RallyNorth.net

LAWRENCE - A year ago in the same Lawrence Invitational opening matchup, Victor Mendez barely lasted two innings against Methuen.

Last night, Mendez dominated in a three-hit, 10-strikeout complete game as Lawrence High throttled Methuen, 10-1.

Although all 10 of Andover's hits were singles, enough came at the perfect time in a 5-3 victory over Methuen.

Battling back from an early 3-0 Ranger advantage, the Golden Warriors finally grabbed the lead in the bottom of the sixth inning when Christian Lightner singled, moved to second on Akira Sembommatsu's sacrifice and scored on Alex Driscoll's base hit.

Haverhill senior Matt Pickles made an impressive pitching debut, going the distance in a complete-game win over Methuen. The second baseman-turned-pitcher was efficient in an 84-pitch effort, strikimg out seven and scattering seven hits.

Methuen's Cal Carroll and Central's Dan Shields both picthed complete games, but Shields came out on top in this one, striking out nine and surrendering just two runs. The Raiders also played some stellar defense behind Shields, en route to a 6-2 win.

Early unearned runs did in Moises Melo's strong pitching performance, sending Methuen to a 6-2 setback against Lowell. Sophomore Corey Shepherd had three hits and eight putouts for the Rangers.

Yunior Vasquez struck out 13 and allowed just three hits as Lawrence defeated Methuen 9-1.

Methuen High saw the potential bottom-of-the-seventh tying rally snuffed out by the toughest of tough calls - an appeal of a tag up at second base - and fell to Dracut, 7-6. With runners on second-and-third and no outs in the seventh, Chuck Prescott drove a deep sacrifice fly to make it 7-6 with a runner on third. But Dracut's appeal at second was awarded an out. "The runner was standing on the base, we all watched it. It was just a terrible, terrible call," said Ranger coach Dave Fabrizio. "The umpire said he never tagged up. Just terrible." Jared McAdam then followed with a single that would have tied it, but the Middies escaped further damage and prevailed.

Mike McQuillan's two-run single sparked a seven-run first inning as Andover defeated Methuen 13-3. John Hennessy added three hits, two RBIs and scored twice for the winners.

Methuen was making good contact at the plate but was finding Billerica gloves instead of open field. Shackled to just two hits, the Rangers dropped a 6-2 decision. Cal Carroll and Cody Cyr had the lone Methuen hits.

METHUEN - A pair of baseball teams limped down Ranger Road yesterday, Methuen High bruised off of Wednesday's no-hit loss to Lowell and Central nicked up in a 3-2 loss to tiny Austin Prep.