LOWELL – What began so brilliantly for the Lawrence High
baseball team at 9:43 p.m. ended in heartbreak, nearly four hours later
at 1:25 a.m., as the Lancers dropped an 11-inning epic to Chelmsford in
the Division 1 North championship game, 6-4, here at LeLacheur Park.
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Baseball, 06/14/15 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
BEVERLY — The deadliest No. 9 hitter in the state struck again last night, just when Lawrence High needed him.
The Lancers stood stunned, down 1-0 early to an Acton-Boxboro row of sluggers that showed no fear over Michael Guerrero's 87 mph gas.
But if you haven't been watching the last month this Lancer baseball team can swing the bat a little too.
And all it took was a jolt of confidence from the bottom guy on the lineup card.
With the bases loaded and one out, senior Brahiam Ortega laced a solid single, giving the Lancers the lead and the belief that this night would be theirs.
Energized and settled, Guerrero got better and Lawrence simply got stronger, powering past fourth-seeded Acton-Boxboro, 4-1. Lawrence, which has already beaten a Super 8-nominated Lincoln-Sudbury club and top-seeded Central Catholic. will now play in the second straight all-Merrimack Valley Conference Division 1 North title game Saturday against Chelmsford, 7 p.m., at LeLacheur Park in Lowell.
"That hit was huge," said Guerrero, now 2-0 in the postseason with a saved and a 0.98 ERA. "We were a little nervous, and that hit really made us relax."
But there was still those A-B slashers that Guerrero had to worry about. And the senior righty took care of that situation on his own, along with catcher Andy Acosta.
"They were sitting on my fastball, and I had to make an adjustment," said Guerrero. "I just started throwing my changeup (and a nasty, nasty breaking ball too)."
A-B would never catch up to it. The Colonials, who finish at 17-6, would have just one more hit all night, and by the time Lawrence had pushed the lead to 4-1 in the fourth, the Lancer owned them.
Guerrero fanned six of the last eight hitters he faced, closing out with nine K's and just two walks in the win.
"It's fun to be out there on the field, playing behind Mike when he pitches like that," said Ortega. "Just watching him out there is amazing."
Batting eighth, the pitcher helped himself with a pair of hits, including an RBI-single in the fourth to plate Ronnie Velasquez, who had led with a triple.
For Lawrence, it's the first return to the Division 1 North title game since the 2010 team fell to St. John's Prep in what was an absolute classic. Lefty Jairo Vasquez, the freshman who knocked off Central on Monday, will get the call in that one for Lawrence.
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Baseball, 06/11/15 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
BEVERLY — The deadliest No. 9 hitter in the state struck again last night, just when Lawrence High needed him.
The Lancers stood stunned, down 1-0 early to an Acton-Boxboro row of sluggers that showed no fear over Michael Guerrero's 87 mph gas.
But if you haven't been watching the last month this Lancer baseball team can swing the bat a little too.
And all it took was a jolt of confidence from the bottom guy on the lineup card.
With the bases loaded and one out, senior Brahiam Ortega laced a solid single, giving the Lancers the lead and the belief that this night would be theirs.
Energized and settled, Guerrero got better and Lawrence simply got stronger, powering past fourth-seeded Acton-Boxboro, 4-1. Lawrence, which has already beaten a Super 8-nominated Lincoln-Sudbury club and top-seeded Central Catholic. will now play in the second straight all-Merrimack Valley Conference Division 1 North title game Saturday against Chelmsford, 7 p.m., at LeLacheur Park in Lowell.
"That hit was huge," said Guerrero, now 2-0 in the postseason with a saved and a 0.98 ERA. "We were a little nervous, and that hit really made us relax."
But there was still those A-B slashers that Guerrero had to worry about. And the senior righty took care of that situation on his own, along with catcher Andy Acosta.
"They were sitting on my fastball, and I had to make an adjustment," said Guerrero. "I just started throwing my changeup (and a nasty, nasty breaking ball too)."
A-B would never catch up to it. The Colonials, who finish at 17-6, would have just one more hit all night, and by the time Lawrence had pushed the lead to 4-1 in the fourth, the Lancer owned them.
Guerrero fanned six of the last eight hitters he faced, closing out with nine K's and just two walks in the win.
"It's fun to be out there on the field, playing behind Mike when he pitches like that," said Ortega. "Just watching him out there is amazing."
