RallyNorth.net

Masco wins in bizarre fashion, still could finish in 4-way tie

Wednesday, May, 21 By Matt Williams
Staff writer

NORTH ANDOVER | What a way to win a championship.

After giving back leads of two and four runs, respectively, the Masconomet baseball team scratched across the go-ahead run on a botched suicide squeeze to pry a share of the Cape Ann League Large title from host North Andover yesterday, 7-6.

"(North Andover) battled back, but we were lucky enough to pull it out," said Masco coach Joe Marchesi.

"We always want to be at the top of the league. The CAL Large is ridiculous this year; it could still be a four-way tie."

With the win, Masco (14-3) finishes CAL play at 10-3, identical to the records of Wilmington and Newburyport. Those three will share the championship, and North Andover (9-3 CAL) can also get a piece of the pie if it beats Pentucket Thursday.

Grabbing its share was anything but easy for the Chieftains, who single handily kept the Scarlet Knights (13-4 overall) from winning the title outright by handing them two of their three league losses this spring.

After watching the Knights torch Masconomet starter Kyle Shepard (who came in with a microscopic 1.88 ERA) for four runs in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game 6-6, Masco was remarkably unfazed.

On top of that, a North Andover team laden with upperclassmen | 10 seniors and seven juniors | came unglued in the seventh. Masco's Andy Roach reached second base on an error to start the inning, and the Knights botched Masco sophomore Gabe Dunn's bunt to put men on first and third.

The bizarre sequence concluded when Cam Greeley squared to bunt, initiating a suicide squeeze. He missed and Roach slipped on the third base line, but he gathered himself as North Andover's catcher threw up the line and slid under the tag at the plate for the winning run.

"We never lose our composure," said Greeley, who had a two-run single in Masco's four-run fifth. "We've been doing this all year. When there's an error, someone comes up big."

Sophomore closer Evan Bunker closed the door in the bottom half of the frame despite letting the first two men reach base. Senior James Riordan made a sliding catch in foul territory for the final out, which came with the bases loaded.

"We've scored so many runs that (Bunker) hasn't had a lot of (save) chances, but he's our guy. At the end of the game, we're winning or losing with him," said Marchesi.

The celebration of yesterday's win seemed subdued, given that it delivered a second-straight conference title. But not when you remember that Masco | Division 2 North runners-up in 2007 | has had bigger things in mind all year.

"It's awesome because we're defending the title and we always want to show we can still play," said Greeley. "It helps us stay focused. Last year we made the North final and we've been on a mission to get back all year. I expect nothing less."

Shepard's second inning blast over the right field fence gave Masco control early, 2-0. North Andover tied it up with a pair of runs in the fourth when Gary Lunette walked and scored on a passed ball and Connor Walsh hit a sacrifice fly.

The Chieftains came alive in the fifth, responding by batting around and racking up four runs | all with two outs. Chris Splinter got it all started with a lead-off single and stole second. After a double play put him on third, the sophomore scored on Riordan's RBI single. Dan Duval drew a bases loaded walk, Greeley followed with his two-run single and Masco had a seemingly commanding 6-2 lead.

"Coming back is no big deal for us. We've scored probably 150 runs this year, so we know that every time they come back on us, we'll score more," said Greeley.