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Lawrence Lancers Baseball '10

Sun, May 30, 2010 07:00 PM @ Masconomet
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Final
Lawrence 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 4
Masconomet 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 6

Masco stuns Lancers in final

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Sunday, May, 30 By Hector Longo

LAWRENCE - If you happened by Mark Devlin Field any of the past three nights, the Masconomet Regional baseball team caught your eye.

The No.5 rating in Eastern Mass. wasn't just deserved. Watching coach Mike Valentino's Chieftains battle to the 29th Lawrence Invitational championship, you almost had to wonder why they're not ranked higher.

Masco punctuated a perfect 20-0 regular season last night, submarining top-rated Lawrence, 6-4, before about 400 in the championship game.

Chieftain righty Gabe Dunn, who shackled BC High just one week ago, was back for bear last night, outdueling Lancer ace Michael Calzetta to move to 8-0.

"He was undefeated and I was too. We knew he was good and we just battled," said Dunn, who earned the Frank Brucato Tournament MVP trophy with his sweet six-hitter. "Our pitching rotation is pretty strong, and when we need the runs, we get them."

The Chieftains pounced on Calzetta for four runs in the top of the first. Evan Bunker opened the wound with an RBI single right back up the middle. Colin Shepard worked a walk to plate another and Ben Panunzio doubled the margin with a two-run single.

Masco wasn't done either. In the second, Chris Splinter sent a 370-foot laser over the right-centerfield fence to make it 6-0.

Calzetta would close the door from there, allowing no hits the rest of the way, but the damage was inflicted.

"They came out and punched us in the mouth in the first inning and then we had to fight and scratch to get back," said Lancer coach Brendan Neilon. "They're a good team. They deserved to win."

Lawrence willed its way back into the game with four runs in the bottom of the third.

Elvis Guilamo singled and Juan Ventura walked. Jose Sandoval singled in one run, and Tito Lluberes plated two more with a sharp single before racing home on Harvey Blanco's infield out.

From there, Dunn was uncanny, especially with runners on.

Back-to-back strikeouts and a ground out ended a second-and-third with no outs threat in the fifth. With two-on-and-two out in the sixth, he cranked it up for strikeout No. 10 of the night.

"I just took a deep breath. I had a feeling I was going to get through it," said Dunn. "I just had to battle and that's what I did. I've been in a ot of jams all year, getting through them really helped."

And in the seventh, second baseman Corey Tudor dove up the middle with a diving stab the ended Lawrence's night, dishing to Splinter who perfectly turned the 4-6-3 double play.

"We had a couple opportunities in the fifth. We score a run there, and it puts the pressure on them," said Neilon. "But that kid battled. He was tough."

Lawrence will hold on to a top 3 seed in the Division 1 North tournament when seedings come out this week.

Neilon and his staff will have the week basically to repair the emotional state of his team which surrendered 15 runs in a three-inning span in the last two games after giving up only seven total in the previous eight games.

"The goal was win the league, win our tournament," said Neilon. "Now the state tournament is here, and it's a one-game tournament. I think we had our chances, and we didn't pack it in. Our core guys are great kids. They've won 46 games the last three years. They know how to win, and losing really hurts them. That's what we like. Hopefully we won't feel that feeling again."

Consolation news

North Andover's 13-inning, 5-4 win over Tewksbury was particularly painful to the Redmen, who needed the win for a berth in the upcoming Division 2 North tourney.

The Knights finally broke through on Redmen ace Matt Luppi when David Foote singled, stole second and scored on Brad Patnaude's walkoff hit.

Patnaude is scorching as we head to the postseason. He drove in three in his second straight three-hit game.

In the second consolation, it was Andover getting past Methuen, 16-6.

Mike McQuillan smacked three hits and drove in four for the 10-10 Warriors. John Hennessy was a perfect 3 for 3. C.J. Leary also had three hits.

for the 5-15 Rangers, Corey Shepher was 3 for 4 and scored a pair of runs.

Game Statistics:

Masco (6): Jason Katz cf 3-2-1, Gabe Dunn p 2-1-0, Chris Splinter ss 3-1-1, Evan Bunker dh 4-1-1, Braden Kowalski 1b 4-1-1, Colin Shepard c 3-0-0, Ben Panunzio 3b 3-0-1, Greg Rothman lf 3-0-0, Lee Greeley rf 3-0-1, Corey Tudor 2b 0-0-0, Totals 28-6-6 

Lawrence (4):  Jose Sandoval 3b 4-1-2, Tito Lluberes 2b 2-1-1, Harvey Blanco ss 4-0-0, Dionys Quezada c 3-0-0, Michael Calzetta p 3-0-0, Devin Montanez rf 3-0-1, Edwin Brito 1b 2-0-0, Elvis Guilamo lf 3-1-2, Juan Ventura cf 1-1-0, Totals 25-4-6

RBI:  M - Splinter 2, Bunker, Shepard, Panunzio 2

WP: Dunn (8-0); LP:  Calzetta (6-1) 7 ip, 6er, 6h, 4bb, 9k

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