Classical's Kyle Gauthier pitched a no-hitter against Revere at Fraser Field. (Item File Photo)

Classical's Gauthier no-hits Revere; Rams qualify for tourney

By Matthew Roy / For The Item

LYNN - The Lynn Classical baseball team is heading back to the postseason for the first time in six years and the Rams got there in grand style on Thursday.

Kyle Gauthier needed only 76 pitches to no-hit Revere as the Rams rolled to an 8-0 win over the Patriots.

"Kyle showed up to the park early and I could tell that he was all business," Classical coach Mike Zukowski said. "He threw his fastball for strikes and he kept them off balance with the curve and the defense made some great plays behind him."

Gauthier flirted with a no-no earlier this season against Revere, losing the bid with two outs in the seventh. On Thursday, the junior wasn't going to let the second chance get away.

"I knew early on that I had the stuff I wanted," Gauthier said. "I felt like I was pounding the zone and keeping them off balance."

The closest the Patriots (0-20) came to a hit was with two outs in the sixth when shortstop Wilfredo Feliz went deep in the hole to rob R.J. Tiorano.

"That was a great play by Wilfredo," Zukowski said. "And the big thing was that we had the hitting to go with the good defense finally."

Classical (10-7) gave Gauthier all the runs he needed in the bottom of the first.

Gauthier, Feliz and Kyle Devin ripped off singles to give the Rams a 1-0 lead. Feliz stole home on a double steal to make it 2-0 before John Finnigan and Greg Rybak had RBI singles.

Huebert Segura's sacrifice fly plated Rybak to make it 5-0 after an inning.

"We really set the tone in that first inning," Zukowski said.

Gauthier pitched around an error in the second by getting Justin Donati to line into an inning-ending double play.

Classical added a run in the bottom of the second on Angel Tavares' RBI single for a 6-0 lead.

That was more than enough run support for Gauthier, who was on cruise control by this point. He struck out seven of his 11 hitters in the first four innings and did not issue a walk all day.

Tavares' second RBI in the fourth upped the lead to 7-0 and an outfield error in the sixth led to Classical's final run.

The only question was if Gauthier could finish the deal this time.

He got Frank Colleran on a groundout and struck out John Papasodora. Fittingly, Paul Norton grounded back to Gauthier to complete the no-hitter.

"I am so happy for the upperclassmen," Zukowski said. "They have put in a lot of hard work that is finally beginning to pay off."

KYLE DEVIN (Item Photo / Reba M. Saldanha)

English baseball defeats Classical

By Matthew Roy / For The Item

LYNN - With its hopes for making the state tournament contingent on knocking off archrival Classical, the Lynn English baseball team put together one of its best games of the year.

Sophomore southpaw Ben Bowden shut down the potent Rams offense, holding Classical to one run on nine hits, while No. 9 batter Edison Purcel broke a 1-1 tie with a solo homer in the top of the fifth to lead the Bulldogs to a 3-1 win at Fraser Field.


"Ben pitched a really good game for us," English coach Joe Caponigro said. "And Edison came up big for us when we needed it."

Across the diamond, the Rams (9-7) were left to contemplate having let a golden chance to clinch their first tournament berth under Mike Zukowski slip away.

"Ben kept us off balance and got the big strikeouts when he needed them," Zukowski said. "We didn't have the timely hitting (Wednesday) at all."

English (8-10) got the scoring started quickly as Matt Merritt singled with one out in the first and headed to third when Joe Rose's (7 IP, 6 H, 2 ER) pickoff throw went awry. Junior Santos' fly ball to center was plenty deep enough to allow Merritt to cross easily.

Classical got that run back an inning later as Angel Tavares and Rose singled with one out. No. 9 batter Huebert Segura then delivered a two-out base hit for a tie game.

The Rams would have an even bigger chance to go ahead in the third when Wilfredo Feliz and Kyle Devin singled. Greg Rybak followed with a walk to load the bases and bring Caponigro to the mound for a confab with his battery.

"I went out there more to talk about how we were going to play it and Ben said, 'I got this, Coach,'" Caponigro said.

True to his word, Bowden did have the situation handled as he popped up John Finnigan before striking out Tavares and Rose to end the inning.

"Benny was mentally tough (Wednesday) and did a great job," Caponigro said.

Rose also was doing a fine job on the bump, working out of small jams in the third and fourth innings to keep the game deadlocked heading to the fifth.

Purcel then delivered a lightning bolt as the surprise starter ripped a fastball over the left field fence to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. English would then see Merritt single and move to third on two wild pitches before Randy Ruiz' two-out hit upped the lead to 3-1.

In the bottom of the fifth, Purcel struck with his glove as he threw out Rybak trying to go from first to third on a Finnigan hit to end the inning.

