LYNN — You could say Saturday’s baseball game between St. Mary’s and Swampscott came with lots of stakes.
The Spartans were seeking their fourth Doug Mullins Memorial Tournament title in as many years since the tournament’s inception, while the Big Blue – standing at 9-10 – were one win from an MIAA state tournament berth.
Weekend weather may have been inconsistent – rain, shine, rain, shine – but some things never changed at Fraser Field. Despite connecting on just one hit, St. Mary’s defeated Swampscott, 3-1.
“Both games (St. Mary’s defeated Lynn Classical, 6-2, in Round 1) were tough,” said St. Mary’s Coach Derek Dana. “They came through again today.”
No one came through more than the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, Jack Zimmerman, who struck out 13 Swampscott batters.
“Outstanding,” Dana said. “He’s been here for two years. It’s been him and Josh (Doney) as 1 and 1A. It’s nice to have these two guys to roll out there and they pretty much give you everything they have.”
When asked about his high level of confidence in Zimmerman and Doney heading into the state tournament, Dana was quick to respond with “Absolutely.”
Zimmerman retired Swampscott’s first eight batters to set the tone. Not much changed from that point on, as the left-hander allowed just three hits in a complete-game showing.
Even Swampscott Coach Joe Caponigro was full of praise for the opposition.
“I give credit to their pitcher – he was outstanding,” Caponigro said. “He was in complete control.”
Swampscott’s Nick Berube was the team’s third pitcher to see action, but perhaps the most effective. He went 1-2-3 in the fourth inning, 1-2-4 in the sixth, and didn’t allow a run.
“Nick Berube came in and kind of shut things down,” Caponigro said. “He did run into some problems, but he was able to get out of it.”
St. Mary’s struck first when Nate Cutone recorded a base hit down the left-field line to score two in the first inning (2-0). An inning later, Doney touched home on a passed ball and the pressure was on (3-0).
Cutone’s hit was the only one for St. Mary’s. Dana admitted, “We’ve got to pick it up offensively,” but remained confident in his group.
“We scored 10 runs on Monday,” said Dana, referring to a 10-1 win against St. John’s Prep. “We just need to be more consistent.”
Adam Sparacio scored Swampscott’s lone run in the sixth inning. Catcher Michael Collins caught eyes with a tremendous throw to second base for an out in the third inning.
But again – too little, too late.
“Especially against a team like these guys,” Caponigro said.
Swampscott committed three errors, compared to St. Mary’s zero.
“We gave them a lot of freebies,” Caponigro said. “That’s not a recipe for success.”
The MIAA’s state tournament brackets release Wednesday at 11 a.m.
“We’re going to see some very good pitching in the tournament,” Dana said. “It’s a one-day deal and we’ve got to be ready to go – it’s win or go home.”
The tournament is named after former Lynn English Coach Doug Mullins, who, in October of 2020, sadly lost a courageous battle to osteosarcoma at age 34. Nieces and nephews Max, Marcos, Nikki, Emma, and Jake threw out ceremonial first pitches.
