RallyNorth.net

In yesterday's Division 3 North preliminary-round game, Rockport and St. Mary's of Lynn seemed to be mirror images of each other.

Unfortunately for the 15th-seeded Vikings, one team's season had to end and it was the host that fell, 6-5, in eight innings. No. 18 St. Mary's will face No. 2 seed O'Bryant tomorrow.

In a battle of teams that qualified for the D-3 tournament, the Bulldogs got a big lift from David St. Pierre. The sophomore carried a no-hitter into the fifth and shut the Vikings down while adding a pair of hits at the plate in a 5-2 NS win over Rockport. J.J. Navis drove in a pair and called a solid game behind the plate while Ryan Mahan tripled in a run in a three-run fourth that gave North Shore (11-7) control.

Having already clinched a berth in the state tournament, the Rockport baseball team's matchup with one-win Manchester Essex looked to be a classic trap game.

Sure enough, the Vikings were given a run for their money from a very spirited Hornets squad. But fortunately for Rockport, they were able to stay out of the trap thanks to a three-run seventh inning en route to a 9-7 win yesterday at Memorial Field in Essex.

The Generals scored all four runs in the fifth inning, but Rockport had already crossed the plate six times in the fourth to put the game away Saturday night. Matt Greeke and Matt Cook provided RBI singles and Pat Twomey and Dan Mulley also knocked in runs while freshman Pat Hendrickson pitched well despite being saddled with the 9-4 loss.

The Rockport baseball team came into yesterday's matchup with Georgetown looking to accomplish two things.

First they were looking to knock off their Cape Ann League rivals. But more importantly, they were looking to clinch a berth in the state tournament.

Clinching a state tournament spot will have to wait for another day for the Rockport baseball team as they lost, 11-5, to visiting Pentucket at Evans Field yesterday afternoon.   

The Vikings (8-6, 5-5) came back to tie it after being down 5-0 early but couldn't answer Pentucket's (8-4, 6-3) six runs in the last two innings.

It may have taken over four hours to complete, but the Rockport Vikings couldn't think of a better way to spend a Tuesday night, as they defeated Triton, 6-5 in 11 innings. The victory sent the Vikings over .500 with a 6-5 record.

After winning three in a row, the Vikings (4-2) ran into the unbeaten Chieftains (6-0) on the road and came away very impressed with the Cape Ann Div. 1 powerhouse.

"They could be one of the best teams in the state," noted Rockport head coach John Parisi. "Their starting pitcher kept us off-balance, throwing hard and then mixing in some tough curveballs."  

During the 2007 season, the Rockport baseball team was plagued by a lack of offense. Ironically, in the early going of the 2008 season, the Vikings have been carried by their offense, scoring 40 runs over the first four games of the season.

The Rockport baseball team came into yesterday's regular season opener against Manchester Essex looking to sure-up their offense. The Vikings had a tough time hitting in the preseason and were looking for a big game to get their confidence back.