Classical would have one more chance in the seventh when Kyle Gauthier led off with a single and was at second with no outs after a passed ball. But Bowden dug deep and got the next three hitters to end the game.

Classical wins extra-inning thriller over Salem

By Jerry DiStefano / For The Item

The Classical baseball team trailed for most of the game against Salem, but the Rams never gave up and defeated the Witches in an extra-inning thriller 10-7 at Salem State Thursday.

"This was the best my team has played all year. My kids never got down on themselves and always fought back. My kids never gave up and it was great to be a part of," Rams coach Mike Zukowski said.

Classical was down 6-3 going into the seventh inning. Pinch hitter Ryan Hayward led off with a single, Kyle Gauthier singled and Wilfredo Feliz walked. Joe Rose hit a two-run single. Angel Tavares hit a two-out, two-run double to give Classical its first lead, 7-6. Salem tied the score in the bottom of the seventh. The Rams scored three runs in the top of the eighth (Joe Rose hit a 2-run double to make it 9-7 and subsequently scored for Classical's 10th run), and Greg Rybak pitched a perfect bottom of the eighth to close out the game. Rose had a monster day at the plate (3-3, 2 runs scored, 4 RBI). John Finnigan had a strong day at the dish (2-4, 1 run scored). Classical (9-6) squares up against rival English Wednesday.

 

Rams' baseball outslugs Swampscott

By Gordon Vincent / For The Item

LYNN -- Classical and Swampscott won't be playing each other in football this fall, so the score in last night's baseball game between the two schools will have to serve as a substitute.

Wilfredo Feliz and Greg Rybak each hit a homer and drove in four runs to lead the Rams (6-4) to a 14-7 win over the Big Blue (6-5) in a sloppy slugfest, Friday night, at Fraser Field.

Feliz launched a 2-run homer to left field in the second inning and drove in two more runs with a single in the fifth. He rode home two batters later on Rybek's 3-run bomb just to the right of the batter's eye in center. Rybek also drove in a run with a single in the first inning and tripled in the second.

"Absolutely, this was one of our better offensive games," said Classical coach Mike Zukowski. "It was good to see a couple of our hitters who had been slumping break out."

The teams combined for eight errors, four for each side, but Swampscott's miscues hurt more than Classical's. All of Swampscott's errors led directly to runs, while

 was able to pitch around a couple of the Rams' fumbles.

"The way we played and the way we hit the ball made it tough," Swampscott coach T.J. Baril said. "Some of us didn't come ready to play tonight, and it showed on the field."

Gauthier lasted six innings and allowed five earned runs on nine hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Sophomore Joe Rose pitched a scoreless seventh and showed off a wicked curve.

"(Gauthier) battled," Zukowski said. "He threw a lot of pitches, so we decided to give (Rose) a look in the seventh."

Nick Meninno started for Swampscott and lasted three innings, giving up six earned runs on seven hits. Tom Keenan pitched a scoreless fourth, but couldn't get out of the fifth, in which the Rams exploded for six runs.

Meninno drove in a pair of runs in the first inning with a fly ball to center that was misjudged into a triple. Classical answered with three runs in the bottom of the first, with the big blow being John Finnigan's triple to center.

Feliz's bomb in the second inning made it 6-2, and Classical added two more in the third on singles by Ryan Hayward, Huebert Segura and Gauthier, and a balk. Swampscott rallied with two in he fifth on a walk and singles by Sean O'Brien and Mike Walsh (2-for-4).

Classical's big fifth inning gave the Rams a comfortable 14-4 lead, but the Big Blue came up with three in the sixth on a two-run single by Frank Legere and a sac fly from O'Brien.

Marblehead baseball jolts Classical

By Matthew Roy / For The Item

LYNN - For four innings on Wednesday, it was an old-fashioned pitcher's duel between Classical's Kyle Gauthier and Marblehead's Dan Colbert at Fraser Field. In the fifth, however, things changed in a dramatic way.

The Magicians exploded for nine runs on eight hits and two Classical errors in the top of the fifth as they pulled away to a stunning 12-0 win over the Rams.

"We took the approach that we wanted to be aggressive at the plate and not fall behind," Marblehead coach Jason Tarasuik said after his team's 17-hit barrage.

It was a stunning turnaround after neither team could get much going for the first four innings and left Classical coach Mike Zukowski scratching his head for an answer.

"It's a big wakeup for us," Zukowski said. "And it's a reality check. Marblehead is a well coached team and Jason does a great job with them."

Colbert and Gauthier matched zeroes over the first four innings despite the Magicians (5-2, 4-2 NEC South) hurler struggling to find the strike zone at times but holding Classical (4-3, 4-2 NEC North) to a single Ryan Hayward hit.

"Danny did a great job," Tarasuik said. "He went out there and battled."

