RallyNorth.net

WESTFORD | Not once did Westford Academy catcher Scott Graham reach second base on his warmup throws between innings yesterday.

Salem, meanwhile, prides itself on being an aggressive baserunning team.

SALEM | What's the recipe for snapping a 10-year postseason drought?

Start with a loose, confident and jitterless group. Add a pinch of great hitting and a dash of excellent pitching, and you're in business.

SALEM | Of the tens of thousands of words that Mike Ward has spoken to his Salem High baseball team over the last two-and-a-half months, the four he chose to use following yesterday's Northeastern Conference Large title-clinching win over Beverly may have been the most meaningful of all.

The Witches (12-6, 10-4 NEC) used the longball to thump Revere, smashing a total of four homers and 19 hits in a 17-1 rout of Revere. Harry Noone bashed two 3-run dingers and totaled seven RBI to lead the hit parade while T.J. Larivee also had a homer and four RBI and Matt Paine knocked one out of the park.
Justin Williams earned his fifth win of the year with five strong innings on the hill, scattering four hits and one run.

SALEM | Now it's a race in the Northeastern Conference Large baseball standings.

For the second time this season, Salem knocked off neighboring rival Peabody by a run. This time, it was Beau Theriault's suicide squeeze that scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning, leading to his team's 7-6 victory at the Salem State College baseball field.

Picture yourself looking around a baseball diamond in the seventh inning of a tie game. You wouldn't be surprised to find some knocking knees in the outfield, or a tense stance or two throughout the infield. Perhaps the pitcher takes an extra second staring into the catcher's eyes, looking for his signals.

Justin Williams shut down English with 2<2/3> scoreless innings of relief to save Salem's 4-3 win over the Bulldogs. Dan Reddy set the table for the Witches (9-6) with a 4 for 4 effort that included two doubles, two runs scored and an RBI as the co-captain was involved in three of his team's four runs. Colby Boulay and Beau Theriault also knocked in runs while Wes Koen earned the win on the hill with 4<1/3> innings of two hit work.

Senior Justin Williams mastered the Magicians to the tune of just three hits over the complete game shutout to earn his third win of the year, 12-0 over Marblehead. The Witches (7-5) led 4-0 after one inning and never looked back. John Pegnato paced the 13-hit attack with four hits, three RBI and three runs scored while Aiden Church added two RBI and three runs, Beau Theriault had two hits and an RBI and Matt Paine blasted a two-run homer in the sixth.

Salem's Aiden Church has made a seamless transition across the diamond this spring. The Witches' cleanup hitter, who made first base his home the last two seasons, accepted a move to third base for the good of the team.

The Falcons hiked their record to 7-3, led by Anna Dokina (6-1, 6-4), Kat Pavlow (6-3, 6-1) and Rachel Gershaw (6-0, 6-0) in singles, and Kristen Parker-Alicia Franklin (6-1, 6-0) and Danielle Kurman-Darcey Cherlin (6-3, 6-0) in doubles.