LCHS Baseball Head Coach: Mike Zukowski
Assistant Coaches: Jeff Waldron, D.J. McNulty, Wayne Marabito
2010 VARSITY BASEBALL TEAM
2010 J.V. BASEBALL TEAM
2010 FRESHMEN BASEBALL TEAM
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Congratulations to Tyler Gauthier, Eddie Terrero, and Kyle Devin for being selected to the NEC All Star Team.
English baseball pulls off stirring rally to defeat Classical
LYNN -- Not even the best of
screenwriters could have dreamed up the ending to Thursday's Classical-English
baseball game at Fraser Field. If they had, it probably would have been rejected
sight unseen.
Playing for their tournament lives, the Rams had a 3-1 lead with two outs in the
bottom of the seventh inning and Kyle
Gauthier throwing a gem, but a dropped
third strike on Gabe Smith gave the Bulldogs life...and English took it.
Dani Vicente played the hero as he blooped a single into short left to score two
runs and complete a dramatic 4-3 comeback win for English.
"We got the break with Gabe on that third strike and sometimes you have to get
that in this game," English coach Joe Caponigro said. "Classical played their
hearts out and Kyle threw a great game for them. Baseball can just be crazy
sometimes."
For the green-and-gold, it was a shocking end to a day that had seen them do
everything to near perfection for 6.2 innings.
"I couldn't have asked for any more from Kyle," Classical coach
Mike Zukowski
said. "I knew when he came in to the park (Friday) that he had it. He just had
that look in his eyes. The ball just didn't bounce our way in the seventh."
The bottom of the seventh started innocently enough as Gauthier (6.2 IP, 9K, 3
BB, 6H) got Eric Bransfield and Ben Bowden to quickly ground out. Pinch hitter
Matt Burnham then drew a walk to keep the Bulldogs alive and bring the top of
the order up.
Smith then waved at a sharp breaking ball that would have ended the game but it
was too good of a pitch and got away from
Eddie Terrero,
allowing Smith to reach.
Junior Santos then increased the drama as he reached on an infield single to
load the bases. Another passed ball with Vicente up brought Burnham in from
third to make it 3-2 and put the tying and winning runs in scoring position.
Then with the count at 3-2, Vicente lifted a blooper to left that dropped in
front of three converging Rams, scoring Smith and Santos easily to give English
the win.
"Dani has been hot for us all season," Caponigro said. "And we told the kids at
the start of the seventh to play to the last out. And to their credit, they did
just that."
Classical (7-11) had an early threat against Bulldog (14-4) starter Sam Hill in
the first but left a pair of runners on. English then grabbed a 1-0 lead in the
bottom of the inning as Smith singled, was sacrificed to second and scored on
Vicente's base hit.
It stayed 1-0 into the third when the Rams broke the ice. Gauthier walked with
one out and raced home when Terrero doubled up the gap in left-center to tie the
game at 1-1.
The Rams pushed into the lead in the fourth as
Tyler Gauthier
walked and later scored on a triple by No. 9 batter
John Finnigan.
A passed ball allowed Finnigan to cross for a 3-1 lead.
After that, Kyle Gauthier
practically stole the show, holding English to one hit over the second through
fifth innings and then surviving a sixth where the Bulldogs made three very loud
outs.
"Kyle was mixing up his curveball and fastball very well," Caponigro said. "He
really had us off balance and guessing."
The Rams also had a chance to add some insurance runs in the sixth as
Kyle Devin
doubled and went to third on Terry
Finnigan's one-out single. But Hill
dug deep and got the next two batters to set up the crazy finish.
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| Classical's Kyle Devin swings with Beverly's Joe Wioncek behind the plate at Cooney Field in Beverly on Monday. (ITEM PHOTO / REBA M. SALDANHA) |
Classical baseball keeps tourney hopes alive with late rally
BEVERLY -- The Lynn Classical baseball team
came to Cooney Field on Monday knowing full well there was no wiggle room if it
wanted to remain alive for a state tournament berth.
Needing to win their final four games, the Rams were down to their final three
outs against Beverly, trailing 4-1 and facing a pitcher in
Kyle Johnson that had shut
them down most of the game. But a 2-run homer from
John Finnigan got Classical
going and the Rams later took advantage of two critical errors to plate five
runs and steal away a 6-4 win from the Panthers.
"I've said it so many times, but this team works so hard and doesn't give up,"
Classical coach Mike Zukowski
said. "We can't lose if we want to get in and they played like they want to be
there."
Johnson had breezed relatively harmlessly through the first six innings,
striking out nine and walking none while holding Classical to five hits.
The seventh, though, started on an ominous note as
Buddy Ford was hit by a
pitch. Johnson got the next batter before No. 9 hitter Finnigan made it a game
when he blasted a 2-run homer over the left field fence to cut the lead to 4-3.
