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10 WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 JULY 22, 2021 Sports PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK Lynnfield native Jonathan Luders drew the game-winning RBI walk to give the North Shore Navigators a walk-off victory Saturday night. Luders walks things off for Navigators PHOTO | JOE BROWN Lynnfield pitcher James Pasquale had one of two total hits and took the loss on the mound in a loss to Peabody West in a District 16 Tournament game last Tuesday. Peabody West blanks Lynnfield in District 16 Tournament bout By Mike Alongi LYNN — After 48 hours, several inches of rain and a field change, the Peabody West Little League All-Stars finally were able to finish the job with a 5-0 victory over Lynnfield in a District 16 Tournament battle Tuesday. “The key for us out there, and it never changes from high school to Little League to the pros, is that we need to throw strikes,” said Peabody West Coach Mark Bettencourt, who also coaches the Peabody High baseball team. “We had three guys go out there (Tuesday) and throw strikes, challenge a good Lynnfield team and come away with the win.” Brendan Kobierski led the offensive attack for Peabody West, going 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI in the win. Cullen Pasterick went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI, while Marc Bettencourt went 1-for-2 with a double and an RBI. Pasterick earned the win on the mound after going the first three innings and allowing only one hit with five strikeouts. Lynnfield was only able to scatter two total hits in the loss, with James Pasquale (1-for-3) and Grant Neal (1-for-2) each notching one. Pasquale took the loss on the mound after 1 2/3 innings of work, while Neal and Charlie Piccotti saw time in relief. Things got started on Sunday evening, when Peabody West jumped ahead early with a pair of runs in the top of the first. A pair of walks and a passed ball put two runners in scoring position, then Brendan Kobierski notched an RBI infield single. A throwing error on the same play brought a second run home, giving Peabody West an early 2-0 lead. After two nights of rain pushed the conclusion of the game until Wednesday, Peabody West came back and added another run in the top of the third thanks to back-to-back doubles to start the inning. Pasterick led things off with a two-bagger to get into scoring position, then Bettencourt stepped in behind him and laced an RBI double to make it 3-0. After Pasterick moved 1-2-3 through the order in the bottom of the inning, Peabody West came back in the top of the fourth and scored two more. A leadoff walk, a single and a passed ball put two runners in scoring position, then Pasterick knocked an RBI single to make it 4-0. Two batters later, Kobierski brought home another run via a sacrifice fly. Peabody West’s relief pitching took over from there, as James DiCarlo pitched two scoreless innings and Mark Bettencourt shut the door in the final frame to seal the shutout win. By Joshua Kummins LYNN — After being held scoreless for the first eight innings, the North Shore Navigators came alive in the ninth and drew two bases-loaded walks to edge past the visiting North Adams SteepleCats for a 2-1 win in Saturday night’s New England Collegiate Baseball League action at Fraser Field. North Shore improved to 12- 9-2 on the season and moved into sole possession of third place in the Northern Division following its third win in the last four games. North Adams fell to 11-10-2 after entering the day with a 0-2-2 mark in the head-to-head season series with the Navs. The hosts recorded just one of their six hits in the final, game-deciding frame as the tying and winning runs scored on bases-loaded walks by catcher Cal Christofori (Santa Clara) and shortstop Jonathan Luders (Seton Hall), respectively. Three of the Navs’ first five hits came off the bat of center fielder Joe Lomuscio (Stanford). Navs starter Austin Amaral (Stetson) benefited from Lomuscio turning a fly ball double play in the first inning before working around single baserunners in each of the next three frames. After a 1-2-3 fifth, the SteepleCats were finally able to manufacture the game’s first run as designated hitter Jeremy Lea (Pacific) hit a fielder’s choice that scored second baseman Mason Hull (Missouri State), who hit a leadoff triple. Amaral pitched well enough to win as he struck out seven while scattering five hits across his six innings of work, but his offense managed just three hits and one of three Luders walks over the first five innings against North Adams righty Brian Zeldin (Penn). North Shore’s finest opportunity to score came in the very next half-inning as third baseman Matthias Haas (Cal Poly) drew a leadoff walk before being tagged out trying to cross the plate on a wild pitch. Lomuscio followed by legging out his third infield single, but a pop out ended the threat and allowed SteepleCat reliever Luke Benneche (Lafayette) to escape the trouble. The Navs relief trio of Zach Chappell (North Florida), Aaron Groller (Seton Hall) and James Sashin (San Diego) allowed two combined hits over the final three innings to put the team in position for a walk-off, its fifth win in a one-run game this season. Chappell started the late innings by striking out the side. Sashin retired the last two batters he faced after a one-out single in the ninth. From there, the Navs went to work and got their reliever his second win of the summer. First baseman Logan Bravo (Harvard) started the frame with a swinging bunt single and stole second before designated hitter Ryan Marra (Brown) drew the first of four walks in the inning. Second baseman Jake Gustin (Bryant) was intentionally passed to first base before Christofori’s trip to the plate forced home the tying run. Benneche, who worked the final 3.2 innings, recorded his second strikeout of the frame to bring Luders to the plate with two outs. The Lynnfield native drew a five-pitch walk that scored pinch-running infielder Alex Lemery (Marymount) to decide the game.