Casey Stead began the fifth inning onslaught when he reached second on an infield hit and an error. Connor Green followed with a bunt hit and Ryan Quigley was plunked to load the bases.

Ryan Stanojev drew a walk to score Stead and break the scoreless deadlock. Ben Koopman then singled home Green for a 2-0 lead.

Jake Kulevich followed with a 2-run double and Colton Dana's 2-run single upped the lead to 6-0 and knocked Gauthier out of the game. Colbert helped his own cause with a double that scored Dana for a 7-0 lead before he scored on an error and Quigley singled home Green with the final run of the inning.

Colbert would retire eight in a row at one point before leaving after Gauthier led off the sixth with a single. Max Hall shut down the Rams after they loaded the bases in the sixth before Marblehead tacked on three more runs on four hits in the seventh.

Mike Zukowski

Classical baseball uses seventh-inning rally to knock off English

By Matthew Roy / For The Item

LYNN - It was just another typical baseball game between Lynn Classical and Lynn English on Monday at Fraser Field.

After being held in check by Bulldog starter Ben Bowden for six innings, Classical rallied to score twice in the seventh as Joe Rose's RBI single provided the winning run in a 3-2 Rams victory.

"Joe had a huge game for us," Classical coach Mike Zukowski said. "He comes in and shuts them down in the sixth inning and then gets the game-winning hit in the seventh. That's pretty amazing for a kid with no varsity experience."

Bowden was in a groove on the mound for English but the Bulldogs (3-3) were held in check by Classical (4-2) starter Jorge Perez for most of the day.

"Ben did a great job but (Classical) got the big hit when they needed it and we didn't," English coach Joe Caponigro said. "It was a fine high school baseball game."

Bowden surrendered an unearned run in the top of the second before English got two unearned runs off Perez in the third to carry the 2-1 lead into the final frame.

Left fielder John Finnigan began the Classical seventh by singling on the first pitch from Bowden. The Rams then played the percentages by having Angel Tavares attempt to sacrifice Finnigan to second.

Two bunt attempts, however, were fouled off and Zukowski was forced to take the sacrifice off. The move paid off in a huge way as Tavares lofted a triple into the left field corner, scoring Finnigan just ahead of Junior Santos' relay throw home.

"That was a great at-bat by Angel," Zukowski said. "He fouls off the bunts but stays with it and gets that big hit to left."

One batter later, Rose brought the Classical fans to their feet when he ripped a ground ball single to left, scoring Tavares with the go-ahead run.

Bowden would calm things after that and get the next two Rams to end the rally.

Rose then had to return to the mound and deal with the heart of the English lineup in the bottom of the seventh. After getting Santos on a soft fly ball to center, Rose saw Bowden rip a shot down the first base line that was snared by Kyle Gauthier to prevent extra bases.

Melvin Cabrera followed with a groundout to short to seal the Classical win.

"I don't mind losing like that," Caponigro said. "They went out and got the hits and won the game. A lot of credit to them for doing that."

Classical comes up just short against Beverly

By Joyce Erekson / The Daily Item

The Classical High baseball team came back twice but didn't have a third rally left in the tank in a 4-3 loss to Beverly Thursday at Cooney Field.

The Rams (3-2) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Kyle Devin RBI single that scored Kyle Gauthier (single). The Panthers answered with two runs in the bottom of the third inning, but Classical tied things up on another Devin RBI single.

The Panthers went up 3-2 in the fifth when Andy Brown tripled and scored on an error, but the Rams battled back again when George Perez walked, followed by a Ryan Hayward triple. Perez, in what would be a key play for Beverly, was nailed at the plate on a relay from right fielder Anthony DiOrio to second baseman Steve Wilbur to first baseman Chris Mitchell to catcher Joe Wioncek for the out.

Hayward ended up scoring on a single by Francisco Tolentino to tie the game, but DiOrio singled in what would be the winning run in the bottom of the sixth.

Gauthier (10 hits, 5 strikeouts, no walks) took the loss. Pat Wilson picked up the win with Dan Cashman setting down the Rams in order in relief in the seventh inning for the save.

"This was a really good baseball game," Beverly coach Dave Wilbur said. "It was very well played by both teams."

 

Classical baseball defeats Salem

By Matthew Roy / For The Item

LYNN - For three years, the Classical baseball team has been building towards a run at a Northeastern Conference title. And judging by the Rams' effort on Monday against Salem, that might very well be a possibility.

Jorge Perez held the Witches to three hits while his teammates pounded out 13 hits as Classical rolled to a 12-2 win at Fraser Field.

"I really like the chemistry that these guys have," Classical coach Mike Zukowski said. "These are the guys we started with as freshmen when we took the program over and I can't say enough about the leadership our seniors are showing."