"Johnny came up from the JV's seven or eight games ago and has been swinging the
bat very well," Zukowski said. "And that was a good at-bat. He waited for a
pitch he could handle and drove it like we practice."
Wilfredo Feliz
followed with a single to right, knocking Johnson from the game. Chris Mitchell
took over on the mound.
Kyle Gauthier
reached when a routine fly ball in center was dropped to open the door for the
Rams a little more. Mitchell got Eddie
Terrero on a popup for the second out before
Ellido Reyes doubled down
the line in left to tie the game at 4-4.
Kyle Devin then
reached when his grounder to second was thrown away, scoring Reyes and Gauthier
to make it 6-4, Classical.
Greg Rybak, who was
brilliant in relief of Tyler Gauthier,
took the mound and worked around an Ethan Trowt single by getting Austin Butler
to ground into a game-ending double play to short.
"Greg came in and was huge for us," Zukowski said. "He stepped up and just threw
strikes and we made the plays behind him we needed to."
Classical (7-10) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first as Feliz led off the game with
a double and scored on Terrero's one-out double. Beverly rallied in the bottom
of the second, scoring a pair of unearned runs on two Classical errors.
An inning later, Rybak made his lone mistake of the game and Trowt planted it
over the centerfield fence to increase the Panther lead to 3-1 as Johnson was
settling into a groove.
Classical loaded the bases with no outs in the fifth before Johnson struck out
Tyler Gauthier and Joe Scuzzarella.
Terry Finnigan was
then called out for interfering with Johnson when the two collided as the
Beverly pitcher was chasing a popup in foul ground.
The Panthers added a run in the fifth when Trowt doubled and scored on a Joe
Wioncek single.

Salem 6, Classical 3
At Fraser Field, the Witches (10-6, 9-5 Northeastern Conference)
qualified for the state tournament. Sean Linehan went the distance, striking out
six and not walking a batter. He was also 2-for-3 with three RBI. Raphy Medrando
went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI.
The Rams (6-10) scored all three of their runs in the sixth inning with
Eddie Terrero driving in
Wilfredo Feliz on a sacrifice.
Kyle Devin tripled in
Kyle Gauthier (single) and then scored on a
single by Tyler Gauthier.
Ryan Powers took the loss with
Greg Rybak going the final three innings.
Tyler Gauthier spins a gem as Classical baseball beats Peabody
LYNN -- A few more wins
like this one, and the Lynn Classical baseball team will be using the
"t" word - tournament - for real.
In his first complete game since undergoing arm surgery, Tyler
Gauthier allowed just three hits and one
earned run as the Rams defeated Peabody, 3-2, Friday night, at Fraser Field.
Classical (5-8) has won four of its last five and needs to go 5-2 the rest of
the way to earn what seemed two weeks ago an unlikely spot in the post-season.
"If we play the way we played tonight, we can absolutely make the
tournament," Classical coach Mike
Zukowski.
The Rams got all their offense in the first inning on a walk and three straight
hits, including a single from Ellido Reyes
that drove in two runs and another single from Kyle
Devin that drove in the other.
After that, Peabody pitcher Ryan McCarthy was nearly untouchable, allowing just
two hits the rest of the way and setting down 12 in a row at one point.
But the story of the game was Gauthier, whose fastball hit 86 mph and had to
pitch around two errors that put runners in scoring position and a booming
double by Peter Sucharewicz that made the score 3-2 in the fifth.
"This one stings a bit," Peabody coach Mark Bettencourt said. "We
had opportunities, but you have to give their pitcher credit. He bowed his neck
and made great pitches when he needed to."
The Tanners (10-4) broke on top in the first inning when Andrew Bucci reached on
a 2-base error, went to third on a sacrifice by Jim Leavitt and scored on a
one-out single up the middle by Bob Losanno.
The Rams roared right back with three in the bottom of the first. With one out, Kyle
Gauthier drew a 4-pitch walk and went to
third on a single by Eddie Terrero,
with Terrero taking second on the throw to third.
Peabody drew in its infield for Reyes, who hit a sharp grounder that broke off
Bucci's glove at shortstop and went into shallow left field to score both
runners.
"That was a tough break," Bettencourt said. "That's a play we
usually make, but the turf is a little bit faster and we're not used to
it."
Reyes went to second when Peabody had trouble picking up the ball in left field,
and Devin hit the first pitch he saw to center to drive in the third run of the
inning.
The Tanners squandered a leadoff single in the second from Ramses Vittini when
they couldn't execute a sacrifice bunt, and another attempt at small ball in the
third backfired when they couldn't get down a suicide squeeze.
