RallyNorth.net

Tue, May 13, 2008 03:45 PM @ Rockport

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Final
Pentucket	1	4	0	0	0	3	3	11
Rockport	0	0	0	2	3	1	0	6

Pentucket comes back to beat Rockport

Wednesday, May, 14 By Richard Slate
Staff writer

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.

Asked about his team's slow start, Rockport head coach John Parisi replied, "for some reason, we came out flat and we didn't look good, we looked out of rhythm and we'd been playing really well coming into the game (three straight wins). I don't know what exactly happened or the reason why but we're going to fix it, that's for sure. I'm not going to take anything away from Pentucket, they're one of the best teams we've seen so far, a real good hitting team. "

On the other side, Pentucket manager Tom L'Italien was thrilled to come away with a road win at such a tough park. In the process, his team has now won four in a row and six of its last seven while it jockeys for position in the Cape Ann League large division

"Playing up here, they play with a lot of pride at home. We knew that we had to play for seven innings, we talked about that on the bus ride up here."

The top four hitters in the Sachems lineup were collectively on fire as they accounted for seven of the team's 13 hits and knocked in all 11 runs. Junior shortstop Jordan Silva (2 for 5, 3 runs, 3 RBIs), junior second baseman Sean Milley (2 for 4, 3 runs, 3 RBIs), senior first baseman Justin Bolla (1 hit, 3 RBIs) and senior catcher Peter Creamer (2 for 5, 2 RBIs) tormented Rockport all afternoon.

As a team, the Vikings only had five hits but they had plenty of baserunners as they drew six walks. Senior pitcher/shortstop Derek Osmond led Rockport with two hits, one run, one RBI and a stolen base. Senior left fielder Cory Emerson scored two runs while his brother, sophomore Michael drove in two runs, scored a run and had a hit.   

In the top of the first, Milley hit a solo homer to center off Osmond. The Sachems added four more in the second, highlighted by Silva's two-run single and Bolla's two-run double.

Pentucket senior pitcher Mike Sloban (4.1 innings, 5 runs (4 earned), 2 hits, 2 walks, 5 strikeouts) was locked in early as he struck out the side in the second and only allowed one hit through the first three innings.

Rockport's patience at the plate paid off in the fourth inning though as Cory Emerson walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored when Pentucket misplayed Pat Frithsen's ground ball. Michael Emerson also came around to score after walking, advancing on a wild pitch and the error then scoring on another wild pitch.

"That's been our key all year long: good plate appearances and working pitchers," noted Parisi. "We try to put it in play and which creates pressure on the defense with our running game."

The Pentucket lead was cut to 5-2. In total, the Vikings made Sloban throw 41 pitches in the fourth, ensuring that he wouldn't last much longer.   

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the fifth, Michael Emerson hit a ground ball that the Pentucket fielder missed, causing Osmond and senior shortstop Matt Hendy to cross the plate. Cory Emerson scored the tying run after sophomore second baseman Pat Frithsen dropped down a perfect suicide squeeze.

 The tie wouldn't last long however as Pentucket pushed three across in the sixth against Osmond. Three errors in four at-bats proved extremely costly to Rockport as the sixth stayed alive for Milley who delivered a two-run single.

Osmond hit an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to score senior third baseman Isaac Dann and make it 8-6 Pentucket.

Finally, the Sachems scored three runs with two outs in the top of the seventh off Hendy to put it out of reach.

The defensive miscues were a shock to Parisi. "We gave it away with those errors. We've been consistent with our defense all year long, so I'm surprised by it."

Even with the five-run lead, L'Italien knew Rockport would never quit. "Their pitcher's a winner, their catcher's a winner, their coach is a winner. You can really control the game from the mound, behind the plate and as a coach. We know they would battle for seven innings, the team really feeds off of those guys."

With four games remaining in the regular season, Rockport hopes to get another victory out of the way as soon as possible.

"We will work them hard tomorrow and in our next game (Thursday night vs. Georgetown) we hope to clinch a playoff spot. We don't want to wait for that win."