LYNN — Lynn Tech red, KIPP blue, and a yellow sun set the scene for Friday’s baseball game at newly-renovated Fraser Field, and it’s even better when a team wins in the final inning.
Tech (4-5) trailed KIPP (1-8) 1-0 heading into the seventh inning, and to say Friday was the Will McCafferty show would be an understatement.
After Tech’s Dylan DiFilippo singled to score Eli Christiansen (1-1), McCafferty stepped up to the plate.
“We had to do what we had to do. We had to get runs no matter what,” McCafferty said. “If we didn’t score, the game was over.”
Well, McCafferty sent a double to left center, scoring DiFilippo and making things 2-1, the eventual final score as Tigers fans roared.
“I got a good piece and got the job done,” McCafferty said. “I was thinking that I had to put it in my own hands.”
Literally and figuratively, that’s exactly what he did, but it didn’t stop there.
He was also Tech’s starting pitcher, going all seven innings. As if his highlight-reel needed some more footage in the seventh, he ended KIPP, and the game, in 1-2-3 fashion.
“With their hitters, I just know to throw strikes [and] let the infield make plays,” McCafferty said.
Tech coach Eddie Lewis applauded McCafferty for “staying calm,” while also highlighting his strengths on the bump.
“To be honest with you, he pitches hard,” Lewis said. “He wasn’t trying to strike everybody out. He trusted the guys behind him.”
Beyond McCafferty, Lewis couldn’t have been more proud of his players postgame.
“These guys did a great job of sticking around long enough,” Lewis said. “We refused to lose today.”
And if you’re a fan of good pitching, this one was for you. KIPP freshman Jendol Diaz went all seven as well, recording nine strikeouts and allowing just five hits.
“I wanted to take him out and put a closer in. He said no,” KIPP coach James Rabbitt said. “For a kid that’s 14 years old to want to finish that game… It says a lot.”
Rabbitt said he’s excited to see Diaz develop the next three years, and credited the lefty for mixing up pitches.
“He was hitting his spots,” Rabbitt said. “He kept them on their heels all game [and] that’s a good-hitting team.”
Rabbitt called Friday his team’s best game of the season – also commenting on the lone run in the third inning as Chanel Gutierrez (2-for-4) poked an RBI single to left field.
“When we square up, it’s a good feeling,” Rabbitt said. “The RBI was good… If we can string together hits like that a couple more innings, I think we score a couple more runs.”
Tech returns to action Monday at Greater Lawrence (4 p.m.), while KIPP gets a chance for revenge against Tech on Friday (4 p.m.).