FILE PHOTO
Lee Pacheco went 2-for4 in St. Mary’s win against Arlington Catholic.
By HAROLD RIVERA
With an 8-1 win over Arlington Catholic, the St. Mary’s baseball team (10-3) clinched a spot in the state tournament. Tied 1-1, the Spartans scored seven runs in the seventh for the win. “We’re 13 games in and we’re going to the state tournament,” Spartans coach Derek Dana said. “Now it’s about getting better and better. We still have the Clancy Tournament and the state tournament.”
Bobby Alcock tossed all seven innings and fanned six batters. Jack Ward started the seventh inning rally, and went 2-for-4 with a RBI and two runs scored. Lee Pacheco continues to swing a hot bat, going 2-for-4 and knocked in the go-ahead run in the seventh. Kyle Ouellette went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI. Anthony Nikolakakis delivered the knockout punch in the seventh with a 2-RBI double. The Spartans will look to make it three wins in a row tomorrow when they host Whittier. “We’re off to a great start (this week),” Dana said. “We’re in the midst of two games, moving in the right direction. We’re hoping to make it three.”
Swampscott 15, Somerville 0 (F/5)
Luke Marshall got the start on the mound for the Big Blue and earned his fifth win of the season. Louis Olivieri went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, Ryan January went 1-for-1 with two runs scored, David Peterson drove in two runs on a 2-for-2 performance at the plate and Sean Lahrizi was 1-for-1. Swampscott improves to 9-4 with the win and saw its bats wake up in the process. “The bats came alive,” Swampscott coach Jason Calichman said. “It’s nice to score 15 runs in four innings. If we play like we did today, we’re in good shape.” Swampscott hosts Masconomet on Friday in the #Nathanstrong game, honoring Swampscott native Nathan Deroche. “I think it’s one of those great things about being from a small town,” Calichman said. “Nathan’s a great kid. He’s definitely going to play for the Big Blue one day. It’s our honor and hopefully we can win for him.”
Lynn English 11, Salem 5
Devin Curley went the distance, allowing five runs (three earned) and fanning seven Witches. Wilber Rosario, JC Gonzalez, Andy Deverge and Alex Rodriguez each had two hits. English (5-8) battles Classical on Friday. “We’re just looking to compete and play hard,” English coach Joe Caponigro. “There’s a lot of emotion in rivalry games but all these kids know each other, they’re all friends.”
St. John’s Prep 5, Xaverian 4
Sophomore and Lynn native Max Gieg pitched well in relief for the Eagles (10-4), while Dan Frey led the offense with three RBI. St. John’s will host Swampscott on Saturday evening.
Beverly 5, Medford 1
Matt Collins’ three-run homer in the sixth gave the Panthers some breathing room as they improved to 10-3 with the win. Mike Urbanski earned the win on the mound, and Matt Enos tossed three scoreless innings in relief.