LYNN — The St. Mary’s baseball team made it to the Final 4 last season before bowing out to King Philip, and this year, is ready to take it one step further.
However, to get back to the big stage, you have to earn it.
In Tuesday’s 7-4 win against No. 18 Norwell, the second-seeded Spartans had to work for everything at Fraser Field.
The visitors got on the board early, scoring two runs in the opening inning thanks to an RBI single to left field and another infield single, bringing in a runner from third with the bases loaded.
However, the Spartans were quick to get a run back. After a double from Jaiden Driscoll, two Spartan batters were hit by pitches. Jared Paone recorded an RBI sac-fly to center field, bringing home Driscoll to cut the lead in half (2-1, Norwell).
In the top of the second, the Clippers kept knocking on the door. They had runners on second and third with just one out when St. Mary’s coach Derek Dana decided to make a pitching change.
Senior pitcher Matt Lewis took over in a high-pressure situation. He showed his veteran leadership, calmly striking out the next two hitters to get the Spartans out of a jam.
“The top two, Josh (Doney) and Jack (Zimmerman), have been great all season. Jack didn’t have it today, but we kept telling Matt that his time was coming. He had three wins this year, even though the other guys pitched most of the innings, but this is why you keep preparing,” Dana said. “Matt was ready and he delivered today.”
St. Mary’s tied the game, 2-2, with an RBI sac-fly from Michael DeMaino to bring home Kyle Doney from third. Then, an enemy error gave the Spartans their first lead at 3-2.
While Lewis continued to dominate from the mound (4 1/3 IP, 5 K), the offense kept adding insurance runs.
St. Mary’s scored three runs in the third to stretch its lead to four. Kyle Doney brought two runners home with a two-RBI single to right-center field.
“He was huge today. He’s been the best catcher that I’ve seen all year. The big hit he had, for him to deliver with that was huge,” Dana said. “He got on base three times, twice he was hit by a pitch, but he was big for us today.”
Norwell got two runs back in the sixth inning, but once Dana brought in closer Jacob Peterson (1 1/3 IP, K), it was all but over.
Dana talked about baserunning being key to Tuesday’s game, and credited Brady Baldasarre and Micah Hashikawa for providing speed on the bags.
“The kids ran the bases really well. Brady Baldasarre and Micah Hashikawa were excellent. They picked up the coaches; they were heads up and alert,” Dana said.
When asked about getting back to the Round of 8, Dana touched upon his team’s hard work this spring.
“I’m happy for the kids. They put in a lot of work. They made this run last year and they see the excitement that builds from this and keeps on building,” Dana said. “It’s really just a fun time to play this time of year. You get crowds, and the game is always exciting. I just love it and I know the kids do, too.”
At 4 p.m. this Friday, the Spartans host the winner of Wednesday’s game between No. 10 Shawsheen Valley Tech and No. 7 North Middlesex Reg.
