PHOTO: BOB ROCHE
Marblehead pitcher Spencer Carr held a 3-1 lead through six innings, but finished with a no-decision in a win over Saugus on Wednesday.
By STEVE KRAUSE
SAUGUS — Jason Tarasuik made his name in Marblehead baseball history when he was only a freshman, as he helped lead the Magicians to the 1992 Division 3 state championship.
Here he is, 24 years later, to celebrate another accomplishment. This time, Tarasuik is the coach of the baseball team. And Wednesday, at World Series Park in Saugus, he got his 100th victory as the Magicians’ coach. Marblehead had to go extras before vanquishing a never-say-die Saugus team, 4-3, in eight innings.
“I love all the players on this team,” Tarasuik said. “The way we won this game today is why. We just kept battling. Kept plugging away.”
Marblehead took a 3-1 lead into the bottom of the seventh only to see Saugus tie the game on three walks and a well-placed double by pinch-hitter Pat MacDonald, just inside the third-base bag, that scored two runs.
Marblehead, 11-6 and winners of four straight, could have just as easily lost the game right there. With runners on second and third and still one out, Brendan Ronan hit a comebacker to pitcher Tom Rockett, who was on in relief of starter Spencer Carr. Rockett caught pinch-runner Colby Murphy scrambling to get back to third after running on contact. Murphy was tagged out in the ensuing rundown, and Rockett got Kurt Martin to foul out on a nifty sliding catch by right fielder Drew Bisegna.
“Thank God we started throwing strikes again,” said Tarasuik of his pitchers’ momentary wildness in the seventh inning.
Perhaps buoyed by the great escape, Marblehead came right back to take a 4-3 lead in the top of the eighth. Rockett led off with a sharp single to left off starter Kyle Autilio, a hard-luck loser. Autilio went the distance, giving up six hits and four runs, all of them earned. He struck out eight.
Rockett was lifted for pinch-runner Jeff Stern, who almost got picked off first. Catcher Mike Mabee threw down, and had Stern flat-footed. But the throw was a bit toward the foul side of first base, and Stern was able to beat first baseman Nick Rusconi‘s throw to second.
Autilio reared back to blow away the next two Marblehead hitters on strikes. However, Derek Marino, the No. 9 hitter, singled to left, and Stern came around to score.
Rockett,who pitched an inning and two-thirds in relief, retired Saugus in order in the bottom of the eighth to pick up the win. Carr went 6 1/3 innings and only gave up one hit. However, he walked three, two of them in the seventh inning.
Marblehead picked up a run in the top of the first when leadoff hitter James McCarthy was hit by a pitch and eventually came around on a wild pitch. However, Saugus got that run right back in the bottom of the inning when Martin and Autilio each drew walks and Steve Ruggiero singled. The Sachems, who made four fielding errors, could have had more, had Martin not run into an out on a pitchout after reaching second on Autilio’s walk.
Marblehead scored two in the top of the third to make it 3-1. Garret Keough and Rockett walked, with Keough swiping both second and third along the way. A wild pitch scored Keough, with Rockett going to second. And catcher Josh Tassinari‘s double to left brought home Rockett.
Tarasuik preferred to talk about both his team and his love of the game afterward.
“This team has a lot of character,” he said. “We have some good athletes, and all we want to do is keep winning.
“And me? For me, it’s all about being able to stay in this game, and coach the game I love,” he said. “It’s all been great.”