Published in the May 3, 2017 edition

By DAN PAWLOWSKI

LYNNFIELD — Lynnfield baseball picked up two more wins last week to bring their record to 9-0. The Pioneers beat Amesbury 6-3 on Thursday at Lynnfield High School, before defeating Ipswich 10-1 at Fraser Field in Lynn during the Pitching in for Pete tournament to help strike out A.L.S.

Scratch out win against Amesbury

The Pioneers were hardly at their best against a struggling Amesbury team who came into this game with a record of 1-6. Lynnfield sophomore Fernando Gonzalez, pitching for the first time since shutting down North Reading the week before, gave up three runs in five innings.

“Fernando didn’t have his best stuff, but he battled and kept us in the game,” said head coach John O’Brien.

Lynnfield leadoff man Jonathan Luders was hit by a pitch to start the bottom of the first for the second straight game. The speedy sophomore then stole second base before senior Kyle Hawes drove him in with a double to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.

As Yogi Berra would say, “it was deja-vu all over again” in the second inning as Luders was hit by another pitch, stole second, then scored on a Hawes’ base hit, making it 2-0 Lynnfield after two innings.

Senior Michael Federico had an RBI double in the third inning, and senior co-captain Bryant Dana had an RBI single in the fourth inning.

Amesbury scored two runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth inning, forcing O’Brien to bring his ace, senior co-captain Nicholas Aslanian, into the game in the sixth. Aslanian went on to shut out Amesbury for the next two innings, and Lynnfield scored two more runs in the sixth inning to seal it, but it was certainly a stressful game.

“We didn’t come ready to play,” said O’Brien. “Give (Amesbury) credit, they stayed right with us.”

Kyle Hawes went 4-4 on the day with two singles and two doubles. He also made another great catch in centerfield, and doubled up a runner at third base after a wicked toss to third baseman Mike Stellato.

Overall, it was a disappointing game for the Pioneers.

“We have to get back on track,” added O’Brien. “Some guys are pressing at home plate. We just need to have a couple good days of practice, and come ready to play seven innings on Saturday.”

Crush Ipswich 10-1 at Fraser Field

The Pioneers certainly played a full seven innings Saturday at Fraser Field during the Pete Frates Pitching in for Pete Tournament to help strike out A.L.S. Coach O’Brien said the boys were excited to compete in the tournament again after a great experience last year.

“They’re excited. This tournament is a win-win. It’s a great place to play, and a great atmosphere. It’s a lot of fun.”

Pete’s dad, John Frates, had a wonderful message for both teams before the game, stressing the importance of playing for your teammates. The Pioneers took the message to heart, and played one of their best games of the season.

Senior co-captain Justin Juliano got the start for the Pioneers and pitched five innings, giving up only one run. Lynnfield’s defense was solid and spectacular at times. Jonathan Luders played a great game at shortstop filling in for Juliano’s normal position.

Juniors Cooper Marengi and Joey Mack both had RBI singles in the second inning, and sophomore Matthew Fiore scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-0 Pioneers.

Homer for Marengi

Marengi struck again in the fourth inning, crushing a home run to deep right, which at Fraser Field is measured at 335 feet.

The Pioneers broke the game open in the sixth inning, scoring three runs to make it 8-1. Marengi and Fernando Gonzalez both had RBI doubles, and Luders hit a sacrifice fly.

Lynnfield made it an even 10 runs in the seventh inning after seniors Andre Padovani and Thomas Powers each had an RBI single.

Overall, it was a complete performance in a ballpark that the Pioneers hope to see later in the season, as Fraser Field will be a venue during the state tournament.

Upcoming games

Lynnfield played Manchester-Essex on Tuesday after press time. They will hit the road to play Georgetown on Thursday, and then host Malden on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.

The Pioneers’ scheduled game for Tuesday, April 25 against Hamilton-Wenham was rained out and rescheduled for Thursday, May 11.