Published July 7, 2021

By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI

LYNNFIELD — Due to the pandemic last year, there was no Middlesex Senior Babe Ruth baseball season over the summer. Instead, Lynnfield played in the Northeast Baseball League last year.

This summer, Lynnfield is back in the Middlesex Senior Babe Ruth as they play their home games at Lynnfield High School.

There are eight teams in the 15-19 age league as Lynnfield will play each team once for a 14-game regular season. All eight teams will make the playoffs and play a single elimination playoff in August.

Lynnfield has a 14-man roster and the new head coach is Rob Higdon, who has been part of Lynnfield youth baseball for nearly a decade.

There are eight holdover players from last year’s Northeast League team: Tim Pivero (pitcher), Spencer Riley (center field), Alex Gentile (utility), Tyler Scoppetuolo (third base), Henry Caulfield (shortstop), Ben Mullin (second base), Jake Mallet (outfielder) and Devin Bolger (utility).

With the exception of Bolger, who was on the Lynnfield High junior varsity team, the other seven players were on the Lynnfield High varsity team this spring.

Two other Pioneers, who also played for the Lynnfield High varsity but did not play for the Northeast team last year are Dan Dorman and Nick Lucich. Dorman is a pitcher while Lucich catches. Both of them just finished their sophomore years.

The four other players on the roster are Rob Higdon Jr. (first baseman), Cam Marengi (outfielder), Anthony Grabau (second base and shortstop) and John McKrell (pitcher).

Higdon, Marengi and McKrell all just finished the 10th grade and were members of the Lynnfield High junior varsity team. Grabau just finished his freshman year and was on the LHS freshman team.

In the season opener on June 27 at home, the Pioneers were shut out by Arlington by a final of 5-0.

“We hit the ball hard but couldn’t find the holes,” said coach Higdon. “We also allowed three unearned runs.”

Pivero was the losing pitcher going the first three innings. He gave up three runs but they were all unearned as there were three Pioneer errors.

Riley had the team’s only hit of the game.

The game on June 29 against guest Wakefield was postponed due to the heat. The game on July 1 at Arlington was rained out.

Lynnfield’s next game will be on Thursday, July 8, as they visit Malden at 7 p.m. They will then play back-to-back home games on July 13 and 14. On the 13th, they visit Lexington at 6 p.m. The Pioneers then host Bedford at 5:45 p.m. on July 14.