Classical
Baseball 2011
LCHS
Baseball Head Coach:
Mike Zukowski
Assistant
Coaches: Jeff Waldron, Nick Kelly, Wayne Marabito
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NEC COACH OF THE
YEAR - MIKE ZUKOWSKI

In his fourth, he led Classical to
the Division 2 North sectionals, where the No. 15 Rams knocked off
the No. 3, No. 2 and No. 7 seeds to reach the sectional final
against North Andover ... he is a former player for Classical.
NEC ALL-STAR TEAM
KYLE DEVIN, Classical
-Sophomore catcher ... NEC all-star two years ... hit .415 with 19
RBI, 18 runs scored and one home run.
KYLE GAUTHIER, Classical - Junior pitcher/first baseman ... NEC
all-star ... hit .468 with 16 RBI, 17 runs scored ... went 6-3 on
the mound with a 2.70 ERA ... 70 strikeouts in 65 innings ... played
in the Best Juniors game at Bentley University.

WILFREDO FELIZ, Classical - Senior shortstop ... NEC all-star ...
hit .350 with 10 RBI, 25 runs scored and 17 stolen bases ... one
home run ... will attend Salem State University where he hopes to
play baseball.

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Classical's ride ends in North final

By Matthew Roy / For The Item
LYNN - The clock finally struck midnight on the
Classical baseball team Monday at Fraser Field.
Facing a North Andover squad that had won 22 straight
games coming into the Division 2 North finals, the 15th
seeded Rams were foiled by five errors and a 13
strikeout performance from Cape Ann League MVP Brandon
Walsh as the Scarlet Knights swept to a 4-0 win.
"We simply beat ourselves," Classical coach Mike
Zukowski said. "We didn't have the timely hitting that
we had through the tournament and we made too many
errors. Baseball is a funny game sometimes."
Classical's defensive struggles delivered a fate that
pitcher Jorge Perez likely didn't deserve on Monday. The
junior held an explosive lineup to one earned run on
seven hits but saw two innings extended because of
mistakes that led to three runs.
"(Perez) pitched really well," North Andover coach Todd
Doyon said. "He kept us off balance and moved the ball
around well. We just took advantage of the chances we
got."
Walsh also had a lot to do with the Rams' fate on Monday
as the lanky junior painted the corners all game long.
Mixing an effective curve with a stellar fastball, Walsh
struck out 13 and walked three in his complete-game gem.
"Jorge did a great job. He gave us a chance to win,"
Zukowski said. "But take nothing away from Walsh. He
pitched a great game too."
Classical (13-11) put John Finnigan aboard to lead off
the second, but he was picked off by Walsh on a botched
steal attempt. The Scarlet Knights (23-1) then took
advantage of the first sign of nerves by the Rams to
break the ice in the bottom of the second.
A pair of singles and a Tyler Leavitt fielder's choice
put runners at first and second with two outs. Dan
Laorenza then hit a grounder to short that handcuffed
Wilfredo Feliz and loaded the bases.
Griffin Coakley then hit a bouncer to third that was
mishandled, allowing Leavitt to score for a 1-0 lead.
As Classical's defense was beginning to suffer a
meltdown, North Andover's defense behind Walsh came up
with a game-defining play.
Kyle Devin doubled with two outs to give the Rams a lift
in the fourth. Finnigan followed with a single to
center. David Foote came up firing and threw a strike to
Jon Swanton at the plate to cut down Devin and end the
inning.
"We got the big hit to center from John but the kid made
a great throw to get Kyle at the plate," Zukowski said.
Just like the second inning, North Andover fed off the
defensive play to extend its lead in the bottom of the
fourth.
Walsh singled before Dom Nicolosi ripped a double into
the right field corner, scoring Walsh from first for a
2-0 lead. Nicolosi was thrown out at third on the play.
Perez then struck out Laorenza before Coakley reached on
a throwing error. After stealing second, Coakley would
score when Foote's grounder was misplayed into a 3-0
lead.
The Rams would have their best chance to get to Walsh in
the top of the fifth.
Francisco Tolentino walked before Greg Rybak and Perez
ripped singles to load the bases. Walsh, though, bore
down and got Huebert Segura and Kyle Gauthier to end the
inning.
"We get the bases loaded in the fifth and can't come up
with the big hit," Zukowski said.
Walsh would be part and parcel to the Scarlet Knights'
final run as he doubled to left with two outs in the
bottom of the fifth and scored on the Rams' final error
of the game.
The junior then struck out the side in the sixth before
pitching around two singles in the seventh, getting
Gauthier to line out to first for the final out.


