RallyNorth.net

GLOUCESTER - With each dazzling inning Yunior Vasquez assuaged the pain of a dreadful Lawrence High start to yesterday's Division 1 North quarterfinal.

He could never quite erase the root of that anguish.

Georgetown baseball clinched at least a share of the Cape Ann League title with yesterday's 8-4 win over Rockport. Freshman Ryan Browner (7 innings, 3 earned runs, 6 strikeouts, 6 hits) remained perfect while picking up his sixth win of the season. Said coach Mark Rowe of Browner's fantastic season, "I wouldn't have expected any of our pitchers to be 6-0, that's pretty remarkable. I didnt think he'd necessarily be pitching in the potential championship-clinching game, but he's certainly earned it."

Anthony Conte got the win on the mound for Georgetown going five innings and Chris Esposito was 2 for 3 at the plate with 3 RBIs as the Royals clinched a spot in the state tournament.

The meat of the Pentucket lineup - Jordan Silva, Dan Johanson, and Chris Modlish - combined to go 6 for 10 with four runs scored and four RBIs and carry the Sachems to their eighth win in their last 10 games. Matt Berry (4 innings pitched, 2 earned runs, 4 strike outs, 4 walks) got the win for Pentucket.

Pentucket pitcher Adam Newell tossed a no-hitter in a five-inning ran shortened game leading the Sachems over Manchester Essex 13-0. The sophomore faced the minimum in his five innings, striking out four and swallowing up the only batter he walked with a quick double play second.

The Georgetown Royals (1-0) hammered the Manchester-Essex Hornets in their season-opener yesterday, 15-4. Freshman Ryan Browner (4 Ks, BB) picked up his first varsity victory, going five innings while giving up four runs (2 earned) and seven hits. Anthony Conte (3-4, 3 runs, RBI), Joe Esposito (3-4, 2 runs, RBI), and sophomore Adam Johnson (2-4, 3 runs, 3 RBIs, 2 doubles) provided the Royals with the fire power.

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.

It's days like yesterday that make Gloucester High School baseball coach Joe Orlando wish his team's home field didn't have dimensions suited for the Little League World Series.

Hosting 19th-seeded Arlington in the preliminary round of the Division 1 North state tournament, the No. 14 Fishermen were victimized by the short right field fence at Nate Ross Field, which sits just 295 feet away from home plate down the line. The visiting Spy Ponders erupted for five home runs (all falling behind the right field wall), en route to a 19-11 football score-like victory over the Fishermen.

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.

For the second time this season, the Danvers High baseball team was forced to watch their arch rivals celebrate on the baseball diamond.

Host Gloucester completed a season sweep of the Falcons last night by taking a 5-3 decision. Danvers head coach Roger Day could only tip his cap to his opponent afterwards.

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.

At the start of a tough week with four games in it, Fishermen senior pitcher Kyle Habecker gave his teammates and coaches exactly what they needed: quality innings.

"It was a very solid performance," said Gloucester (7-6) head coach Joe Orlando about Habecker. "He kept them off-balance and most importantly, he ate up the innings."