RallyNorth.net

North Shore Tech's dream season comes to an end

Monday, June, 02 By Bill Kipouras
Staff writer

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.

"You guys went further than any team we've had in 30 years and should be proud of that. We hadn't won a tournament game until this year," Lynch told the Bulldog seniors.

The bottom line was that Austin Prep outhit and outplayed Tech, 8-5, in this Division 3 North quarterfinal.

A six-run spot gave the Cougars a decent lead through three innings, and it was only a measure of Tech's character that it fought back and closed it to 6-4 before the Catholic Central League runner-up scored single runs to nudge ahead, 8-4.

"We were averaging 15 runs in the tournament | and they stopped us," Tech sophomore David St. Pierre said. "I'm upset about losing, but when it's against an excellent team, there's nothing to you can do. We came out flat."

Tech was very gracious in its loss to a team that made all the plays, especially the Gold Glove combo of third baseman Cam Gaudet and shortstop Steve Boghas. The latter, AP's senior leadoff hitter, was 3-for-4 with two RBIs, had one of the Cougars' seven and scored a run.

Navas, the Bulldogs' catcher, wondered if Tech recorded a single strikeout. His suspicion was right on: they didn't whiff a single AP hitter. The Cougars staged a display of contact that was mighty impressive.

"Our scouting report said they could hit. It was letter perfect," John Delaney, the Tech coach, said. "We started too slow, but I was proud that we fought back. We battled to the final out."

Not only was he supported strongly by a couple of vacuum cleaners on the left field of the infield, but Cougars' starter Joey Russell had Tech batters grumbling to themselves with a fastball and curve that had the visitors (11-8) completely off balance and frustrated. He ran out of gas after Tech scored a pair in the fourth and two more in the fifth, leaving L.J. McQuaid to finish it out.

Russell's counterpart, Ryan Mahan, had an off day. He was wild outside, touched for six runs and seven hits, walked two and  had nary a strikeout.

At the same time, Tech's  top four batters went 2-for-11 (although Dora walked twice and reached on a fielder's choice). Navas led the way offensively with a double, two walks, reached on a fielder's choice and scored three times. His two-bagger and Mahan's single to make it 8-5 kept the candle burning for Tech in the seventh, but that would it.

Earlier, Tech used Andrew Rainville's ground-rule double for one run, and Zach Newman singled home Rainville for two runs in the fourth, Tech trimmed its deficit to 6-4 in the fifth when a wild pitch plated Dora and Rainville produced an RBI single. But McQuaid appeared in relief to fan Joel D'Ambrosio with runners on second and third.

"Austin hit the ball great. Russell's fastball wasn't fast, but what can you do?" Navas asked.

Peabody's Ben Batchelor, the Austin Prep catcher, had a single, walked, stole a base and scored three runs while right fielder Pat Delaney, also of Peabody, doubled.

"To me, it was still a dream season," Delaney said. "We went further than anybody expected | but the dance stopped."