Published in the July 3, 2018 edition

By DAN PAWLOWSKI

WAKEFIELD — Staring down a full week off, the Wakefield Merchants and Watertown Reds played two at Walsh Field on a sweltering Sunday afternoon. 

The Reds took the first game, 3-2 during a tense seven innings. The Merchants scored both of their runs in the 1st inning but were shut out the rest of the way. 

The response from the home team was strong in game two, as the Merchants stuck with it, battled back from a four-run deficit and and walked off in the bottom of the 7th on a sacrifice fly from Mike Manoogian. 

The win pushed Wakefield’s record past .500 to 6-5-1 heading into the break. 

Domenic Nardone (5.1 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K) got the start for the Merchants during game one, and kept the tough Reds bats off-balance. Jake Berresi pitched the final 1.2, allowing just one hit and one unearned run. 

BOBBY LOSANNO picked up four more hits during a double-header against the Watertown Reds on Sunday. That put the reigning ICL MVP’s season total at 19 hits, second-best in the league behind teammate Dillon Koster’s 23. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)

Bobby Losanno went 3-for-3 during game one, starting the bottom of the 1st off with a base hit. After Dillon Koster followed with a hit of his own, Anthony Cecere later drove home Losanno with a knock and with two outs, Brendan Barry had an RBI single to score Koster and give the Merchants a 2-0 lead. 

The Reds would cut the lead in half in the 5th, and take the lead in the 6th with two more runs to make it 3-2, which would be the final. 

Despite the six-inning drought to close out the first game, the home team stepped up in game two and put the pressure on Watertown’s offense to keep up. 

The Merchants were down big at two different stages in this one, but they battled back twice for the walk off. 

Watertown scored one run in the 2nd inning and two runs in the 3rd for a 3-0 lead. Wakefield got around two runs in the bottom of the 3rd, but the Reds responded with a three-run 4th, making it 6-2.

Facing a four-run deficit, the Merchants didn’t blink as they also plated three runs in the 4th to stay in it. Wakefield tied it in the bottom of the 5th, and shut down Watertown in the final three innings to set up the bottom of the 7th. 

Relief pitcher Greg Johnson, after allowing four hits and three earned in the 3rd and 4th, settled down in the 5th to shut out the Reds, and Spencer Meyer (2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K) closed the door in the 6th and 7th to earn the win on the mound. 

The Merchants accounted for four RBIs as they took advantage of six walks. Dillon Koster, still leading the Intercity League with 23 hits (four more than Losanno who is tied for second in the league with 19), helped his on-base percentage, also tops in the ICL (.659), with two walks in this one. 

Paul McGunigle’s two RBIs led the way, as the Wakefield native accounted for both on a double that scored Koster and Cecere in that key 4th inning. 

Manoogian’s clutch sac fly in the bottom of the 7th was enough to get the job done as the Merchants (13 points) rest up for their next game which will be on Sunday, July 8 when they will host the first-place Lexington Blue Sox (18 points) at Walsh Field, 3 p.m.