TYLOR ROYCROFT has led the way in Wakefield’s recent offensive surge. The captain had 3 RBI hits in Wakefield’s win over Winchester on Wednesday. (Dan Pawlowski File Photo)

By CHARLES GAGNE

WINCHESTER — The bats have come alive for the Wakefield Warrior baseball team over their last two games in which they’ve scored a total of 29 runs, beating Watertown last Friday by a score of 13-2 and Winchester on Wednesday by a score of 16-3.

Against Watertown, Jack Pennachia started on the mound and fellow sophomore Aidan Bligh finished off the job, while multiple Warriors contributed with hits and runs batted in.
In the Winchester game, senior captain Tylor Roycroft got things started with an RBI in the first inning, knocking in junior Andrew Nemec who had been hit by a pitch.

Junior Marc Gagne was the starter for the Warriors against the Red and Black and worked out of a couple of jams early on. After striking out the first two batters in the first inning, a Winchester player managed an infield hit and stole a base. Another Winchester player then smacked a single to center field but senior captain Steven Woish ruined Winchester’s chances for a run with a powerful, accurate throw home to catcher Nemec, getting the lead runner out and ending the inning.

JACK STROMSKI has pitched well in multiple roles for Wakefield this season. The captain shut down Winchester in four innings of relief on Wednesday. (Dan Pawlowski File Photo)

In the second inning, sophomore Nik Dhingra was hit by a pitch, Woish reached on a fielder’s choice and junior Cam DePrizio hit a single. Nemec then hit a bomb to the deep outfield, scoring Woish and DePrizio.
Winchester countered in the bottom of the second when players reached base and a suicide squeeze bunt play scored the first run for the opposition. A sacrifice fly later in the inning scored another run for Winchester before the Warriors got back to work with the bats.
Wakefield added insurance runs in the third inning when Bligh got an infield hit, senior captain Frankie Leone walked and junior Jayvith Chea was hit by a pitch. Sophomore Dylan McDermott then roped a hit to score multiple Warriors.
Additional runs for Wakefield came in the fourth inning when Bligh hit a double and Pennachia, Roycroft and Chea hit singles.
The bottom of the fourth was a little wild literally and figuratively when Gagne lost some of his control and walked two. He was then replaced by senior captain Jack Stromski. A very controversial balk on a Wakefield player was called during this inning which got the crowd riled up as the third Winchester run was scored. That would be all the scoring Winchester would do, however, while the Wakefield bats didn’t stop.
In the fifth inning, junior Charles Gagne and Bligh hit bunt singles, Woish walked, and Chea was hit by a pitch, accounting for more runs. 

In the sixth inning, there were a number of walks given up to Gagne, Bligh and DePrizio. Bases were stolen and overthrows were made by the Winchester players, allowing for several more runs for Wakefield.
The offense rolled on in the seventh inning with Woish and Gagne getting singles, DePrizio a walk and Bligh a hit that scored two. Junior Sean O’Rourke was hit by a pitch and Roycroft had another hit and RBI. At this point, the Warriors had scored an impressive 16 runs against Winchester.

Stromski pitched well for the fourth, fifth and sixth innings, then senior Joe Lamonica came in to finish off the game in the bottom of the seventh, earning a 1-2-3 inning.
Captain Roycroft, who went 3 for 5 on his birthday, was asked about the impressive offensive day for himself and the team and said, “It felt really good to start swinging the bat like my old self and my team has allowed me to work through that with everyone contributing up and down the lineup early in the year.  

“We’ve been playing well all year but today showed that we can compete with top teams and have the ability to beat them if we play well.”

Wakefield (5-2) will host a big rival today — Reading (4-3) at Walsh Field, 4:15 p.m. — and then will have three games next week. Everyone hopes the offense will keep showing up.