ITEM PHOTO BY KATIE MORRISON
Nahant’s Ronan Locke jumps out of the way of a pitch during Sunday’s Little League game against East Lynn.
By SCOT COOPER
NAHANT — Things did not begin well for the East Lynn Little League all-stars in Sunday’s District 16 tournament game.
But all was well that ended well, with East Lynn defeating Nahant, 7-5, in the tournament opener.
Pitcher Brady Warren took a throw off the side of his head early in the game, and Nahant scored two runs before he got out of the first.
East Lynn Manager Matt Morin had Warren on the sidelines after he was hit, checking his pitcher out to see if he was okay.
“I asked him if he wanted to come out after he got conked in the head and he said no way, so he went back out and we were able to come back and win it,” Morin said.
Ronan Locke and Colby Godwin scored for Nahant to start things off. It looked like Nahant was going to bust it open, but Warren got a big strikeout with the bases full to escape any further damage.
East Lynn put up a run in the bottom of the second. Mike Welch was on third base and he beat the throw home when the pitch skipped to the backstop. T. J. Walsh had tried to score from third on the previous play, but Locke, the Nahant catcher, grabbed the ball and fired it to pitcher Michael Reiling who slapped the tag on Walsh.
Down 2-1 in the bottom of the third, East Lynn scored four times to move ahead 5-2. The big blow was a pinch-hit double by Fabio Encarnacion, who drilled one to right field, knocking in Morenal Castro and Warren. Encarnacion said he just went up to the plate determined to get a hit.
“I knew he (Reiling) was throwing strikes so I was determined to go up there and swing at one,” Encarnacion said. “I was pretty excited when it dropped in.”
Walsh and Anthony Cedeno also came across in the third for East Lynn. East Lynn added a couple in the bottom of the fourth, the byproduct of aggressive base running. Preston Archer and Cedeno each walked and then swiped a base. Archer scored on a passed ball, and Cedeno was right behind him.
Nahant cut the lead to 7-3 with a single run in the top of the fourth, Braden Bozarjian walked, moved to third on a wild pitch and another single, one of four in the game, by Godwin. Bozarjian scored when another pitch went to the screen.
Casey DeCamp pitched Nahant through the fifth, setting up a wild half inning for Nahant. With two outs, Godwin and Cole Hamernick singled putting two aboard. Godwin and Hamernick came home to make it 7-5, but the rally ended there with two left on.
Nahant manager Scott Hamernick said his kids would bounce back.
“We’ve got nine guys on the team, and if we play like we played during the season, we’ll be okay,” Hamernick said. “We have to forget this one.”
Morin said he liked how his team battled back to win the game.
“God job by everyone, good comeback,” Morin said.
Lynnfield 12, Winthrop 10
At Lynn Shore, the teams combined for seven home runs (6 by Winthrop) as Lynnfield came from behind. Lynnfield trailed 9-7 going into the top of the sixth inning, but scored five runs to take a 12-9 lead into the bottom of the inning. Jacob Bolger’s two-run, two-out double plated the game winning runs. Starter Devin DeLuties started the rally, beating out an infield hit, while Spenser Riley hit a solo shot to lead off the fourth and Ben Mullin had a key double in the fifth.
Henry Caulfield picked up the win in relief, going three innings and allowing two earned runs (both home runs) on three hits. Alex Gentile and Tim Pivero combined on the game’s outstanding defensive play after Winthrop closed to 12-10 on a leadoff home run in the bottom of the sixth. Gentile made a backhanded stab at short and, throwing from his knees, fired a one-hopper to Pivero at first, who scooped the ball on the short hop for the out.
District 16 LL Softball
Peabody 7, Wyoma 0
In a game that took just a little more than an hour to complete, both teams’ pitchers were dominant early, allowing just one combined hit in the first four innings. Peabody led 1-0 after four, thanks to a big RBI single by catcher Isabel Bettencourt, who knocked home shortstop Emma Bloom (on base on an infield error) with what turned out to be the game winning run. In the bottom of of the inning, Wyoma’s Kaelyn Jennings broke up Abby’s Bettencourt’s no-hit bid with an infield single and got all the way to third on a hit and run bunt by Ava Foglietta. Wyoma starter Lily Newhall was intentionally walked and took second, but Bettencourt buckled down and got the next two batters on strikes to get out of the jam. Peabody broke the game open with six runs in the top of the fifth, the big hits being two-run singles by Isabel Bettencourt and third baseman Sarah Broughton.
Abby Bettencourt walked Reese Brinkler to start the fifth, but any hopes of a Wyoma rally were dashed by Bettencourt, who made a shoestring catch off a popup and fired to first to double up the runner.
“They beat us here last year and with 10 returning players, we wanted to play them again here,” said Peabody coach Mark Bettencourt. “Everyone contributed. Newhall is one heck of a pitcher and she stepped up and made some pitches, but this was team effort on our part and to come away with the win is exciting for us.”