LYNN — Over the years, it’s often been a competitive game when the Lynn Classical and Lynn English baseball teams face off at Fraser Field – it’s tradition, after all.
This time around, however, the Rams got the better of the Bulldogs in no time, winning by a score of 14-3..
Classical is a young team, but when its bats are on point, nearly everyone in the lineup is dangerous. The Rams were led by Dami Munoz (3-for-4, 3 R, 4 RBI) and Mark Walsh (2-for-3, 2 R, 3 RBI).
The Rams took a 2-0 lead before the Bulldogs got one back in the bottom of the first inning. But a few innings later, the Rams broke the game wide open, thanks to a bases-loaded triple from Walsh.
According to Bulldogs’ Coach Esteban Paula, pitching is what got his team in trouble.
“Tonight, everything went downhill. We didn’t do our job,” he said. “The pitching staff didn’t do well today. We threw a lot of balls, we walked a lot of guys, and we just didn’t have our command today. We didn’t have it today. It was tough.”
The Rams led, 12-1, after the fourth inning and it was the perfect “bounce-back” win, according to Coach Leon Elwell. Christian Figueroa earned the win, pitching 4 2/3 innings and allowing just three hits, no walks, and one earned run, while striking out seven Bulldogs.
“We had a lot of hits tonight, which was a positive,” Elwell said. “Any time you play English, it’s a rivalry game and it’s a bit bigger. We’re 4-1 after five games, which is the most important thing.”
Although the heavy defeat, Paula believes his team can build off Wednesday’s game.
“I want them to learn that it’s not about the score,” he said. “It’s still early in the season, but we have a lot of work to do. It’s not just about the first or second inning; it’s about the entire game and we have to stay focused on the entire game.”
When asked what he’s enjoyed the most about his team’s 4-1 start, Elwell touched upon pitching and defense.
“The first couple of games were close games. Today, with the score being what it was, we had an opportunity to get guys in who haven’t gotten a lot of playing time yet,” Elwell said. “The pitching has been great and Christian has been great on the mound and Mark Walsh has taken on the closer role. It wasn’t a closing situation tonight, but he still came in and got the job done. Our outfield play also has improved from a year ago.
“We are still a young group, but the young players now all have a year-plus of varsity experience and it’s starting to show,” Elwell said.
The Bulldogs return to practice Thursday and Paula is ready to “start fresh.”
Classical is back in action Monday when it hosts Somerville at 10 a.m. English looks to bounce back the same day and time in Chelsea.
