Lynnfield 5-3

MAY 3, 2018
WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 9
Sports
Hawes is NJCAA Player of the Week
By Anne Marie Tobin
Former Lynnfield High baseball and football
standout Kyle Hawes was honored by the National
Junior College Athletic Association April 25
as the national Division 3 Baseball Player of the
Week for the week ending April 22.
Hawes, a freshman outfielder on the Northern
Essex Community College baseball team, batted
.524 for the week. He smacked five extra base hits,
knocked in 16 runs and set NECC single game records
for home runs (3) and RBI (12), both in an
April 18 game against Mass Bay Community College
when he also hit for the cycle. He followed
April 20 with a 3-for-5 (run, RBI) performance
against Quinsigamond, then wrapped up the week
going 2-for-6 with 3 runs and 3 RBI in a doubleheader
against UConn Avery Point on April 22.
On hitting for the cycle, Hawes said he totally
surprised.
“That’s something that happens so rarely, that I
never thought I could or would ever do that, not in
a million years,” he said. “I needed a triple in my
last at bat and my teammates were all joking about
it, so I was relaxed and knew it was just a matter
of getting good pitch to hit. I probably could have
made it home, but my coach (Jeff Mejia) held me
at third because the game was already lop-sided,
so it wouldn’t have been right to keep going.”
Another one of Hawe’s coaches isn’t surprised
by his performance this spring.
“He was the Co-MVP of our team last year along
with Justin Juliano, and he has come a long way
and worked very hard,” said Lynnfield coach John
O’Brien. “I am glad to see him do well. He’s a
kid with a terrific personality, but knows how be
fierce. He’s another kid who is good for our program,
he’s another kid who has proven he can play
at the next level.”
Hawes, a 2017 Lynnfield High graduate and
2017 Cape Ann League First Team All-Star, is one
of two former Pioneers playing at NECC. Spencer
Balian, a 2016 Lynnfield High grad, is also in his
rookie season at NECC playing primarily at first
base for the Knights. Northern Essex is scheduled
to close out the regular season Sunday with a pair
of doubleheaders at the University of Connecticut
at Avery Point.
After that, the Knights will have a week off before
beginning its defense of the NJCAA Region
21 title on May 11-13 (TBA). The Knights have
won six straight regional titles and last year made
it all the way to the NJCAA Division 3 World Series,
where they finished runner-up.
PHOTO | NORTHERN ESSEX COMMUNITY COLLEGE
Kyle Hawes hit three home runs in one game last week, helping
him to earn the National Junior College Athletic Association
Player of the Week honors.
Softball comes close
vs. North Reading
PHOTO | KRISTINE MARENGI
Fernando Gonzalez pitched a complete-gamer 5-hitter in the Pioneers’ win over
Georgetown.
Pioneers nip Georgetown
By Mike Alongi
LYNNFIELD — Fernando Gonzalez
did it all for the Lynnfield baseball team on
Thursday in the Pioneers’ 2-1 win over visiting
Georgetown.
Gonzalez, a junior left-hander, tossed a
complete game on the mound, giving up one
run on five hits with 10 strikeouts. Gonzalez
(1-for-3) also delivered the game-winning
hit in the sixth when he smashed a 2-out
double into the gap in right-center.
“When he’s on, he’s really tough to hit
because he’s got three pitches,” said Lynnfield
coach John O’Brien said of Gonzalez.
“It took him a little while to get settled
in this one, but once he did, he got into a
groove and never left it.”
The Royals jumped out to an early 1-0
lead right in the top of the first.
The Pioneers came back with a run in the
bottom of the first. Dan Jameson drew a
walk and stole second. Matt Fiore reached
on an error with Jameson advancing to
third. Fiore stole second, then cleanup hitter
Cooper Marengi knocked home Jameson
with a groundout to even the score at 1-1.
Both teams squandered scoring chances
in the fifth, but the Pioneers found pay
dirt in the sixth and took the lead for good.
Jonathan Luders got hit by pitch then stole
second base to open the inning. Two outs
later, Marengi worked a walk to extend the
inning for Gonzalez, who smashed a bullet
to drive in Luders and give the Pioneers a
2-1 lead.
“We had been scrapping for hits the
whole game, and had only three total, so
that inning was a big one,” O’Brien said. “It
was a great job by each guy that went up
there to keep the inning alive for Fernando,
and that hit was as clutch as could be.”
That was all Gonzalez needed, as he came
out in the top of the seventh inning and
struck out the side to seal the 2-1 victory for
the Pioneers.
With the win, Lynnfield improved to 6-2
this season.
Lynnfield’s scheduled game with Amesbury
Saturday was washed out. The Pioneers’
next game is today at Manchester-Essex
(3:45).
By Anne Marie Tobin
The Lynnfield girls softball took on the
iron of the Cape Ann League Monday
and gave undefeated host North Reading
at 6-0, all it could handle before going
down in eight innings, 6-5.
The game was back-and-forth with
Lynnfield leading 4-3 after four, and the
Hornets coming back to lead 5-4 after
five. Lynnfield (5-4) scratched out a run
in the top of the seventh, then starter Hayley
O’Brien, who also had a monster day
at the plate, set down the Hornets (7-0) in
the bottom of the inning to send the game
into extra innings where the Hornets won
in a walkoff.
“We did a lot of good things, we hit
their fast pitching better than we do
against pitchers who can’t break a pane
of glass,” said coach Peter Marinelli. “To
play that kind of a game against the best
team in the league and out-hit them 10-8,
is encouraging. I told the girls that if they
play defense and hit like that, we can play
with anybody.”
Marinelli said catcher Allie Wing had a
great defensive game.
O’Brien (3-for-4, 3 RBI, run) sent the
game into extras with an RBI single in the
top of the seventh that scored Jenna Freni,
on base by an error. Breanna Serabian
(2-for-4, run) ripped two doubles, while
Wing had one. Chloe Shapleigh (2-for-
3, run) and Jillian Babine (2-4, RBI) had
multiple hit games.
Lynnfield 3, Georgetown 1
At Georgetown Thursday, Serabian
led the offense with two RBI. O’Brien
pitched a 2-hitter and struck out 13 with
one walk. O’Brien also flashed the glove,
stabbing a hard line drive headed for extra
bases to snuff a Royals’ rally.
PHOTO | ANNE MARIE TOBIN
Hayley O’Brien did all she could to
help Lynnfield beat North Reading,
going 3-for-4 with an RBI, but in the
end, the Hornets prevailed.
The Pioneers opened the scoring in
the top of third when Wing led off with
a walk and reached second on Freni’s
single. Shapleigh was hit by a pitch to
load the bases for Serabian, who brought
Wing home from third with a sacrifice fly
to left, putting the Pioneers on top, 1-0.
In the fifth, Freni reached second on an
infield error, then came home on a double
by Shapleigh. Serabian singled Shapleigh
home to make it 3-0