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Rolky Brea-Arias pitches for St. Mary's against Westwood. (Spenser Hasak) Purchase this photo

Hitting, versatility on display for St. Mary’s

Mark Aboyoun

by

LYNN — When No. 16 Westwood rattled off two runs and tied Wednesday’s game, 2-2, against top-ranked St. Mary’s, it was time to respond.

That’s exactly what the Spartans did. They won, 6-2, and punched their ticket to the Div. 2 Round of 8 against No. 25 Masconomet (1 p.m. this Saturday at Fraser Field).

St. Mary’s had five players register an RBI, something coach Derek Dana was proud of. 

“There were some timely hits and some loud outs on top of it. We drilled the pitcher,” he said. “It’s good to see everybody swinging the bats. Some got rewarded with hits — and hits that we needed.” 

St. Mary’s struck first during the opening inning as Michael DeMaino led with a single. Kalen Huddle advanced DeMaino with a bunt before Rolky Brea-Arias hit an RBI triple to left field (1-0).

Jacob Peterson followed with an RBI groundout to make it 2-0 after one.

“It was a great start to the game . . . and we’re on the board just like that,” Dana said. “We’re able to tack on the second run and get a two-run lead to put the pressure on them. They answered back and we responded once again, and that’s deflating to the other team sometimes.” 

The Spartans were locked in defensively, starting with Brea-Arias on the mound. The senior pitched six innings, striking out seven batters and allowing no walks.

“His last three starts, as we’re hitting the warm weather, he’s dominating the strike zone a lot more. Early in the year, it took a little while to get going, but he still gave us some quality starts. The last three games, he’s just gotten better, better, and better,” Dana said. “It starts by throwing strikes and he’s letting the defense make the plays behind him. He’s just a competitor.” 

Westwood knotted the score during the fourth inning after back-to-back RBI doubles. 

But tied for long, it was not.

During the bottom of the fourth, Nate Cutone led with a single, followed by a sacrifice bunt from Jackson Finn. Kyle Doney stepped up to the plate and delivered an RBI double to make it 3-2. 

“It was a quick response. We gave up the two runs and they took some momentum,” Dana said. “We talked about taking it right back and they did. We responded well to that and we were able to keep executing and tacking on runs.” 

After DeMaino stole home to make it 4-2 in the bottom of the fifth, St. Mary’s received RBI from DeMaino and Huddle in the sixth inning to increase the lead (6-2).

Do-it-all DeMaino, pitching in relief, got the job done during the seventh inning. 

Now, St. Mary’s attention turns to Masconomet.

“They were in our tournament, so I got to see them play. They’re going to be tough,” Dana said. “Masco’s always been a good tournament team. I know they’ve won it before in Div. 2. I think they went to the finals another time. Bryan (Duplissie) took over for TJ (Baril), but he was there the whole time. He’s an experienced coach and he’s got them playing good baseball at the right time.” 

  • Mark Aboyoun

    Mark Aboyoun is a New Jersey born sports writer at The Daily Item. Aboyoun is a graduate of Saint Joseph's University '18 and went on to earn his Juris Doctor at Western New England School of Law in 2021.

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