Cassavoy throws a gem in a 5-1 win over Winchester

MELROSE HURLER Ben Cassavoy got the win and went the distance with 13 strikeouts during Melrose’s 5-1 win over Winchester. (photo by Raj Das edphotos.com)

 

 

After press time:
Melrose falls to Wakefield 14-4  (April 10)
Melrose defeats Burlington 5-3 (April 13)


By JENNIFER GENTILE

MELROSE—The Melrose High varsity baseball team are 1-1 on the season after clinching their first victory on Monday, a 5-1 home win against Winchester High at Morelli Field. 

It came largely off the arm of Melrose senior pitcher Ben Cassavoy, the team’s #1 hurler who threw a complete game against Winchester with 13 strikeouts, no walks and only 3 hits. Melrose’s one run was unearned making Cassavoy a pitcher the league will fear this year. He certainly set the tone for the season. 

“Cass is at his best when his mechanics are locked in and he’s hitting his spots,” says Melrose head coach Scott Searles after the game. “When he’s doing that, I don’t care who we’re facing, they’ve got their hands full. He’s just such a great competitor out there.  He almost never loses focus.”

Last season Winchester (14-6) was a dominant force in the league. This year, they lost some talent, but Melrose still had to contend with a capable pitching staff on Monday. “They threw the ball well today,” notes the coach. “We had a very good approach at the plate and we’re able to make him work and earn some walks to put the pressure on. They [Winchester] are trying to find their way in replacing some guys. I’m sure they’ll be a tough challenge in the coming weeks.” 

As Cassavoy held Winchester at bay in the early innings, Melrose got on the board in the third when senior Dylan Harrington scored on a long overthrow and junior Mike Thomas had a two run double to put Melrose up, 3-0. Winchester would earn their one unearned run in the top of the six but Melrose scored twice more in the bottom on a sac fly from Jaiden Aquino that scored Mike Thomas. 

Dylan Harrington (3 hits) would later reach the plate on a fielder’s choice. 

 

THE MELROSE High baseball earned a big 5-1 win over Winchester. Pictured is senior Dylan Harrington. (photo by Raj Das edphotos.com)


Defensively, Melrose’s job was made easy thanks to the efforts of Cassavoy. “He was dominant, so they didn’t have a ton of traffic on the bases. When 13 out of 21 outs are strikeouts, that’s a lot less balls in play. We made some mistakes out there and need to clean those up going forward.” 

Those taking position around the horn include Brian Capodilupo at 3rd, Mike Thomas at short, Tyler Garipay at second, Jake Skane at first and Brendan Doyle behind the plate. Dylan Harrington in left, Tyler Muse in center and Cadel Mckeown in right took care of the outfield.

So far this season, Melrose has seen consistent offense from some of their top hitters, including Dylan Harrington and Mike Thomas, who are also proving critical on the base path. “The combination of Mikey and Dylan on the base paths was a positive for us all day,” says Searles. “Those guys kept setting the table. Dylan had three hits and Mikey was one for two with two walks. We took care of business and walked away with a W.” 

That said, Melrose needs to finish the job at times with their gloves or at the plate. “We did leave 14 guys on base,” says the coach. “Going forward we’re going to have to improve on that and find a way to plate some of those.”

As they iron the wrinkles out, Melrose is content with 1-1 start but hungry to improve upon it. They get that chance when they travel to Wakefield on Wednesday (post deadline) to take on a tough Wakefield team and they will host rival Burlington on Friday April 12 at 4:15 p.m. 

“Getting through that first week is always tough,” says Searles. “We kind of lucked out with the rain out [against Reading] because it allowed us to get an extra three or four practices in consecutively.”