Published in the May 17, 2017 edition
BRYANT DANA has been calling solid games for the Pioneers all season and has a batting average north of .400 as well. (Maureen Doherty Photo)
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
BYFIELD — On a chilly day, Lynnfield ace Nicholas Aslanian took to the mound as the Pioneers faced the Triton Vikings on the road May 9. He pitched five innings of shutout baseball before giving up four runs in the sixth, but that was not enough to stymie the Pioneers en route to their 13th consecutive win.
The game remained scoreless until the top of the fifth when Lynnfield exploded for five runs. To open the scoring, Bryant Dana, Cooper Marengi and Michael Federico loaded the bases and Dana subsequently scored on a wild pitch.
A 2-RBI double to right field by Fernando Gonzalez quickly gave the Pioneers a 3-0 lead. This was followed by an infield single from Jonathan Luders which scored Gonzalez to make it 4-0.
But the Pioneers weren’t finished yet. A single by Kyle Hawes followed by a double struck by Justin Juliano brought Luders home to give Lynnfield a comfortable 5-0 lead.
Vikings rallied
The Vikings rallied for four runs in the bottom of the sixth, closing the gap to 5-4. Gonzalez was called up in relief in the seventh. After two quick outs, he walked the next batter, but subsequently picked him off at first base for an exciting end to the game, preserving Lynnfield’s unbeaten season-long streak.
