After press time:
North Reading falls to Newburyport 13-7 (May 20)
Finishes up the season 13-7 and awaits tournament pairings next week.
North Reading defeats Hamilton-Wenham 1-0 (May 18)
North Reading defeats Georgetown 4-2 (May 15)
JASON CURRAN and the NRHS baseball team is officially off to the Div. 3 state tournament after their 10th win of the season coming against Amesbury last week. The Hornets were ranked No. 25 in the latest Div. 3 power rankings. (Eric Evans Photo)
Published May 16, 2024
By DAN ZIMMERMAN
NORTH READING — With last Thursday’s convincing 9-2 win over Amesbury, North Reading baseball clinched a postseason berth for the seventh straight year since winning the MIAA Division 3 North title in 2016.
North Reading reached this season milestone in short order, claiming the required 10th win with five games still to play. The Hornets continued their winning ways Saturday morning with a 5-2 defeat of Pentucket before suffering a 6-5 loss to archrival Lynnfield on Tuesday.
“To clinch a spot in the state tournament with such a young team and still have ample time to work on a few things is awesome,” said coach Eric Archambault, who is currently 11-6 overall. “I’m very proud of how the kids are playing.”
The offensive output of this club has never been in question. In 17 games, North Reading has racked up 127 runs, an average of more than 7 per game, on 123 hits. But defensively, the Hornets hurt themselves with untimely fielding errors. Facing Amesbury, however, the defense was first-rate.
Jason Curran, for instance, put on a clinic at shortstop with three straight first inning putouts to first baseman Nick Torra on hard hit ground balls.
“What I accomplished in that first inning alone showed that it was the right decision to move me to shortstop,” said Curran, who also has a team-leading 19 hits batting at the top of the order. “Coach Arch has a lot of trust in me and I really value that so I just wanted to do my job and have some fun. I never really put a lot of pressure on myself.”
“It has been a process, moving people around, trying to figure out the pieces of the puzzle,” Archambault explained. “It took us a few games to get there defensively, but in terms of where everyone fits best, we’re in a good spot now. And Curran has played phenomenal at short since we switched him over. He is such a coachable kid and a team-first guy.”
North Reading rendered two-out damage with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first frame. Ryan Labb and Torra led the early binge. The Hornets added a three spot in the second, off basehits from Matt Mancinelli, Glenn Mello, and Liam Blanchette, who belted a double to score a pair.
Curran drilled an RBI-basehit in the fourth to make it 6-0.
Dylan Matthews, who didn’t yield a hit until the fourth inning, went the distance to improve to 3-2. Matthews scattered 5 hits while fanning 3 to add to his 19 Ks.
Amesbury, 2-9 on the season, made noise in the fifth, scoring a pair of unearned runs. But in the bottom of the sixth, North Reading answered, reestablishing a comfortable lead, 9-2, with three runs on two hits. The Hornets trademark aggressive baserunning added 11 stolen bases against Amesbury to add to the team’s unwieldy 113 total in that category.
On Saturday, North Reading improved to 11-5 overall with a 5-2 win over Pentucket. Tied at a run apiece through three, the Hornets moved in front on RBI-basehits from Mello and Ethan Quan, who also pitched a gem, allowing just 5 hits while striking out 4. Curran and Mancinelli each added a pair of hits to their resume.
Lynnfield paid a visit to Carey Park on Tuesday afternoon and claimed the season series, edging North Reading by a run. Behind a 3-for-4 outing by Curran, and a pair of key hits from Christian Lava, the Hornets maintained a 4-1 lead into the fourth inning but were unable to stave off the potent bats of their neighbor. The Pioneers pieced together a 4 run sixth which ultimately sealed the win.
Despite the defeat, the Hornets remain buoyant as the playoffs come into view.
“Coming in here without a lot of varsity experience on this team and being able to clinch a playoff spot in a matter of 15 games just shows how much chemistry we have after playing baseball all through our elementary and middle school years,” said Curran.
North Reading faced the undefeated (14-0) Georgetown Royals on Wednesday afternoon (results in after press time), will travel to Hamilton-Wenham (10-5) on Saturday morning, and will wrap-up the regular season hosting Newburyport (11-5) in a rematch next Tuesday.
