ZACK KENT picked up the win on Tuesday in Lynnfield, allowing just one hit and no runs while fanning four in three innings. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)

 

By DAN PAWLOWSKI

LYNNFIELD — In the end, Wakefield and Lynnfield both lost. But then again, nobody is beating Mother Nature’s thunderstorms in a race to finish a complete baseball game this summer.

With an ominous and thunderous cumulonimbus quickly rolling toward the baseball field at Lynnfield High on Tuesday night, the two teams were only able to play 4.5 innings. In that time frame, Wakefield went home with a 6-4 victory during a game in which they swiftly came back from a 4-1 deficit to pick up their fifth win in the Middlesex Senior Babe Ruth League.

Zack Kent and Caleb Birchem stole the show in this one. Kent pitched three innings of relief and allowed just one hit and no runs while striking out four and walking none to pick up the win. He went 2-for-2 at the dish with a single and an RBI double.

CALEB BIRCHEM tees up a solo shot to left field through the rain at Lynnfield High on Tuesday. Birchem was 2-for-2 with two RBI.
(Dan Pawlowski Photo)

Birchem also went 2-for-2, his 2nd inning RBI single cutting the deficit to two runs and a solo shot in the 4th pushing Wakefield’s lead to 6-4.

Lynnfield jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead in the 1st, playing as the away team in this one as Wakefield was technically supposed to be hosting. A groundout and an RBI single off Wakefield starter Liam Stromski made it 2-0 before the righty limited the damage with his first of two strikeouts on the day to end the frame.

Wakefield got one back in the bottom half thanks to leadoff hitter Drew Riley who walked, stole second base, then came around to score when a pickoff attempt at second got by everyone – including the center fielder – for a classic summer run.

Lynnfield pushed the lead to 4-1 in the 2nd. An error got the leadoff batter on and later a suicide squeeze scored a run. An RBI single to left later made it 4-1.

Wakefield went to work in the bottom of the 2nd just as it became apparent from the skies that this game wouldn’t go the distance. Nate Ickes led off with a walk and Aidan Riley knocked a single to right. Later with one out, Birchem’s RBI hit scored Ickes and a two-out wild pitch scored Riley from 3rd to make it 4-3.

Kent climbed the hill in the top of the 3rd and quickly set the tone with a 1,2,3 inning including two K’s on heaters that the Pioneers had no chance at.

Wakefield took the lead for good in the bottom of the 3rd. The leadoff hitter got on once again as Colby Lee hit a nice opposite field single but was caught stealing second. Drew Riley hit a blooper to start the rally back up. Evan Simoneau singled to right field on a badly misplayed ball by the outfielder. Wakefield took advantage as Riley scored on another wild pitch to tie it and Kent cranked a ground rule double to deep center field to score Simoneau for their first lead of the game. Kent was caught stealing and Ickes popped up to end the threat.

DREW RILEY (right) is welcomed home by Evan Simoneau in the 1st inning of Wakefield’s 6-4 Senior Babe Ruth win on Tuesday at LHS. Riley scored two runs for Wakefield. (Dan Pawlowski Photo)

Kent made quick work of Lynnfield in the 4th with another 1,2,3 inning on a strikeout and two groundouts back to the mound.

Birchem’s homer in the bottom of the 4th, a no-doubter to deep left field, came with two outs and gave Wakefield some insurance.

Lynnfield showed signs of catching up to Kent’s heat in the top of the 5th as the rain drops started to fall through hazy, leftover wildfire smoke, a combination that created some serious visibility problems.

There was enough light for Simoneau to see a sharp liner hit by the leadoff hitter to make a nice running catch. Kent surrended his first hit of the day up the middle but got the next batter to ground out to Drew Riley at second base before striking out the final batter of the day as the two teams decided they had tested the limits of the storm for long enough and called it.

Wakefield, coached by Joe DiFazio, moved to 5-3 with the win. They still have a few makeup games to schedule, along with the rest of the league, but like Tuesday’s thunder clouds, the playoffs are looming. The postseason was slated to start late next week but due to the makeups, it might be pushed to the following week.

Wakefield’s next scheduled game is tonight in Winchester at 7 p.m. They host Lexington at Walsh Field on Sunday at 5:45 p.m.