"I'll take the hit for the squeeze," Bettencourt said. "I was
trying to make something happen; get their pitcher out of his rythm, and it
didn't work."
While McCarthy was mowing down Classical in the middle innings, Peabody drew
closer when Derrik Pereira drew a leadoff walk in the fifth and scored when
Sucharewicz's double one-hopped the fence in center.
In the sixth, Joe Gruntkowski reached on a 2-base error with one out, but
Gauthier induced a flyout to end the inning and then retired the side in order
in the seventh, though both Sucharewicz and Wes Sanders put up good fights
before going down.
"Tyler was just tremendous tonight," Zukowski said. "He did a
nice job of mixing in his off-speed stuff with his fastball. That's a very good
(Peabody) team over there and he battled all night long."
Gloucester 7, Classical 2
At Lynn, Tyler Gauthier
knocked in a run and scored a run for the Rams (4-8).
Wilfredo Feliz knocked him in, and Kyle
Gauthier scored the other run.
Classical 15, Swampscott 9
At Swampscott, the Rams (4-7) won their third in a row as
Kyle Devin and Tyler
Gauthier each went 4-for-5 with a homer and three RBI.
John Finnegan also had a homer as the Rams pounded out 18 hits.
"It's nice to see the hard work start to pay off," Classical coach
Mike Zukowski said. "We're very happy."
Kyle Gauthier went the distance for
Classical, allowing five earned runs in the win. Swampscott (2-10) got three
hits and two RBI from Mike Walsh. Alex Patkin and Matt Barbuzzi each had two
hits and two RBI in the loss.
Classical baseball ekes out a win in eight innings
There's nothing sweeter in baseball than a walk-off victory, and nothing more bitter than losing a game you should have won.
Classical 6, Saugus 2
At Lynn, the Rams (2-7) had a power surge, as freshman
Kyle Devin hit two homeruns and
Tyler Gauthier hit one shot.
Wilfredo Feliz hit an RBI single. Ellido Reyes
and Ryan Powers both scored a run.
Greg Rybak went the distance and allowed two runs
on four hits, while striking out three and walking three. Rybak was the winning
pitcher for both Classical wins.
Danvers 6,
Classical 1
At Fraser Field in Lynn, the Rams (1-7) played perhaps their best
game of the season but it wasn't enough to overcome the brilliant pitching of
Danvers (6-3) ace Greg Ladd. The senior struck out nine, walked one and allowed
only four hits to get his fifth win of the season.
Classical broke on top in the third when Steve
Smith reached on an error and later scored on
Joe Scuzzarella's
base hit. Danvers came right back in the fourth with a quartet of runs to assume
the lead for good.
Falcon shortstop Kyle Larson was 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Scott
Hovey was 2-for-3 with two RBI; Mike Harris and D.J. Yost each went 2-for-3.
Classical freshman Kyle Devin
was 2-for-3; Tyler Gauthier
had the other Ram hit.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
At Seaside Park in
Colton Dana was 2-for-3 with two RBI and Flynn McCormack
was 1-for-2 with two RBI for the Magicians. Dan Colbert got the win in relief
with Evan Comeau picking up the save.
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|
Beverly 16, Classical
6
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Classical Baseball falls to Salem
The Lynn Classical baseball team's early-season woes continued Friday morning as Salem spotted the Rams a first-inning lead before coming back to win, 2-1.

Tyler Gauthier of Lynn Classical stops one from getting
through in the first inning against Revere on Wednesday. (ITEM PHOTO / OWEN
O'ROURKE)
Bizarre ending foils a Classical comeback
LYNN -- Wednesday's Classical-Revere game was a strange one to begin with. But the ending was truly bizarre.But Kyle
Devin singled, and Justin Hart walked, with both moving up on a wild
pitch. Joe Scuzzarella reached on an error, with Devin scoring and Hart
moving to third.
With leadoff hitter Wilfredo Feliz up, Classical tried a double steal,
designed to confuse Chiarelli and Revere and, with any luck, get Hart home with
the tying run.
Instead, Hart was picked off third to end the game.
"We tried something, and it didn't work," Zukowski said. "That's
all there really is to say. We hoped he'd balk, or throw wildly, or
something."
Pitcher Greg
Ryback deserved better as the Rams made two errors (and could have easily
been charged with another one) in the first, allowing four Revere runners to
score. The big hit was a two-run single by No. 8 hitter Russ Gordon (the bottom
third of the order knocked in four runs and scored two).
Classical got a run back in the bottom of the first when Tyler Gauthier
knocked in his brother, Kyle, with a base hit. But Revere was back with
two more in the third on a single by Dale Paradise, and back-to-back doubles by
Paul Norton and Gordon.
