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Streaking Salem steals one from Beverly

Friday, April, 25 By Matt Williams

BEVERLY | A month from now, the Salem High baseball team might look at yesterday morning's extra-innings triumph over rival Beverly as one of the galvanizing moments in a season that suddenly has as much promise as any on the North Shore.

The red-hot Witches (6-2, 6-1 NEC) snatched their fifth straight victory from the jaws of defeat. Trailing 1-0 entering the seventh inning, Salem swiped home twice on wild pitches only to see Beverly knot the score in the bottom of the frame and force extras.

Enter Salem senior Harry Noone, who was just coming off allowing the tying run from the hill. Unwilling to go home on the hook, he blasted a two-out double to the fence to score T.J. Larivee and Aiden Church. Colby Boulay took over in the bottom half, mowing Beverly (6-3, 3-2 NEC) down to the tune of two strikeouts and nine pitches to earn the save.

"This team is really starting to come together," said Salem coach Mike Ward, whose team finds itself tied with Peabody atop the NEC North standings. "We'd already come back a couple of times this year so they really have confidence in themselves and they did a great job of staying in the game."

The loss was a bitter pill to swallow for host Beverly, which committed two costly errors in the top of the seventh.

"It's a tough loss to handle when you have it in your back pocket and you give it away," said Panthers coach Dave Wilbur. "It was there for us to win and we let it slip away."

The Panthers looked to be in control with pitcher Nick Colanto cruising through the first three frames. The Witches appeared to strike first on Boulay's fourth-inning sacrifice fly, but umpires rules that Larivee had left third base early and called him out.

Sensing that the Witches were deflated by their misfortune on the basepaths, the Panthers pounced. Second baseman Peter Kalas delivered a clutch triple to put the Panthers on top and Colanto retired the next six Salem hitters with ease. All told, it looked like the Panthers had it wrapped up.

"It took a while for our bats to get going," said Ward. "Colanto was outstanding and he kept us off balance with his off-speed stuff. He pitched a gutsy game."

The Witches' bats couldn't have picked a better time to awaken. Church led off with a single reached third as the ball skipped past Beverly's leftfielder. He came home on a wild pitch and Boulay reached on another error after Colanto whiffed Noone. Boulay would score on yet another wild pitch and though the Witches didn't get another baserunner the damage was done.

"We have to be able to close the deal against a good team," said Wilbur. "Salem took advantage of the opportunities that we gave them, and we have them away plain and simple."

The Panthers didn't go away quietly. Noone, the emerging Salem ace, had kept them off balance for most of the morning but in crunch time Beverly battled back. Jack Leathersich came to the dish with two men on and two out, desperate to extend the game. He delivered by poking a base hit to right which scored one, but Noone got Paul Drinkwater to ground out and preserve the tie.

All together, Noone | who one-hit Peabody in a shutout win earlier this season | earned the victory with seven innings pitched, two runs allowed, five strikeouts and two walks.

"He's pitched like that all year for us and I'm really proud of him," said Ward. "He throws four pitches for strikes, two off-speed and two fastball variations. On any count he can throw any one of the four for a strike."

Colanto took the hard-luck loss with eight innings of strong work. He conceded five hits and four runs including retiring eight straight  between the first and third innings. But the senior beaned Church in the eighth to set up Noone's heroics.

"You have to be tough enough to make the plays when they need to be made," said Wilbur. "Crunch time is when it counts."