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_______________________________________________________________
Seniors
Congratulations and Good Luck to our
graduating Seniors:

Greg Ryback
Sammy Rios
_______________________________________________________________

Derek Paru
Adam Chambers
_______________________________________________________________

Wilfredo Feliz
Andrew White
_______________________________________________________________
Juniors and Sophomores

John Finnigan
Derek Elwell
_______________________________________________________________

Huebert Segura
Kyle Gauthier
_____________________________________________________________

Angel Tavarez
Francisco Tolentino
_______________________________________________________________
David DePena
Carlos Gonzalez
_______________________________________________________________

Ryan Hayward
Jorge Perez
_______________________________________________________________

Brad Scuzzarella
Joe Rose
_______________________________________________________________
... and Kyle Devin
_______________________________________________________________
The Coaches

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They're the real deal
!!
By Matthew Roy / For The
Item
LYNN - They aren't upstarts anymore ... they are the
real deal.
The Lynn Classical baseball team now finds itself seven
innings away from an improbable Division 2 North
championship after the 15th seeded Rams upset No. 3 seed
Danvers, 7-3, on Wednesday night at Fraser Field to move
to Saturday's final at LeLacheur Park in Lowell against
either North Andover or Gloucester.
"We came in (Wednesday) and said that if you were afraid
to lose, than nothing was going to happen," Classical
coach Mike Zukowski
said. "These kids have the biggest hearts and I am so
proud of this team."
The Rams (13-10) had to face adversity for the first
time in the tournament as the Falcons (18-5) put three
runs up on Kyle Gauthier
in the third inning to take a 3-2 lead, Classical's
first deficit of the postseason.
True to its newfound character, though, Classical fought
back and took the game back away from the NEC South
champions.
"Give Classical a lot of the credit. They hit the ball,"
Danvers coach Roger Day said. "We competed and played
hard and had a chance in the fifth to win it."
Danvers had taken the lead in the third thanks to a pair
of two-out hits from Dan Connors and Zach Ryan. The Rams
returned that favor in the top of the fifth.
Wilfredo Feliz led
the inning off being hit by a Ryan curveball. He went to
second on a passed ball and then swiped third base. But
there he stood with two outs before
Angel Tavares ripped a
single up the middle to tie the game at 3-3.
Tavares then pilfered second and first baseman
Ryan Hayward delivered
what proved to be the winning hit when he singled to
give the Rams a 4-3 lead.
"We got up two quick and then got a little comfortable,"
Zukowski said. "And sure enough they came back and got
three. But my kids dug so deep and got timely hits."
Gauthier had been shelled for five hits and the three
Falcon runs in the third. As it turned out, those would
be the last hits Danvers got in the game as the junior
stonewalled the Falcons the rest of the way.
Day called on Scott Hovey, pitching for the third time
in the tournament, to relieve Ryan and he worked a
perfect sixth before the roof caved in for Danvers in
the seventh.
Feliz walked and stole second.
Kyle Devin was intentionally walked before
John Finnigan doubled
to right, scoring Feliz to make it 5-3. Tavares followed
with a walk to load the bases.
A flyout from Hayward was followed by a
Greg Rybak 2-run single
through a drawn-in infield to give the Rams a 7-3 lead.
Gauthier made short work of the Falcons in the home half
of the seventh to send his team to Lowell.
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Game Photos - Classical vs Danvers -
Semi-Finals - 6/8/2011
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Up At Bat
G











