Improve to 4-3-1; meet Reading on Sunday

Published in the June 21, 2018 edition.

By DAN PAWLOWSKI

WAKEFIELD — The Wakefield Merchants hosted the Malden Maddogs last night at Walsh Field for their second matchup of the year. The Merchants crushed the Maddogs, 18-0 in Malden on June 1, but the newcomers to the Intercity League rode into Wakefield following a 3-1 win over the always talented Andre Chiefs on Tuesday.

The Merchants scored three runs in the first, added three more throughout the game and shut down the Maddogs for the final five innings to pick up the win.

“Good win,” said Merchants manager Dave Ellegood. “Malden is playing better. They just beat Andre yesterday and Lexington last week. We had some clutch hits tonight, put the ball in play and they made some mistakes. We don’t play again until Sunday so it was just nice to get two points.”

The Merchants are now fourth in the Intercity League with nine points; five points behind the first-place Watertown Reds and one point behind the Americans who the Merchants will meet in Melrose on Monday.

Wakefield’s three-run first was started by who else but leadoff hitter and reigning ICL MVP Bobby Losanno who was hit by a pitch and wasted no time in swiping second.

The Merchants are currently the best-hitting team in the league when it comes to collective batting average (.332) thanks in large part to Dillon Koster is who is off to a scorching 19-for-27 so far this season; eight more hits then the ICL’s next closest batters, a group of five hitters including Wakefield’s Ryan Collins who has 11.

“Dillon Koster is playing unbelievable,” said Ellegood of the Woburn native and Assumption infielder. “He does everything right. He’s an awesome kid.”

Koster hit an infield single to give Wakefield runners at 1st and 3rd, setting up Collins (3-for-4) who ripped an RBI single to get the home team on the board first.

Wakefield native Paul McGunigle (2-for-3, 2 RBIs) followed up with another base knock, scoring Koster and Collins for a quick 3-0 lead.

After Malden put up three in the second inning, the Merchants scratched a run around in the bottom of the second. Mike Manoogian (2-for-3) hit an infield single and after Losanno reached on an error that pushed Manoogian up to third. Koster followed with a sacrifice fly.

The Merchants gave the ball to Mike Untract, a recent Chelmsford High graduate and Iona College commit. The lefty pitched the first three innings, scattering four hits and striking out five while allowing three runs in just his second appearance of the season.

“He’s a young pitcher, we wanted to give him a start tonight and see how he looks,” said Ellegood.

Untract’s punch out ability was impressive and he can no doubt be a valuable asset to the rotation later in the season but Wakefield turned to ace Joe Maguire in the fourth to get them to the finish line.

“We had Joe Maguire ready to go,” said Ellegood. “We brought him in just to kind of shut the door.”

Maguire (4 IP, 5 hits, 5 K’s, 0 runs) did just that to improve to 3-0.

Wakefield made it 5-3 in the fourth after Manoogian hit a single and reached second on an error. Losanno placed a perfect bunt into no-man’s land in between the mound and third base for an infield single and although Koster grounded into a double play, he picked up his second RBI of the day and his ninth of the season which is also tops in the league.

The last run came in the fifth when McGunigle stretched a double into a triple and Merchants’ newcomer Kyle Hawes hit a sac fly.

The Merchants are looking to string together a couple of wins. They fell to Watertown, 8-4 on Tuesday and will play the Reading Bulldogs for the third time this season on Sunday, 3 p.m. at Lexington High School where every ICL team will meet. Wakefield tied their first matchup and won their second against Reading.

“I’d like to get to 6-3-1, get some points and pick up a little separation,” said Ellegood.