THE MELROSE HIGH varsity baseball team is looking to get back into the win column following a loss to Burlington and Reading. This Friday they will host Wilmington at home at 4:15 p.m. (photo by Raj Das, edphotos.com)
By JENNIFER GENTILE
MELROSE—The Melrose High varsity baseball team is looking to break into the win column after a series of losses over the week that has them looking to beat Wilmington who comes to Morelli Field this Friday afternoon.
One of the most competitive efforts this season was a gripping 1-0 loss over Watertown on April 12 on the road at Victory Field. While it was walk off heartbreaker, enough can’t be said of Melrose junior captain Ben Cassavoy, the starting pitcher who fanned 12 in his 6 innings of work.
“Cass has been unbelievable in his two starts,” says Melrose coach Scott Searles. “He was fantastic in his start against Belmont too with 10 strikeouts on two walks. In this one he was just as dominant. He’s done a fantastic job of hitting his spots and mixing his pitches.”
Cassavoy would go six innings without giving up a run. In the seventh he gave up a lead single. Notes the coach, “Mikey Thomas made an unbelievable play on a ball up the middle.”
However, Watertown would score their only run that inning to win the game: a ground ball up to the middle that scored the walk off.
Melrose has seen a lot of movement on the batting order, as Searles notes, “We’ve been moving a lot of pieces around. It changes from game to game. The two guys that really have stepped up and done a great job of putting the bat on the ball are Mikey Thomas and Justin D’antona. Both are sophomores, which is very encouraging to see.”
The coach also points to the work on the mound by Josh Madden, who entered the season as the team’s number 1, nothing he hasn’t had much help. “We’ve been brutal defensively behind him,” Searles admits. “He has been having to get five six seven outs an inning. I don’t care how good you are, no one is going to be able to battle through that for seven innings. Especially on grass at Morelli.”
Melrose hosted Wakefield on Friday, April 14 on a beautiful summer day and fell to a very talented Wakefield team (4-1), 13-3. Senior captain Ryan Dolan (a St. Joseph’s bound pitcher) got the start against the Warriors and faced a pretty explosive Warrior offense. “They are a good team and if you leave the ball out over the plate they’re going to make you pay,” says Searles.
Dolan was aide in relief by Justin D’Antona, and backed up by runs from Dylan Harrington, Mikey Thomas and Ben Cassavoy.
Unfortunately, when playing against such tough bats, precision is essential. “When our pitchers hit their spots it can limit what opponents do and we did that at times against Wakefield.”
No doubt that’s something Melrose will work on when they take on the Wilmington Wildcats this Friday. First pitch is at 4:15 p.m.