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On the Field




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In the Stands




At the end of the Game







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Varsity Team 2011

JV BASEBALL 2011

FRESHMEN TEAM 2011

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RAMS Lynn
Classical Baseball 2011 RAMS
# PLAYER
POSITION BATS/THROWS Y.O.G
16 Greg Rybak
OF/P R/R
2011 Capt.
2 Wilfredo Feliz
SS S/R
2011 Capt.
8 Andrew White
OF R/R
2011
4 Sammy Rios
OF R/R
2011
9 Adam Chambers
INF R/R
2011
13 Derek Paru
INF/P R/R
2011
14 Kyle Gauthier
P/1B R/R
2012
10 John Finnigan
OF R/R
2012
20 Francisco Tolentino
P/3B R/R
2012
12 Angel Tavarez
P/1B L/L
2012
5 David DePena
INF R/R
2012
7 Derek Elwell
OF L/R
2012
15 Carlos Gonzalez
C R/R
2012
1 Huebert Segura
INF S/R
2012
18 Ryan Hayward
INF/P R/R
2012
11 Kyle Devin C/UTL
L/R 2013
3 Jorge Perez
P/INF R/R
2013
6 Joe Rose UTL/P
R/R 2013
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Classical, Danvers ready for D2 North showdown
By Steve Krause / The Daily Item
Derek Paru
Classical coach Mike Zukowski
thought his team might have a shot at making some noise back in
April. Danvers' Roger Day wasn't sure.
But here it is June, and both the Rams and Falcons are still
playing. And they'll be playing each other tonight (7) at Fraser
Field in Lynn for the right to vie for the Division 2 North
baseball championship Saturday in Lowell.
"This is a special group," says Zukowski. "I saw it from Day 1
in tryouts. Older guys were taking younger guys under their
wings ... showing them how it's done ... just taking the reins
and going with it."
Zukowski credits his six seniors (Wilfredo
Feliz, Greg Rybak, Adam Chambers, Derek Paru, Andrew White and
Sammy Rios) with lending stability and
professionalism to the team.
Still, Classical was 10-10 as, Zukowski admits, "it's been an
up-and-down season. We'd win two, lose two ... win three ...
lose three."
It didn't help the Rams, either, that a lot of their games got
bunched together in the last week and a half of the season,
thanks to the miserable spring the region experienced. They got
a no-hitter from pitcher Kyle Gauthier
to clinch a spot and move their record to 10-7, and then lost
their final three, to Beverly and both games in the Clancy
Tournament.
"But," said Zukowski, "it's a new season, and everyone
started 0-0. And right now, we're playing with heart and drive,
and as a coach, you can't ask for anything more."
Classical made it at 10-10, but came in last out of five similar
.500 teams and got relegated to the 15th seed out of 16. That
meant it had to play No. 2 Reading. And the Rams upset the
favored Rockets, 6-3. They followed that up by defeating
Masconomet -- for whom Zukowski served as an assistant coach --
2-0 to make it to tonight.
Danvers finished up with a 16-4 record and was seeded third. No
one was more surprised than Day.
"I thought we'd struggle just to make the tournament," he said.
"I thought it was going to be a battle. But guys keep coming up
with ways to win.
"It's been a different kid every game," he said. "If I had to
characterize us, we are a good pitching and fielding team, and
we don't beat ourselves. We don't really hit consistently, but
we've found a way."
Classical will go with its ace -- Gauthier -- while Day isn't
sure who will pitch. Along with sophomore Scott Hovey (6-0),
there's Nick Gikas, Ray Arocho, Zach Ryan and Connor Kelleher.
Danvers had to play 11 innings to beat Tewksbury Monday, "and
that took a lot out of our pitchers," Day said.
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Perez leads Rams into Semifinals
By Matthew Roy / For The
Item
TOPSFIELD - You could cut the
tension with a knife on Monday in the Division 2
North quarterfinal between Masconomet and Lynn
Classical.
Masco's Jeff Daniels and Classical's
Jorge Perez each
carried no-hitters into the seventh inning. But it
was the Chieftains who blinked first as Perez' bloop
single scored pinch runner
Brad Scuzzarella and led the No. 15 seed
Rams into the semifinals with a 2-0 win on a
one-hitter by Perez.
"The way Jorge pitched reminded me of the Gloucester
game he had," Classical coach
Mike Zukowski said.
"We said that if he pitched that way, kept the ball
down, and threw his curve for strikes that we would
be right there. And that's what happened."
Having knocked off one of the best the Middlesex
League had to offer in Reading and now one of the
Cape Ann League's power teams, the Rams will see a
familiar foe in the semis: Danvers (Wednesday at
Fraser, 7).
For the better part of an hour and a half on a
sun-scorched afternoon, Perez and Daniels' duel on
