LYNN — St. Mary’s baseball team is 2-1 and after a narrow defeat against Milton in last week’s opener, the Spartans are looking to put it all together and make another state championship run.
St. Mary’s conceded seven runs in the fifth inning against Milton.
“We had our opener last Thursday and had one real bad inning,” said coach Derek Dana, who has helmed the Spartans since 2008. “We had to sit on that for about a week.”
Despite the one-inning mishap, the Spartans had chances to recover, according to Dana. They just couldn’t get that crucial run across the plate.
“We had our chances. We left the bases loaded twice in the fifth and the sixth innings, I believe. It’s not the start that we wanted, but we’ve gotten some good work in since,” Dana said. “We’re trying to get these guys’ arms going. A lot of them don’t have varsity experience throwing or it’s minimal. We’re learning as we go.”
One player who stuck out? Look no further than a sophomore.
“Brennan Malloy was outstanding, striking out 10 (batters) in four innings and he didn’t allow a run in his first varsity start,” Dana said.
St. Mary’s bounced back with Wednesday’s 3-1 win against Arlington Catholic and another Friday against Archbishop Williams. Michael DeMaino and Nate Cutone each registered an RBI against AC, while Rowan Merryman roped two hits. Kyle Doney (2 IP, 3 K) earned the save.
Across the last few seasons, St. Mary’s sported top-notch pitching in Josh Doney (UMass Lowell), who compiled 56 strikeouts across 55 1/3 innings during his senior season, as well as Jack Zimmerman (Dayton), who recorded 99 strikeouts and a 1.70 ERA.
“We’re going to do it a bit differently this year. Last year, if Jack started on Monday, Josh went on Wednesday and then Jack comes back and closes on Friday. We had a steady rotation between arms — especially with Jack and Josh,” Dana said. “This year, we will have to go as long as we can when we’re having success. But if we need to bring someone else in, we won’t hesitate to do so. We’ve just got to give these guys some experience and make sure they’re throwing strikes.”
Two players who will be looked at to lead the team are Kyle Doney and DeMaino.
“They’ve been starting games since their freshman years,” Dana said. “Nate Cutone is off to a good start. He’s been hitting the ball very well and playing good defense. Kalen Huddle has been with us for a while. … Rowan Merryman is another who’s looking pretty good and will be at first base. We have 10 seniors and six of them, if they’re not everyday starters, have had steady playing time.”
Fresh off the basketball court, St. Mary’s has one more weapon in Lynn Classical transfer Rolky Brea Arias. Against Arlington Catholic, Arias pitched five innings and allowed just two hits alongside six punchouts.
“He’s going to be pitching and he’ll play in the outfield when he’s not pitching. He’s got a strong bat, too, and had a nice hit in the opener,” Dana said. “So far, he’s been a ‘yes, coach, no, coach’ and done everything we asked him to do. He does everything right and he’s looked good on the mound. He commanded the zone in the times he’s been pitching and he’s swinging the bat pretty well. He’s an athletic kid. Our team speed is pretty good and he adds to it with his long strides.”
St. Mary’s visits Bishop Stang Monday at 3:30 p.m.
