and went the distance.
Even Cahill said, “I hate to see someone have to lose that game from a pitching standpoint.”
“Cam threw the ball very well – very efficient with the strike-zone and controlled his pitches,” Cahill said. “I thought it was a very well-pitched game from him.”
Luis agreed, applauding Bernard’s control, command, and arsenal.
“Some of those curve balls look like they broke about 2 feet,” said a chuckling Luis. “They were looking good and that obviously makes him very successful.”
Another Saugus highlight was when Bourque dove in short right field to snag a tough ball in the fourth inning.
It’s a quick turnaround for Beverly, which visits Lawrence at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The Sachems welcome Peabody to town at 4 p.m. on Monday.
“We’ve just got to get ready for Monday as quickly as possible,” said Luis, in a statement most don’t say on a Friday. “Hopefully, we bounce right back and give them a good game… Just learn from this and move on.”