the mound was the show as neither pitcher blinked.
"You have to give their kid credit. Jeff threw a
hell of a game," Zukowski said. "But we said before
the seventh inning started that we needed to get
some baserunners."
Angel Tavares
reached on an error to begin the seventh, spelling
the end of Daniels' time on the hill.
Spiros Varinos came
on in relief and faced pinch hitter Ryan Hayward,
who bunted into a fielder's choice that erased
Tavares.
A wild pitch sent Hayward to second and Zukowski
went to his bench again, replacing Hayward with
pinch runner Scuzzarella.
Greg Rybak then walked, bringing Perez to
the plate.
Fighting off a fastball, Perez dumped a looper
between Corey Tudor and Jack Hamburger to plate
Scuzzarella with the go-ahead run.
"Brad got a great jump and in that situation, I had
to send him to take the chance. And they made a bad
throw," Zukowski said.
Rybak went to third on the play and that proved
pivotal when Huebert Segura
grounded to short, allowing the senior
right fielder to come home with a big insurance run.
"Greg did a good job on that play. He read the ball
well and was able to score," Zukowski said.
Perez went to the mound for the Masco half of the
seventh in search of the Rams' second no-hitter in
two weeks. Pinch hitter Joe Klingersmith dispelled
that notion with a sharp single to lead things off
for the Chieftains.
Hamburger then lifted a ball to short left that
shortstop Wilfredo Feliz
made an over-the-shoulder catch on at
full speed for the first out.
Varinos then grounded into what looked to be a
game-ending double play but the ball was dropped at
second. A popout from J.R. Sheehan got the Rams on
the precipice before Perez hit Ethan Sheehan to load
the bases.
Jason Katz then put a charge in one but Rybak raced
back and made a nifty catch to end the game.
"This team just has a lot of heart and they stick
together," Zukowski said. "Jorge stepped up in the
seventh and got the RBI he deserved to win the
game."
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Classical stuns
No. 2 Reading in Division 2 North first round
By Matthew Roy / For The Item
Wilfredo Feliz
READING - Back in the state tournament
for the first time in six years, the Lynn Classical
baseball team made a huge splash on Thursday at Morton
Field.
Facing No. 2 seed Reading, runner-up to unbeaten
Lexington in the Middlesex League, the 15th-seeded Rams
broke a scoreless tie in the sixth inning to take a
stunning 6-2 win over the Rockets and move to Monday's
quarterfinal round against Masconomet/Burlington.
The Rams (11-10) regained the form Thursday that had led
them to wins in 9 of their first 14 games before
scuffling to a 1-5 record down the stretch.
Kyle Gauthier,
who no-hit Revere to get Classical in the postseason,
held one of the better offenses in the tournament to one
earned run on five hits in a complete-game gem. He also
drove in the go-ahead run with two outs in the sixth.
"Kyle pitched an unbelievable game," Classical coach
Mike Zukowski
said. "He kept the ball down and kept them off balance.
And then we got some big hits when we needed them."
Classical needed Gauthier at his best on Thursday
because Reading starter Scott Tully was on his game too.
The sophomore actually held the Rams hitless for the
first five innings before the wheels came off in the
sixth.
"That kid is just a sophomore and he did a great job,"
Zukowski said. "But he started to get tired and left
some balls up. And we made him pay for the mistakes."
Neither team had a serious scoring chance until the
fourth when
Wilfredo Feliz walked for the
Rams. He then went to second on a wild pitch with no
outs. But Tully retired
Kyle Devin, John Finnigan
and Angel Tavares to end the
inning.
Reading wouldn't have a runner reach third base until
the fifth when Chris Welch singled, took second on a
balk and third on a flyout. Tom Crowley had drawn a walk
as well and the Rockets tried to manufacture a run but
Gauthier picked him off to end the inning.
Bolstered by that momentum, Classical finally got its
offense going against Tully.
Tully hit No. 9 batter
Huebert Segura
to begin the inning. Gauthier made him pay for the
mistake with a double up the gap in right-center for a
1-0 lead.
Feliz
followed with a single and then saw
Gauthier
come home on the back door of a double steal for a 2-0
lead. John
Finnigan then missed a home
run by mere inches as his double sent Feliz home with a
3-0 lead for Classical.
"When you look at all zeroes on the scoreboard through
five, you're looking for anything to try and get a run,"
Zukowski said. "And we have the hit and run on and
Gauthier rips a big double."
