Impressive 4-3 win over Watertown
SAFE AT home. But it was a road win for Melrose when they topped Watertown last week, 4-3. (photo by Raj Das edphotos.com)
By JENNIFER GENTILE
WATERTOWN—The Melrose High varsity baseball team earned an impressive win over a talented Watertown team (7-7) on Thursday, May 4, taking a lead late in the game to snatch a 4-3 road victory over the Raiders at Victory Field.
Earning the win on the mound was Melrose hurler Ben Cassavoy, who gave up just three runs and seven hits over 7 innings, while striking out five. Melrose was down, 3-2, in the fifth but scored two on a Watertown error. Melrose gave up three runs in the fourth but overcame it in the final innings, thanks in part to flawless defense.
“Cass [Cassavoy] has been phenomenal all year. They had a couple of hits against him, but for the most part he was efficient throughout the day,” said Melrose head coach Scott Searles. “When you hit your spots, you keep your pitch count down and he was able to finish the game. With the exception of a hiccup in that one earning, he was pretty dominant.”
Watertown’s hurler Justin MacCormack pitched a gem as well, only allowing one hit to Melrose’s Drew Harrington. But Melrose played the base path wisely, stealing bases, two of them from Melrose’s Colin Walsh. Crossing the plate over the night were Harrington, Cassavoy, Jaiden Aquino, and senior capt. Jack Morrisey.
“At times, we haven’t helped out on the offensive side of the ball. We’ve had guys on but just haven’t been able to come up with those key hits. We did a better job of showing some grit and fighting back in this one,” notes the coach.
Defensively, Melrose played flawless in the field behind the work of Jake Skane at third, Harrington at short, Mike Thomas at second, Jaiden Aquino in left, Josh Madden in center, Justin D’Antona at first, Jack Morrissey in right and Walsh behind the plate. As a group, they didn’t commit one error, which helped Cassavoy earn the win on the mound.
“It comes down to making the plays. When we can make the plays, we’ve been in almost every game and gave ourselves a chance,” says Searles.
Melrose hopes the bats will come around in the coming weeks to help out their talented pitchers and fielders. Notes Searles, “Consistency within the game is so paramount to playing good baseball. It’s been a point of emphasis for us for most of the season. It’s especially important for us because we don’t have the type of lineup that can out swing our mistakes.”
At press time, Melrose fought to a 4-3 loss against a red-hot Wakefield (10-2) on the road on Tuesday. While they ultimately came up empty, playing toe-to-toe with the Warriors speaks of the progress the team is making as the season unfolds.
They have plenty of chances for more victories. On tap Melrose has a road trip to Arlington and will host Burlington on Thursday (post deadline) for Senior Night. Melrose will then finish their regular season on the road when travel to Wilmington on Tuesday to wrap up Freedom League play.
“Our goal for the week is to just continue to play good baseball and be consistent,” says coach Searles. “As long as we clean up the mistakes, we give ourselves a chance. We look forward to good way to send off our seniors.”
