By STEPHEN MARTELLUCCI

BILLERICA — On Tuesday evening, the North Reading Northeast (ages 14-18), baseball team shut out host Billerica, 6-0, at the Marshall Middle School. The win was the fifth straight for the Hornets who are in first place in the five-team league at 9-2.

Craig Rubino was the winning pitcher improving to 4-2. He went all seven innings allowing three hits, two walks and he struck out eight.

“He was outstanding,” stated North Reading head coach Marco Vittozzi. “He had 95 total pitches.”

North Reading scored three runs in the top of the 1st inning and three more in the 5th.

Overall, they had nine hits led by Aldo Vittozzi (Marco’s nephew) and Antonio Ricca who both went 3 for 4 at the dish. Ricca also knocked in one run.

Rubino helped his own cause at bat going 2 for 4 with a team-high four runs batted in as he had two-run singles in the 1st and 5th innings.

Last Thursday, the Hornets beat guest Westford, 5-3, at North Reading High School.

“The kids did great,” said Vittozzi. “Westford is the best team in the league.”

The Hornets are 1-1 against Westford so far as Westford is in second place in the league.

Trailing 1-0 going into the 6th inning, the Hornets erupted for five runs in the bottom of the 6th.

Just like the Billerica game, the Hornets offense had nine hits in this contest as well.

Vittozzi, Rubino and Anthony Corvino all went 2 for 3. Corvino and Rubino both knocked in two runs in that 6th inning.

Westford plated two more runs in the top of the 7th but pitcher Ryan Labb was able to close the door to secure the win.

Labb went all seven innings allowing three earned runs, eight hits, no walks and he fanned seven Grey Ghosts batters.

“That was his best outing of the entire summer,” stated Vittozzi, as Labb improved to 2-0.

On Thursday night at 6 p.m. (July 21), the Hornets visit Westford at Westford Academy in the regular season finale.

The playoffs will start next week.

In this year’s format, the fourth-place team will play the fifth and the winner will play the top seed in a one game playoff. The second-place team will play the third-place team in the other semifinal game.

The two winners will then play a best-of-three series in the finals in early August.