Gauthier immediately retired the Rockets in order to get
his hot offense right back to the dish and his teammates
obliged by delivering the knockout blow ... but not
without a hiccup.
Jorge Perez
led off with a walk but was part of a double play that
saw Segura called out because Perez did not slide on a
play at second base.
Gauthier followed with a single. Feliz walked and
Devin
was hit to load the bases. A passed ball scored the Rams
hurler before
Finnigan and Tavares followed
with singles that increased the lead to 6-0.
Reading would push two runs across in the bottom of the
seventh before Gauthier struck out Tully to end the
game.
"The team that was 9-5 showed up (Thursday)," Zukowski
said. "And when we play like this, I think we can
compete with anybody."
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| Clancy Tournament Results N. Reading 10, Classical 3
Led by sophomore Ryley Warnock, North Reading defeated the Rams and
advanced to the tournament championship.
Warnock went the distance to earn the win, allowing three runs (two
earned) on six hits over seven innings. He struck out 10 and walked
one. He also tripled, doubled, and singled twice, going 4-for-4 at
the plate with four RBI out of the leadoff spot.
Junior Kyle Boucher had two hits, three runs scored and a pair of
stolen bases for the Hornets, while seniors Nick Moscaritolo and
Brandon Currier each had two hits and two runs scored apiece.
Classical starter Jorge Perez was touched for eight runs on
12 hits while striking out six. Classical junior John Finnigan
had a two-run single in the third to score sophomore Kyle
Gauthier and junior Huebert Segura. Finnigan would reach
on an error and score the Rams' third and final run in the sixth. |
The NEC All-Star game will be Tuesday, 7 p.m., at Fraser
Field.
The NEC Large All-Star starters are Andy Brown, infield, Beverly; Joe Wioncek,
catcher, Beverly; Wilfredo Feliz, infielder,
Classical; Wesley Sanders, infield, Peabody; Ramses Vittini,
outfielder, Peabody; Frank Colleran, outfield, Revere; Raphy Medrano, outfield,
Salem, and Dario Medrano, first base, Salem.
The remaining NEC Large All-Stars stars are Anthony Diorio, outfield, Beverly;
Chris Mitchell, pitcher, Beverly; Kyle
Gauthier, first base, Classical; Kyle Devin, catcher, Classical; Ben
Bowden, pitcher, English; Randelay Lora, utility, English; Pat Ruotolo, pitcher,
Peabody; Nick Allen, pitcher, Peabody; George Tsonis, infield, Peabody; Casey
Grenier, outfield, Peabody; Bobby Losanno, outfield, Peabody; Genaro Ciulla,
catcher, Peabody, Jehnsy Tronoso, infield, Salem.
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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." |
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KYLE DEVIN (Item Photo / Reba M.
Saldanha)
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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.
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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.
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Classical
8, Winthrop 2
At Winthrop, Kyle
Gauthier struck out 10 and
allowed four hits as the Rams (8-6, 7-5
NEC North) moved closer to clinching a
state tournament berth.
Classical gave Gauthier all the run
support he needed with a five run second
inning. Kyle Devin
was 3-for-3 with a RBI while Gauthier
was 2-for-4 with an RBI and
Jorge Perez
was 2-for-3 with an RBI.
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| Peabody players celebrate a
run as Classical catcher Kyle Devin
regroups at Fraser Field on Thursday. (Item Photo / Reba M.
Saldanha)
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Vittini's six RBI lead Peabody to
win over Classical
By Matthew Roy / For The Item
LYNN - With a chance to assume control of its
destiny in the NEC North on Thursday, the Peabody baseball team came
to Fraser Field knowing it would be facing a motivated Classical
team that was nearly no-hit by the Tanners 24 hours earlier.
The Rams certainly came out flying, taking a 4-1 first inning lead,
but the Tanners stayed the course and, led by senior Ramses
Vittini's seventh inning grand slam and six RBIs, Peabody prevailed
9-4 to take a firm foothold in the NEC North.
"We knew coming in that Classical was going to be fired up," Peabody
coach Mark Bettencourt said. "And they came out swinging the bats.
But we stayed with it, chipped away and Ramses gave us a big lift
(Thursday)."
Peabody (9-5, 8-3 NEC North) now has a two-game lead over the Rams
and a date with Beverly on Monday that could result in a sweep of
the Panthers and all but lock up another league title for the
Tanners.
