RallyNorth.net

READING | The two seniors in the North Shore Tech baseball team's lineup, J.J. Navas and Ben Dora, were philosophical after yesterday's season-ending loss | perhaps a reminder from Athletic Director John Lynch softening the blow.

John Delaney felt uneasy | partly disorganized | for his failure to find out any pre-tournament information on Division 3 North opponent New Mission High of Roxbury. Didn't matter.

"Certainly I didn't expect anything like this," the North Shore Tech baseball coach asserted after his Bulldogs established school history by capturing their first postseason victory in a 20-4 romp at sun-splashed Barry Field yesterday.

In a battle of teams that qualified for the D-3 tournament, the Bulldogs got a big lift from David St. Pierre. The sophomore carried a no-hitter into the fifth and shut the Vikings down while adding a pair of hits at the plate in a 5-2 NS win over Rockport. J.J. Navis drove in a pair and called a solid game behind the plate while Ryan Mahan tripled in a run in a three-run fourth that gave North Shore (11-7) control.

A strong sense of satisfaction is currently blanketing the North Shore Tech baseball program right now. It's hard to blame the Bulldogs for feeling good after what they accomplished this weekend.

The frustration from last night's loss to Lynn Tech, which essentially decided the Commonwealth Small title, won't drag North Shore Tech down for long.

That's because they'll host the first-ever Bulldog Classic tournament this weekend.

The Bulldogs (8-5) sent 12 men to the dish and scored eight runs in the first inning en route to a convincing win over the Tigers of Pope John, 11-1. Joe D'ambrosio's two-run double sparked the big inning while Cam Fletcher also had an RBI and Shane Bennett was 2 for 2 on the day with two runs scored and a RBI.

Despite a last-inning loss at unbeaten Shawsheen yesterday, times are good over at North Shore Tech. This mostly junior-laden team has started to perk up offensively as the weather warms up, and its defense is now playing up to par.

The Bulldogs upset Northeast 11-8 thanks to Ben Dora, who was 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and had three innings of shutdown relief work in the hill. North Shore pulled away with runs from Dora, J.J. Navis and Andrew Rainville. With Northeast threatening in the sixth, Cam Fletcher caught a fly ball and heaved it home to save a run and execute a crucial double play.

The North Shore Tech baseball snapped a two-game skid in a big way yesterday with a 3-2 walk-off win over previously unbeaten Lynn Tech.

David St. Pierre's hard hit grounder plated the winning run in the bottom of the seventh, scoring pinch runner Chris Doucette to break a 2-2 tie and send North Shore (3-3) home with the victory.

Last year's record: 8-10

Coach: John Delaney (Second year, 8-10)

Key returnees: David St. Pierre So., P; Joe D'Ambrosio Jr., C; Zack Newman, Sr., 1B; Ray Tobin Jr., 3B/C; J.J. Navas Sr., C; Ben Dora Sr., OF; Ryan Mahan Jr., 3B/P; David St. Pierre So., SS; Scott Blanchette So., P; Andrew Rainville Jr., P.