RallyNorth.net

Shepard's clutch hit lifts Chieftains past Danvers for North title

Sunday, June, 08 By Matt Williams
Staff writer

LOWELL | When Masconomet's Kyle Shepard came to bat with the go-ahead run in scoring position in the eighth inning of Saturday night's Division 2 North final at LeLacheur Park, he was looking to accomplish something no one had ever done.

The task at hand: Beat Danvers High ace Bobby Dean, who came into this showdown with a perfect 16-0 record as a high school pitcher.

The Chieftains' captain was up to it, however, ripping an 0-2 pitch into left field to break a scoreless tie of this instant classic. The hit plated Cam Greeley and proved to be all the fifth-seeded Chieftains needed to take the North championship, 1-0.

"I was sitting on fastball and if I got it, I knew I was going to put it into the outfield," said an ecstatic Shepard, who erased a year of heartache for the Chieftains | a team bent on advancing after falling in the North final to Belmont in 2007.

"This is the best feeling in the world. It's absolute happiness," said Masconomet's James Riordan, who went toe-to-toe with Dean for six-plus innings as neither of the two senior hurlers blinked.

Both second-seeded Danvers (20-4) and Masconomet (19-5) failed to manufacture runs throughout the game. Dean, who was tagged with his first-ever loss in his last high school appearance, didn't allow a hit until the fourth and retired eight straight in the middle innings. He finished with 12 strikeouts while scattering just three hits.

The Falcons' offense couldn't answer the bell, though, as Riordan was up to the task. He only allowed two hits in addition to five walks. A pair of slick double plays from the Chieftains helped as the Falcons stranded seven baserunners.

"I got myself into a couple of little jams, but I knew that I had to step up," said Riordan, who lasted only an inning in an earlier tourney game. He bounced back in a big way Saturday night, keeping Masco alive by holding Danvers scoreless in six innings of work.

For their four-game trek in the playoffs, Danvers batted just .161 (14 for 87) as a team.

"We just didn't hit," Dean said flatly. "We had our chances and hit the ball hard at times, but it went right at them."

The Chieftains finally broke through in the eighth. An uncharacteristic error allowed leadoff man Cam Greeley to reach first base, and he advanced to second on a wild pitch. After a Dean strikeout, he intentionally walked Chris Splinter.

That's when Shepard came to the dish. Dean got him to foul it high behind the plate on his first pitch, but Danvers catcher Jeff Eldridge couldn't track down the difficult, swirling pop up | and Shepard had new life.

It was one he wouldn't waste.

"When I saw that ball drop, I knew I was going to get a hit. I had to," said Shepard, who tagged a fastball two pitches later to score Greeley.

"The ball went right over my head into the gap, and I knew I was going to score. I was just thinking, 'Make sure you touch the plate," said Greeley, another of Masco's senior captains.

The consummate gamer, Dean struck out the next two Masco hitters to make sure his team's deficit didn't grow any larger.

An error let the second Danvers batter, Jake Korthas, reach in the bottom half of the eighth, but closer Evan Bunker got Dean to ground into a double play to end it.

"It was a splitter. I knew I couldn't leave anything up for (Dean) to hit," said Bunker. "When he hit it I said, 'Get the double play.' When we got it, I just threw my glove up and screamed."

It was a tough pill to swallow for the Falcons, who had a chance to walk off with their first North title since 2001 in the seventh. Riordan walked the leadoff man, pinch hitter Matt Michel, on four straight pitches and was lifted in favor of Bunker, who promptly slammed the door shut. He got the next three outs in order to keep the score deadlocked.

When it was all said and done, the Falcons left what would have been the go-ahead run in scoring position three times.

"When it came down to it, we couldn't get the hits at the right time," said Danvers coach Roger Day.

In a game that was delayed 90 minutes by the overruns in the Division 1 final and Division 3 semifinal played earlier in the day, pitching dominated. As the zeroes continued to mount on the scoreboard, the teams traded pressure situations. Dean would mow down the side, and Riordan would hold off the pesky Falcons.

The pace seemed to favor Danvers, which thrived on small ball all season. To their credit, Masco made the plays to hold them off.

"James is a gamer. He really stepped up big because Danvers made us play their (style of) game," said Chieftain coach Joe Marchesi, who has guided his team to the North final in both his seasons behind the bench.

The squads were as evenly matched as possible on the scoresheet, with Masco having three hits to Danvers' two and the Chieftains leading in total baserunners, 9-8. In the end, a hungry Masco team got one extra break | and it was enough.

Additional stories:

• Riordan the right man on this night for Masco