LYNN — They say revenge is a dish best served cold, and Lynnfield’s baseball team picked the perfect time to serve up that revenge against a Cape Ann League rival.
After the Hamilton-Wenham Generals defeated the Pioneers in the regular season (7-6), the two teams met in the Division 4 semifinals at Fraser Field Wednesday night.
Two-and-a-half hours after the first pitch, No. 2 Lynnfield advanced to the championship game against No. 5 Millbury (TBD at Polar Park in Worcester) with a 17-3 win against Hamilton-Wenham.
“Both sides pitched really well,” said Lynnfield Coach John O’Brien. “We knew this kid (Jack Cooke) was going to throw a lot of strikes and we wanted to be aggressive.”
Believe it or not, the Generals struck first. Lynnfield couldn’t turn a double play in the first inning (1-0).
Fortunately for Lynnfield, that lead didn’t last long as the Pioneers poured in seven first-inning runs to seize all momentum. Madux Iovinelli, Walter Radulski, Andrew George, Dylan Nguyen, Tyler Adamo, and Nicholas Groussis all recorded RBI in the inning.
Iovinelli, who got the nod on the mound, went six innings, striking out five and allowing three runs to earn the win.
“Finally, we got him to pitch to contact. We’ve got a good defense behind him,” O’Brien said. “They made the plays behind him and it was awesome.”
Every time the Generals scored a run, they were answered immediately by Lynnfield. Momentum never truly escaped the Pioneers’ grasps.
“There was a lull after we went up 7-1 and then all of a sudden, we got a couple more runs and then a couple more,” O’Brien said.
Groussis had it going offensively all night long. The senior captain finished 3-for-5 with four RBI. Although his bat was on fire, O’Brien pointed to his defense and versatility.
“He started in center field, made a nice (diving) catch, and made a great throw that he just missed,” O’Brien said. “He ended the game playing shortstop. He’s played all nine positions this year for us.”
It was a complete performance for Lynnfield that all started with its defense.
“We’ve got good pitching, No. 1. We’ve got great defense and the kids made some great plays. The kid in right field climbed the fence to make the catch. Our middle infield was solid. Our catcher behind the plate did a great job,” O’Brien said. “On offense, this was the best we’ve hit this year.”
O’Brien, who has led Lynnfield to a 20-4 record, gave credit to his coaches.
“My coaches have done a great job all year – especially the last three games. They have the kids swinging the bats pretty well,” O’Brien said. “My coaches are tremendous. Any one of them can coach this team as a head coach.”