Batting eighth, the pitcher helped himself with a pair of hits, including an RBI-single in the fourth to plate Ronnie Velasquez, who had led with a triple.
For Lawrence, it's the first return to the Division 1 North title game since the 2010 team fell to St. John's Prep in what was an absolute classic. Lefty Jairo Vasquez, the freshman who knocked off Central on Monday, will get the call in that one for Lawrence.
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Baseball, 06/11/15 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
LAWRENCE — With five games left in the regular season, Lawrence High baseball coach Brendan Neilon tweaked his lineup, just a touch, moving trusty second baseman Brahiam Ortega down from the two-spot to No. 9.
After yielding minor dividends, the move popped like a hot, bio-med IPO yesterday in the opening round of the Division 1 North sectional playoffs against Super 8 nominee Lincoln-Sudbury.
In a scoreless thriller, Ortega beat out an infield hit to lead the bottom of the sixth then came racing homing on Elvis Peralta's slice double down the left-field line. The one-run would be the lone run of the game as Lancer Michael Guerrero closed out his brilliant three-hit shutout with a 1-2-3 seventh.
"He's one of our better hitters, but he was struggling a little bit, so we moved him down to nine so he could see a few more fastballs," said Neilon.
Yesterday, Neilon couldn't have drawn the script up any better himself.
Having the most dangerous hitter in the Valley this year — Peralta, hitting .482 — follow Ortega's hustle hit was huge.
"Their guy (righty submarine-style pitcher Tom Novick) was really tough on us, but I noticed his ball tailed away from me," said Peralta. "So I went to the plate with a plan. I was taking his ball the other way no matter what."
Forget about the bunt — which the book may have called for there.
"No way, was I letting him bunt," said Neilon. "The kid has been on fire. His outs are hard outs. He's hit nothing but line drives all year."
Peralta saw the defense pulled around to right field, so he loved what he saw and attacked, slicing a laser just inside the foul line.
Ortega scored easily.
Guerrero was energized and just finished a masterpiece in style, posting strikeouts 10 and 11 in the seventh. He walked only one.
"We really don't have a No. 1 pitcher, but Michael went out there and certainly looked like on today," said Neilon. "We have four guys who have pitched well all year. I just went with the senior for the leadership, and you saw what he did out there. He made me look like a genius."
Guerrero didn't allow a runner past second base on the day, getting some help from guys like catcher Andy Acosta, who threw out a would-be base steal at third to end the first inning, and the shortstop Peralta, who was flawless in the field.
Monday, the No. 8 Lancers, will play at Merrimack College, 4 p.m., against top-seeded Central Catholic.
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Baseball, 06/06/15 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Freshman Jairo Vasquez gave up just one run in six innings and Jordaly Vasquez went 4 for 4 with two RBIs as Lawrence belted Methuen 9-1.
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Baseball, 05/27/15 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Michael Guerrero was the hero in Lawrence's 4-1 eight-inning win over Malden, driving in Ronny Velasquez in the top of the eight before closing the game out to cap off a 4.2 inning relief appearance. He allowed no runs on two hits while striking out 11.
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Baseball, 05/26/15 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Pinch-hitter Kyle Coolidge doubled in Mike Goglia (walk) to give Central Catholic a 2-1 lead over Lawrence in the seventh. Elvis Peralta lashed a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh off Mike Mercuri and went to third on a passed ball. But Mercuri got a strikeout, and after a hit batter, a 4-6-3 double-play for the save. The Raiders turned three double plays and Goglia pegged a runner out at the plate in fifth.
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Baseball, 05/18/15 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Brendan Parisotto struck out 12 and allowed just four hits and no walks in a complete game as North Andover downed Lawrence 6-0.
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Baseball, 05/15/15 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Freshman Jairo Vasquez pitched a complete game, stirking out five, Edgar Vasquez was 3 for 3 with a double and a triple and Jeremiah Vasquez was 2 for 3 with two runs scored as Lawrence beat Dracut 5-2. None of those three are related.
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Baseball, 05/12/15 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
Argenis Dominguez, Soilo Baez and Michael Guerrero combined on a two-hitter as Lawrence edged Haverhill 2-1. Elvis Peralta drove in the winning run on a triple and scored the go-ahead run on a Brahiam Ortega ground-out.
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Baseball, 05/11/15 » 0 Comments & 0.0 Stars
