By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI

NORTH READING — Due to a late-season stretch where they lost eight of their final 10 games, the North Reading A’s missed qualifying for the North Shore Baseball League playoffs for the eighth-straight year.

North Reading finished tied for 10th place in the league with the Marblehead Seasiders as both teams went 8-16 overall as each team had 16 points (two points per win).

Only the top eight teams qualify for the playoffs.

“It was pretty tough,” admitted A’s assistant manager Joe Dardeno. “The last four years we have missed making the playoff by only one or two points.”

Despite not making the post-season, several players had solid seasons.

Lucas Rincon led the A’s in batting average at .333. He also led the team in on-base percentage at .475 as he tied Mike Vittozzi in walks with a team-high 12.

Jack Mihalchik was second in average at .291 followed by North Reading resident, Vittozzi, who hit .289. Mihalchik also led the team in runs batted in with seven while Max Riordan was right behind him with six.

“We did not get the timely hitting we needed,” said Dardeno. “We left too many runners on base.”

Pitcher Troy Brennan led the team in wins with three as he went 3-2 with an earned-run average of 2.55.

His brother Sean, was second with two wins going 2-3 win an ERA of only 1.83.

Sam Kalvis of the pitchers who threw enough innings to qualify, led the team in ERA as he appeared in eight games with an team-low ERA of 1.24.

Despite the impressive ERA he was 0-2 this summer.

Sean Brennan led the team in strikeouts with 45 while Troy Brennan was just behind him with 43.

As a team, the A’s were eighth out of the 11 teams in overall batting average at .257.

The pitching staff, meanwhile, was ranked ninth with a team ERA of 3.50.

“Our pitching was very good with the exception that we didn’t have a real closer,” said Dardeno. “I think back to our first two games when we lost, 1-0, to Beverly and, 3-2, to the North Shore Stormas games we could have had and made the playoffs.”

Five of the A’s are from town. Along with Vittozzi and Dardeno, the other three A’s from North Reading are Aldo Vittozzi, (Mike’s cousin), Frank Cassarino and Derek Reilly.

Cassarino was the manager this season taking over for Dardeno, who was the manager for several years.

Aldo Vittozzi hit .276 with four RBI. Dardeno, the team’s oldest player, hit .282 with four RBI.

Next year, the A’s will try to restock some of their roster as they try to end their playoff drought.