Classical was handcuffed throughout the middle innings by Chiarelli's assortment
of off-speed pitches. However, the Rams finally got to Chiarelli in the fifth
inning, scoring four runs. They got RBI from Eddie Terrero, Ryback, Reyes
and Devin. It could have been more, too, but Revere second baseman Nick DiMare
made a nice diving play on Devin's grounder. A run scored, but it could have
been more.
But Chris Adreani's home run in the top of the seventh that made it 7-5 proved
to be crucial, considering how the game ended.
"I thought Jonathan pitched real well," said Revere coach Joe Ranno,
whose team moved to 2-1. "He has a nice little curve, and he kept their
kids off balance with it.
"We hit the ball well today too," he said. "I think we're coming
around."

Classical falls to Peabody in pitcher's duel
Classical pitcher Kyle Gauthier only allowed three hits Thursday, but unfortunately for the Rams, Peabody freshman pitcher Patrick Ruotolo was also spinning a gem and the result was a 3-1 win for Peabody at Peabody.
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| Returning Classical High School varsity baseball player Tyler Gauthier works with coach Mike Zukowski during tryouts. (ITEM PHOTO / REBA SALDANHA) |
Zukowski hopeful for continued progress at Classical
Spring forward, fall back,
runs the Daylight Savings Time maxim, and Lynn Classical baseball coach
Mike Zukowski
hopes his Rams will continue to spring forward.
Two years ago, Classical finished 5-15 in Zukowski's rookie season as Classical
head coach. The 2009 Rams won two more games to post a 7-13 record.
"I want to build on that," Zukowski said. "We have talent."
This year's Rams also have experience, starting with senior co-captains
Ellido Reyes
and Tyler Gauthier,
who both headlined Zukowski's list of key returning players. Reyes will start at
third base for the third year (a position he is "solid" at, his coach said),
while Gauthier will pitch and play first base. Last season, Gauthier played
first, but a shoulder injury prevented him from pitching.
Gauthier is one of five returning varsity pitchers. Rounding out the list are
classmates Ryan Powers
(who is also a shortstop), Justin Hart
(a reliever), junior Greg Rybak
(a "very valuable" utilityman when not on the mound, his coach said) and
sophomore Kyle Gauthier
(who plays second and short as well, and is Tyler's brother).
With so much depth at the position, Zukowski characterized it as a strength of
his team. He characterized Tyler Gauthier as a power pitcher, whereas Rybak,
Powers and Kyle Gauthier have a style that is more "ground ball, pop fly,
let's-get-the-outs, keep-our-fielders-in-the-game," Zukowski said.
Of his pitchers' velocity, the coach said, "I can't tell you how fast, but they
throw pretty hard." However, he reminded, "It's not about how hard you throw."
Catcher Eddie Terrero,
who is also a returning senior, will set up behind the plate for the pitching
staff, while fellow veteran classmate
Terry Finnigan will vie for the
position of second base.
Hitting-wise, Zukowski liked what he saw from Tech transfer
Wilfredo Feliz
at practice on Tuesday. (The coach is unsure what position Feliz will play.)
Terrero and Tyler Gauthier will probably bat in the middle of the order, while
"Reyes will have to play a big role at the plate for us," his coach said.
Terrero and Rybak each have some power, with both players hitting several home
runs for the Rams last season.
Zukowski does need to fill his outfield spots, as the previous season's edition
-- Mike Gallo in left, Brian Kolodziej in center, and Wilson Mercado in right --
have all graduated.
"It's kind of up in the air right now," the coach said. "It's still really
between a handful of guys."
He will have just under a month to make personnel decisions, as the Rams start
their season on April 14 in a non-leaguer with Georgetown. The Rams and Royals
have played the last two seasons. Two days later, Classical opens Northeastern
Conference play against Peabody.
If the coach is looking for signs of progress, the weather can serve as a
metaphor. Monday's rain kept the Rams indoors all day, but on Tuesday the clouds
departed enough for the team to practice outside, albeit in a parking lot.
"The dirt's still a little muddy," Zukowski said. "The cement was fine."
Referring to the conditions, he added, "You don't need too much to throw a
ball."
About 65 players came out on Monday and Tuesday
to do just that. The Rams have 22 freshmen on the team (one of them,
Kyle Devin,
drew praise from the coach) and just under 20 sophomores.
The coaching staff includes varsity assistant
Jeff Waldron
(who is also the manager of the North Shore Navigators), JV coach
D.J. McNulty
and freshman coach Wayne Marabito.
Zukowski's expectations, he said, are "to compete. To be in every single game. I
told them, 'We've got to practice hard, every day.' We set short-term goals. Our
number-one goal is to get 10 wins and a tournament (spot)."

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Lynn Classical High School 2010 Varsity/JV Baseball Schedule
Saturday 5/15 LC @ Everett 11:OOam Varsity and JV
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