CAM JAENA pitched a complete game for the Townies last night in North Reading, scattering 7 hits and 2 earned runs while striking out 3. Jaena also collected Wakefield’s only RBI hit of the night. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
NORTH READING — The summer season for the varsity Wakefield Townies came to an end last night at North Reading High School. The Hornets held on for a hard-fought, 3-2 victory over a shorthanded Wakefield team in the third and deciding game of the Northeast Baseball League’s Varsity South Division Finals, winning the series two games to one. North Reading will now move on to meet the North Division champions, Lowell, in the championship series.
The Townies ran into North Reading High’s two best varsity pitchers, Nick Torra (4IP, 1ER) and Dylan Matthews (3IP, 0ER).
The Hornets scratched across single runs in each of the first three innings before Townies starter Cam Jaena (6IP, 7H, 2ER, 2BB, 3K) shut them out the rest of the way.
Three Hornet singles got the home team on the board in the 1st before a flyout ended the threat.
Wakefield went down in order in both of the first two frames.
Two Townie errors in the 2nd and a bunt hit for the home team led to a 2-0 advantage.
Wakefield bounced back in the 3rd, a two-out, RBI knock from Jaena bringing home Charlie Lemieux to make it 2-1.
John Fitzgerald made a great catch in deep center field for the first out of the Hornet 3rd but the home team combined two singles with a stolen base to account for their 3rd run.
After a walk, Fitzgerald’s infield single led to a Hornet error, which allowed a run to score. Matthews entered the game and Jaena got him moving with a bunt hit to put runners at first and second with one out. Matthews locked in to get a ground out and pop up to end the threat and help North Reading hold onto their one-run lead.
The Hornets threatened with two hits in the 5th but Jaena escaped, first with a gutsy strikeout and then on a fly out.
Matthews, North Reading’s varsity ace for the last two years, really locked in to close this one out. He had four strikeouts in the last two innings, sitting Wakefield down in order in both the 6th and 7th to seal the 3-2 victory for the Hornets.
Wakefield’s strong summer season officially came to an end with the loss. They went 7-4 in the regular season and 9-6 overall, counting a playoff victory over Wilmington, which set up the series with North Reading. The Hornets won game one, 7-6 on a walk-off and Wakefield won game two, 10-3 at Sullivan Park.
