LYNN — The Lynn Classical baseball team (12-4) came up short Saturday, falling to Reading Memorial (14-3), 12-1, at Fraser Field.
Despite the loss, the Rams had reason to celebrate as they honored their three seniors: Christian Figueroa, Gerandry Gonzalez and Jake Beyea.
“My three seniors stood out today. It was their day today,” Classical Head Coach Jason Rogato said. “Figueroa has been the heart and soul of this team for four years. He’s played all over the place at a high level. Jake and Gerandry have been the best teammates. They’re always positive and have always picked up the guys when they needed to. They’ve been here and working really hard.”
It was a tough time for Classical to face a strong opponent. Saturday marked the Rams’ fifth game in seven days, a grueling stretch that tested their stamina and pitching depth.
“It was our fifth game in seven days. The boys were tired and had to try some new things. We went out there and worked hard this week,” Rogato said.
Dami Munoz got the start on the mound. While he took the loss, Rogato praised the junior, who struck out six over 2 2/3 innings.
“It’s a lot of games. We played last night and had to come back out in the morning. It’s just fatigue. We had to use all of our arms this week,” Rogato said. “Dami started today. He only had one inning coming into today. He threw well, but we were just trying new things this week to get ready.”
Reading took control early, scoring in each of the first four innings to build an 8-0 lead by the bottom of the fourth.
Classical’s lone run came in that fourth inning. Ronal Brea reached on a walk, then advanced to third on a single by Figueroa, a Wentworth Institute of Technology commit. Brea got the green light to steal home and he pounced to cut the deficit to 8-1.
After a demanding stretch, the Rams will be off until Wednesday, when they visit Revere for a 4:15 p.m. start. The game carries significance, as Classical remains in contention for the Greater Boston League title.
“I want to see a rested team. We’re going to go out there and play our best. We’re only one game behind Medford for the GBL. They have three games this week and we only have that one left,” Rogato said. “If they drop one, we have to go out and win that game so we can capture it.”