It was a team effort in every sense on Monday for Classical. The Rams (2-1) saw four different players drive in runs; eight players get at least one hit and six different spots score a run.

"This lineup keeps raking the ball," Zukowski said. "When you put the ball in play, it makes things happen."

The Rams gave Perez all the runs he would need in the bottom of the first.

Wilfredo Feliz (2-4, 3 RS) led off with a triple and scored when Kyle Gauthier reached on an error. Kyle Devin (3-3, 2 RBI, 2 RS) and John Finnigan (2-3, 3 RBI, 2 RS) added singles to increase the lead to 2-0.

Angel Tavares reached on an error and Perez (2-3, 3 RBI) had a sacrifice fly that plated Devin to make it 3-0. The Rams then stole a run as Finnegan scored on the back end of a double steal for the 4-0 lead.

Salem (2-2) would get a pair back against Perez in the top of the second on two hits and an error but that would be all it'd get as the Rams hurler settled down and shut down the Witches the rest of the way.

"Jorge went out there and threw a tremendous game," Zukowski said. "He changed speeds well all game and kept them off balance."

Classical got a run back in the bottom of the second as Devin singled home Feliz with two outs. The Rams then added two more runs in the fourth on an infield hit from Devin and a Finnigan sacrifice fly.

Any hopes of a Salem charge died in the sixth when Classical blew things open with a six hit, five run barrage that saw the Rams send 10 batters to the plate. Perez drove home two runs in the inning with Gauthier, Finnigan and Francisco Tolentino adding RBI.

Classical's Gauthier one-hits Revere; Rams win first

The Classical baseball team got its first win Friday in fine fashion, with pitcher Kyle Gauthier hurling a one hitter - taking a no-no into the seventh - and a host of hitters spreading the scoring around in a 9-0 romp at Revere.

Gauthier, the last of the three brothers who have made their mark for the Rams, struck out 13 and didn't walk anyone in going the distance.

Offensively, Wilfredo Feliz was 2-for-3 with three runs scored and Angel Taveres was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI.

Also contributing for Classical (1-1) were Jorge Perez (2-for-4, run, 2 RBI), Ryan Hayward (2-for-4, 2 RBI), and Kyle Devin (1-for-3, 2 RBI).
 

Kyle Gauthier

Classical Baseball  team gearing up for 2011

By Joyce Erekson / The Daily Item

The Classical High baseball team has a few open spots this year with the graduation of seven seniors, four of whom were starters.

Coach Mike Zukowski will have to replace Ellido Reyes, who was a captain and third baseman; Tyler Gauthier, a pitcher who spent most of his time at first (he had an arm problem that kept him off the mound most of the season); catcher Eddie Terrero and utility player Ryan Powers.

Gauthier is now seeing some time on the mound for Southern New Hampshire University, where his older brother, Bryant, is a senior pitcher. Also lost to graduation were Terry Finnigan (Union College), who saw significant time as a designated hitter towards the end of last season; relief pitcher Justin Hart and pitcher/DH/infielder Jason Fraher.

The returning contingent is led by senior captains Greg Rybak and Wilfredo Feliz. Rybak pitches and plays center field and Feliz will return at shortstop. Feliz is also the leadoff hitter. The pitching rotation will get a lift with the return of Kyle Gauthier, who played second when he was not on the mound last year, but will probably be at first this year, Zukowski said.

Sophomore Kyle Devin, who made the Northeastern Conference All-Star team as a freshman, will move from the outfield to behind the plate this year.

"He was a big hitter for us last year. We'll rely on his bat," Zukowski said.

Junior John Finnigan, who cracked the starting lineup as an outfielder five or six games into the season last year, will figure into the mix as well.

Some other players who are vying for starting spots include seniors Sam Rios and Andrew White, both outfielders. Sophomore Jorge Perez, a pitcher and infielder, and junior outfielder Derek Elwell, could figure into the mix, along with pitchers Angel Tavares and Ryan Hayward (a transfer from St. Mary's).

Zukowski said he had about 52 players who showed up for tryouts. He carries about 32 between the junior varsity and varsity and 15-16 on the freshman team.

The Rams open the season Friday, April 8, with a nonleague game against Georgetown. Classical's other nonleague games include the two in the Clancy tournament and one against Saugus.

Zukowski said he's been very impressed with his senior leadership so far this preseason.

"The upperclassmen are taking charge, teaching the incoming freshmen what they need to do," he said.

Jeff Waldron returns as Zukowski's assistant. Waldron had a successful first year managing the Navigators last season and will be back again this year. Wayne Maribito will move up from the freshman team to coach the junior varsity. D.J. McNulty, who was coaching the JVs, moved to Florida. Nick Kelley, who went to Malden Catholic and played four years at Endicott College, will coach the freshmen. Zukowski is starting his fourth year as head coach.