Cohasset, Carver High baseball teams nearing peak performance with tourney in sight

CARVER – Having every player from last year's Division 4 South title game back in uniform was key for the Cohasset High baseball team to dust off its mettle to contend.

With the expectations sky-high after a 9-3 loss to Abington, which punctuated last year's tournament run, the Skippers' up-and-down start to the spring had head coach Michael Larsen looking for improvement.

And a 2-0 road win over South Shore League peer Carver, which is savoring its best start in program history with a tournament spot already clinched, on Thursday isn't necessarily where Cohasset's revitalized play began, rather where it currently stands.

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In response to a 4-4-1 start, the Skippers are now winners of three in a row.

“Before the stretch, we were playing probably the worst baseball I’ve ever seen from this group. Defensively, we couldn’t do much, the bats went real quiet," Larsen said. "And this week, three straight wins, three straight on the road. They put it all together: timely hitting, almost pristine defense – we kind of kicked one at the end (against Carver). But I’ll take one error over a bunch, any day of the week.”

During the streak, Cohasset clinched victories over East Bridgewater, Norwell and Carver and outscored them by a combined 15-3 margin. The three games don't define a title-hungry team on a postseason pursuit, rather it's a signal the battle-tested Skippers are turning a corner towards serious contention.

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“It’s a very experienced team,” said Larsen. “They know how to get to the tournament, they know how to win in the tournament. That’s kind of where their expectations are. We want to win the league. We want to go out there and compete every game, but we’re setting ourselves up to win in June.”

Shutting out a testy Carver team on Thursday was quite the test.

In a complete-game effort, senior right-hander Collin Madden used 87 pitches to sit down five Carver batters via strikeout and give up just three hits on the afternoon.

“What you see is what you get. That’s exactly what we expect of him,” said Larsen. “He goes out there, and while we have some other guys that have really stepped up on the mound this year and performed, he’s our guy. That’s our ace right there.”

With Cohasset ahead 2-0, Carver had a chance to make some noise in the bottom of the sixth with the bases loaded and no outs. An infield pop-fly to the right side and 6-3 double-play got Madden out of the jam.

“We didn’t bring the bats today," said Carver coach Robert Payzant. "We just didn’t get it done. It’s baseball.”

The stop was a defining moment for Cohasset, as Larsen and Madden both alluded to fielding as a point of emphasis from earlier in the season. Third baseman Luc Nivaud, shortstop Travis McKeen and second baseman Jackson Soderberg each flashed their golden gloves during Thursday's win.

“I have a lot of confidence in my field," Madden said. "I mean, they played some really good plays. Obviously, that double play at the end of the sixth was huge. I think having them behind me gives me a lot of confidence that I can pitch and even if (the opponent) hits the ball, they’re going to make a play.”

Cohasset took the lead on a rally in the third inning, as Nivaud knocked lead-off hitter Justin Froio home with an RBI double to left-center field. Three batters later, McKee belted a base hit to score Justin Appleby, who hit a double of his own, from second.

Thursday was the second meeting between the Skippers and Crusaders, Cohasset took the first by a 3-2 at home on April 7.

“It’s huge," Larsen said of the win. "This is a program we’ve got a lot of respect for and we know they’re never going to roll over and die. We expect them to come out and compete until the very last out. And every time we play them, it seems to come down to that.”

In the latest MIAA power rankings, Carver is ranked fourth in Division 5 and Cohasset is No. 23 in Division 4. Coming off a 4-8 season last spring, the Crusaders have burst onto the scene with impressive wins over Abington, Old Rochester Regional and Norwell within the past week.

"The kids just work really, really hard. Every day – practice and games. They work their butts off," said Payzant. "That’s the big difference.”

Rght-hander Ray Boutiette has put together an impressive senior season for the Crusaders, with a 1.30 ERA coming into Thursday's game. Senior Bobby Perry, who played right field, threw a one-hitter earlier this season.

With an arm that can withstand throwing 100 pitches, Boutiette struck out seven despite the loss.

“Every day we go out with him, we think we’re going to win," said second baseman Tyler Lennox. "That’s how it is.”

Like Cohasset, Carver is anxious for the tournament to roll around. It'll be a tough matchup for whichever team draws them. A clash with Middleboro and a rematch against Abington stand out as notable games left on the Crusaders' schedule.

“I think we’ll go deep," said shortstop Justin Minahan. "We’ve just got to keep working hard, keep our heads in the game and not let this loss bring us down but have it be a learning game and move forward from this.”

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Cohasset, Carver High baseball race in South Shore League