"We knew as coaches after last night that this would be a different
game," Classical coach Mike Zukowski
said. "And right off the bat, we did what we wanted to do. But then
they started chipping away and we started pressing too much."
The Tanners scored a two-out run in the top of the first against
Classical's (7-7, 6-5) Kyle Gauthier
via a Bobby Losanno single and a Vittini double. The Rams would
return the favor against Nick Allen in the bottom of the first.
Gauthier and Wilfredo Feliz
singled before fielder's choices from Kyle
Devin and Greg Rybak erased both runners. John
Finnigan tied the game with a base hit to left before Angel
Tavares' infield single plated Rybak for a 2-1 lead.
Ryan Hayward then singled to
left-center, plating Finnigan and Tavares for a 4-1 lead against one
of the Tanners' aces, Allen.
"I didn't send anyone down to warm up because I knew with Nick's
experience that he would settle down," Bettencourt said.
And Allen did just that, allowing only two hits over the final six
Classical at-bats, allowing Peabody to steadily eat away at the
deficit.
The Tanners scored a run in the third and got a two-out Matt McIsaac
single in the fourth to make it 4-3.
A Genaro Ciulla double to lead off the fifth was followed by a Wes
Sanders bunt single. Losanno's sacrifice fly tied the game before
Vittini singled to give Peabody a 5-4 lead.
"We gave them some extra outs and those are a killer against
Peabody," Zukowski said. "You can't do that against them because
they will capitalize every time."
Peabody would add the coup de grace in the seventh as pinch hitter
Aaron Comak walked and Ciulla singled to knock Gauthier out of the
game. Jorge Perez came on and
walked Sanders to load the bases for Vittini, who tattooed a
fastball for a line-shot grand slam to left for the game's final
four runs.
"We got a lot of big two-out hits to chip away and not come away
empty in the innings we had chances," Bettencourt said. "Classical
is a very good team and we knew these two games weren't going to be
easy."
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Peabody's
Ruotolo nearly perfect in
win over Classical
By Matthew
Roy / For The Item
For the
second time in as many
starts, Peabody sophomore
Pat Ruotolo flirted with
perfection.
After carrying a bid for
perfection into the sixth
inning against Gloucester
last Monday, Ruotolo allowed
a first inning homer to
Classical's
Kyle Devin and
nothing else as the Tanners
took a 13-1 win at Bezemes
Diamond in the first of a
back-to-back set against
Classical with first place
in the NEC North up for
grabs.
"Those are two of the best
hitting teams in the league
that Pat has done this
against," Tanners coach Mark
Bettencourt said of the
efforts from his ace. "To
come out and show up the way
he did (Wednesday) says a
lot about the way Pat is out
there."
In his last two starts,
Ruotolo has struck out an
astounding 30 hitters with
his 13 K effort on
Wednesday.
"(Ruotolo) threw very well.
There's not a lot that we
could do against him,"
Classical coach Mike
Zukowski said.
Peabody (8-5, 7-3 NEC North)
took the lead in the second
and then broke the game wide
open with seven runs in the
fifth inning. Genaro Ciulla
had three hits to lead the
Tanner attack with Ramses
Vittini; Steve Girolamo;
George Tsonis and Matt
McIsaac all having two hits.
"These are the type of games
you play for," Bettencourt
said. "It was a tournament
type atmosphere under the
lights. We played good
defense, got outstanding
pitching and hit in the
clutch." |
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Classical
stays red hot against
Gloucester
By Matthew
Roy / For The Item
You would be
hard pressed to find a team
that is hitting the ball
better than Lynn Classical
in the Northeastern
Conference right now.
On Monday at Nate Ross Park,
the Rams scored early and
they scored often against
Gloucester as they rolled to
a 13-1 win over the
Fishermen.
"The guys have been swinging
the bats really well,"
Classical coach
Mike
Zukowski said.
"(Gloucester) usually hands
it to us and they're always
strong. We are playing very
well right now."
Sophomore
Jorge
Perez was the
beneficiary of the Rams
offensive explosion as he
held Gloucester to only
three hits, striking out six
and allowing two earned
runs.
Classical (7-4, 6-3
Northeastern
Conference/North) gave Perez
all the offense he needed in
the first via a 2-run double
from
Kyle Devin. The Rams
added five more runs in the
third, three of them coming
on a
Francisco Tolentino
long ball, before scoring
once in the fifth and five
more times in the fifth.
Devin drove in three runs
while
Greg Rybak had two
RBIs.
Wilfredo Feliz had
four runs scored while Kyle
Gauthier had two hits and
