Peabody West roars back to top West Lynn in D16
Jul. 1—PEABODY — Timely hitting and aggressive baserunning by Peabody West resulted in a 9-1 victory over West Lynn in the District 16 Williamsport Tournament at MacArthur Park Thursday night.
Manager Steve Lomasney's squad is now 2-0 in the winner's bracket and will now be off until July 9, when they'll face the winner of next Tuesday's bout between Peabody and Swampscott.
Thursday's game was close until the boys in Tanner blue broke it wide open in the bottom of the fifth, sending 11 to the plate and scoring six insurance runs. West Lynn scored its only run in the top of the first, but Peabody chipped away, with two runs in the third and another in the fourth before the flood gates opened in the fifth.
Peabody West's Andrew Wenzel went the distance for the win, striking out eight and scattering six hits. He worked his way out of trouble a couple of times and his final pitch count was 79.
Wenzel helped himself with strong fielding: Anything back to the mound turned into an easy out, and he finished with six put outs.
"Ryan Skerry won the first game with his pitching, and Wenzel was very good tonight," said manager Lomasney. "He got stronger as the game went on, and did a great job fielding his position which is so important. He got in trouble a few times but worked his way out without giving them any runs after the first inning."
Lynn pitcher Brennan Malloy was tough in the early going with four of his six strikeouts coming in the first two innings, but Peabody West began to make good contact in the third inning when they scored two runs.
Wenzel started it off with a single to left field, and came home when Ty Lomasney beat out an infield hit, and the ball was thrown away. Lomasney then scored the go-ahead run on a passed ball.
Both Lomasney and Skerry were on last year's Massachusetts state champs and that experience has helped make both better.
Landon Lohnes hit a two-out double that rolled all the way to the fence in left field and Ricky Williams followed with an infield hit, but Lohnes was thrown out at the plate on a very close play.
"That Lynn pitcher was good early, but the second time through the lineup we had picked up a couple of things and began to hit him," said Lomasney. "Not striking out and making contact puts pressure on the defense. We had some bunts, walks, and key hits to get things going."
West Lynn threatened in the top of the third, loading the bases on an infield hit, error, and single, but Wenzel bore down to get the next two outs to escape. Malloy ripped a two out triple in the fifth, but Wenzel struck out the next batter to end that threat, and retired the side in order in the sixth.
"Peabody is a good team, and they can hit the ball," said West Lynn manager Darren Malloy. "It was our first game, and started off fine. We shut them down early, but then the bottom fell out. We've got to hold our heads up and come back ready to win."
Ty Lomasney started the big fifth inning rally with a single to right field, and with two down Williams beat out an infield hit. Malloy gave up back to back walks and an RBI single to Wenzel before Jonas Perez took over and issued two walks. Jackson Barrett threw one pitch to get a ground out, but the damage was done. A combination of hits, walks, an error, wild pitches and passed balls gave Peabody West a commanding 9-1 lead.
Lomasney had two hits and drove in a pair of runs. Speedy Williams beat out two infield hits, Geo Capo chipped in with a pair of hits and scored two runs while Wenzel went 2-for-3 at the plate and scored twice. For West Lynn Malloy was 3-for-3 with a triple and two singles.
"When you continue to have good at bats you put pressure on the other team," said Steve Lomasney. "You don't necessarily need to get a hit, but if you keep the pressure on it will pay off. We did that tonight, and we'll continue to be aggressive, taking that extra base whenever we can. This is a good win."
Contact Jean DePlacido @JeanDePlacidoSN
Contact Jean DePlacido @JeanDePlacidoSN