two runs scored.
The Rams swing back into
action on Wednesday night
(7) when they begin a
critical home-and-home with
Peabody at Bezemes Diamond.
The two clubs are tied atop
the NEC North standings with
their wins on Monday. |
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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. |
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Classical
10, Saugus 2
At Fraser Field in Lynn,
the Rams (5-4, 5-3 NEC North) got a
complete game effort from
Jorge
Perez and three
RBIs from
John
Finnigan to knock
off the Sachems.
Classical scored twice in the second,
fourth and fifth innings while breaking
it open with a four run fourth inning.
Kyle
Gauthier and Kyle Devin
each drove home two runs with
Huebert
Segura going
2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI.
Derek Elwell was
2-for-2 with two runs scored while
Wilfredo Feliz and Francisco Tolentino
also drove in runs.
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Rams come up
short against Danvers
By Matthew Roy / For The Item
It was
supposed to be a year of growing for the Danvers baseball team after
losing the bulk of its starting pitching to graduation. But typical
of the Falcons under head coach Roger Day, they have found a way to
get the job done.
On Friday at Twi Field, Danvers exploded for
five first inning runs and then held on down the stretch to take a
6-4 win over Classical.
"We couldn't come back from five down,"
Classical coach Mike Zukowski
said.
Danvers (9-1, 7-1 Northeastern
Conference/South) used two base hits, a passed ball and a throwing
error to give starter Connor Kelleher plenty of cushion after one
inning.
Classical reliever
Joe Rose came on and pretty much shut the door on Danvers
for the rest of the way as the Rams (4-4) fought back.
Huebert Segura had a two-run double
in the second and John Finnigan
had a solo homer in the fourth and scored again in the sixth.
Zach Ryan, Greg Little
and Dan Connors each drove home a run for Danvers.
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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. |
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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." |
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Rams get the
job done in the eighth
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Classical High's Angel Taveras takes a cut during Friday's
baseball game against Saugus at World Series Park in Saugus.
The Rams won the game in eight innings. (Item Photo / Owen
O'Rourke) |
By Steve Krause / The Daily Item
Saugus
baseball coach Rich Angelo didn't mess around Friday in pinpointing
the problem after his team blew a 3-0 lead and ended up losing to
Lynn Classical, 7-3, in eight innings at World Series Park.
"They were tougher than we were today," said Angelo, whose Sachems
(0-5) are still looking for their first win of the year. "Sooner or
later, somebody has to step up and make a play in a crucial
situation."
That didn't happen Friday. Classical (4-2) scored the three
sixth-inning runs it needed to tie the game up on one hit, three
errors, and another miscue that - by rules - couldn't be called an
error. But the Rams - who played a flawless game in the field and
seemed 100 percent energized after dropping a tough game to Beverly
Thursday - got their four runs in the eighth the conventional way.
They earned them.
"I like this team," said Classical coach
Mike Zukowski. "I like the chemistry of how they get
along with each other. And we really came through today with some
big hits, and some big plays."
The game was a pitcher's duel between Classical's
Ryan Hayward and Saugus' Scott Enos
(who deserved much better than the loss he'll be tagged with)"He
pitched his heart out," said Angelo. "And right now, he's one of the
only ones on the team who's battling."
Enos had stopped the Rams cold until the sixth. And offensively,
Saugus did just enough to take a 3-0 lead into the inning. But with
one out, Wilfredo Feliz walked
and Kyle Gauthier singled to
center. Gauthier made it to second when the throw to third trying to
nail Feliz sailed wide.
With runners on second and third, Angelo elected to walk
Kyle Devin intentionally (one of
two he received Friday). John Finnigan
followed with a flair to shortstop that wasn't hit high enough to be
deemed an infield fly. However, because the shortstop was playing
deep, he didn't get to it in time, it dropped, the Sachems could
only record one out (the force at second) and a run scored.
Two straight errors subsequent to that play on balls hit by
Angel Tavarez and Jorge Perez
brought two more runs home and tied the game.
Enos, confronted with the exact same scenario an inning later (bases
loaded, one out) managed to get out of the jam.
He wasn't as lucky in the eighth. Enos got the first two outs and
then the roof fell in on him. Derek Elwell
singled to right, and David DePena
and Feliz both walked. Kyle Gauthier
followed with an opposite-field single to right bringing two
runs home, and Devin nearly took reliever Ty Kennedy's legs off with
a base hit up the middle to score the third run; and Finnigan
followed with another RBI single.
"He (Devin) was waiting for that at-bat," said Zukowski, with a big
grin. "But what about Kyle Gauthier? He sacrificed his at-bat in the
inning before, and then he comes up with that big hit to win it for
us.
"I told the guys in the sixth inning," he said, "that if they wanted
to be 'the team,' they had to win games like this."
Saugus got a run in the first when Tom Trainor singled and later
scored on Kennedy's sacrifice fly. The Sachems could have done some
real damage in the third when Dave Witham led off with a double. But
centerfielder Elwell made a perfect relay throw to shortstop Feliz,
who threw a bullet to Perez at third to nail Witham, who tried to
stretch the hit into a triple.
"Beautiful play," said Zukowski. "They forced us to make the play,
and we made it."
Saugus got single runs in the fourth on Steve Blaney's double and Al
Nahigian's single; and in the fifth when Witham singled, was
sacrificed to second by Trainor, and came home on Blaney's base hit.
The way Enos was pitching, that seemed to be enough.
"But with us," said Angelo, "it came down to that one bad inning.
And that's how it's been all year so far. We have to get past that."
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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."
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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. |
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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).
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Walks sink Rams in
season opener
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Greg Rybak was
on the mound for
Classical Friday
in a game
against
Georgetown at
Fraser Field.
(Item Photo /
Reba Saldanha)
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By
Matthew Roy / For The
Item
Walks
will drive baseball
coaches crazy and on
Friday at Fraser Field,
they proved to be the
undoing of the Classical
baseball team.
Georgetown worked the
Rams pitching tandem of
Greg Rybak and Kyle Gauthier for six walks,
turning them into four
runs as the Royals held
off a late Classical
charge to take a 9-8 win
in the season opener for
both teams.
"If we can fight like
that all year, we will
be fine," Classical
coach
Mike Zukowski
said. "I was happy with
the way we hit the ball,
but we made a couple of
mental mistakes that
killed us."
The runs came early and
often on Friday as
Georgetown got a pair
off Rybak in the top of
the first before the
Rams got those back on
Angel Tavares' two-out
single in the bottom of
the inning.
Classical(0-1) pushed in
front in the bottom of
the second when
Wilfredo Feliz
tripled with two down
and scored on Gauthier's
base hit.
Then the wheels came off
the Classical bus
momentarily in the top
of the third. Walks to
Ryan Browner and Adam
Johnson preceded a
fielder's choice from
Jeff Moore that loaded
the bases.
Mark Berkland followed
with a walk before Will
Ingraham and Jared
Lathrop each drove home
two runs to give
Georgetown a 7-3 lead
and knock Rybak from the
game. Gauthier came on
in relief and was rudely
greeted by Ryan
O'Rourke's RBI single to
make it 8-3.
"Walks will kill you,"
Zukowski said. "And that
was the case (Friday)."
The Royals got another
run in the top of the
fifth before Classical
began its charge.
Gauthier and
Kyle Devin
ripped back-to-back
doubles to make it 9-4.
Rybak followed with a
hit that plated Devin
before
Jorge Perez
singled with two outs to
cut the lead to 9-6.
Ryan Hayward then
reached on a dropped fly
ball, allowing Perez to
come in to cut the lead
to a pair of runs before
Browner got out of
further damage.
Classical got another
run in the bottom of the
sixth when Feliz singled
and scored on a wild
pitch with two outs. The
Rams would have a chance
to tie the game in the
bottom of the seventh
when Tavares led off
with a double, but pinch
runner
Sam Rios was
thrown out by a perfect
throw from Browner while
trying to tag on a foul
pop.
|
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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. |
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