JULY 22, 2021 WEEKLYNEWS.NET - 978-532-5880 11 Thorbjornsen takes Mass. Amateur title after historic day PHOTO | SPENSER HASAK Authors Sean Stellato, center, and his daughter Gianna stand with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Michael Walker as they show off the new book that the father/daughter duo wrote together entitled “Football Magic: A Pirate’s Tale.” Stellato family releases some more ‘Football Magic’ By Mike Alongi SALEM — For Salem native Sean Stellato, Saturday night was an evening of good times, old friends and working together for a good cause. Surrounded by family, friends and supporters of all kinds, Stellato and his 14-year-old daughter Gianna celebrated the release of their latest book, entitled “Football Magic: A Pirate’s Tale.” The book is a follow-up to their first story as a father-daughter writing duo, having released “Football Magic: Buddy’s New Beginning” back in 2019. “It’s a little surreal to see so many people come out to support the vision and the goal of helping other people,” said Sean Stellato, who currently works as an NFL agent. “And to be here with my daughter, I’m really grateful and blessed to be able to do this and create something that we think will really help change lives.” “It’s been really fun working together and writing about things that we both love,” said Gianna Stellato. “And to see the reaction from everyone and to see everyone come out here and support us, it’s really incredible.” The book picks up where the last one left off, with main characters Buddy and Gianna riding high after winning the league championship at school. Even better, Buddy’s dad decided to keep the family in Salem, so that Buddy and his sister can stay with their new friends after adjusting to life in a new town in Massachusetts. When Buddy and Gianna discover something magical, it leads them on a mysterious adventure through historic Salem and Marblehead. Things seem to be going great — until the wicked Kurtin Drapes and his raven reveal some dreadful plans. With the clock ticking and time running out, will they be able to outwit Drapes? Can Buddy and Gianna do the impossible, or will the magical ball lose its luster forever? “We already had the basics of our story when we started writing this one, so that helped a lot,” said Gianna Stellato. “And it was fun to then go in and add more characters and make the story bigger and everything like that. It’s a lot more enchanted than the first book and has a lot more magic, and I think we were really able to get more creative with this one.” The evening began with a VIP reception on the roof of the Hawthorne Hotel at the Salem Maritime Center before moving over to the House of the Seven Gables for the main event. A number of current and former athletes came out to support Stellato for the event, including but not limited to New England Patriots safety Brandon King, former Patriots safety Obi Melifonwu, Detroit Lions cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu, Philadelphia Eagles receiver Michael Walker, former Boston Bruins great Bob Sweeney and Las Vegas Raiders assistant director of player personnel DuJuan Daniels, who wrote the foreword of the book. “To be honest, it’s a privilege to get to know Sean’s family and be a part of this whole process,” said Daniels, the only client that Sean represents who is on the player personnel side of the football business. “Sean’s an incredibly driven person and he’s doing some great things, so just to play a small role in that is very special to me.” “Sean has always been so supportive of me and everything I’ve done, even before he was my agent,” said King, who has won two Super Bowls with the Patriots. “So if I can come out and support him in whatever way I can, I’m always going to do that.” “I’ve known Sean ever since he was a kid working out and trying to make it in college football, and I always remembered his determination and passion for the game,” said Sweeney, who played for the Bruins from 1987-1992. “Obviously that passion has extended into his post-career work with charity, and I’m glad to come out and support his efforts.” “Sean is a great guy and the epitome of someone who you want to have in your circle,” said Walker. “I’m just happy to be part of an event like this and to play a small part in helping him spread his message.” The night featured a red carpet event, a book signing, a silent auction, a live auction and a number of different raffles, all to benefit the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation. For Stellato, the night was a great opportunity to celebrate all the things that he holds dear — his family, his friends, the game of football and serving his community. “Family is my core and football has been very good to me, and I’ve been blessed to live my bliss every day and have my life enriched by so many incredible people,” said Stellato. “It’s so gratifying to see everyone come out and support our cause, and I’m truly humbled by it all.” WEST NEWTON — There aren’t many amateur golfers that can play the way Michael Thorbjornsen (Wellesley Country Club) can. As a result, the roughly 200 patrons in the gallery Saturday at Brae Burn Country Club got a glimpse at a young man who oozes professional potential. The 36-hole final match Saturday at the 113th Massachusetts Amateur Championship featured plenty of firepower, as it was the first time two former USGA champions were paired in a state amateur final. But on Saturday, Thorbjornsen shined the brightest as the 2018 U.S. Junior Amateur champion executed one of the most spectacular performances in the history of the Massachusetts Amateur Championship by capturing the title with an 8&6 victory over 2017 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Matt Parziale. Thorbjornsen, a 19-year-old sophomore at Stanford University, became the first teenager to win the Mass Amateur since Jim Salinetti won the 1997 title, also at the age of 19. “Just winning the amateur championship of Massachusetts from where I’m from, it means a lot,” said Thorbjornsen, who competed in the Mass Amateur for the first time. “He’s a world-beater,” Parziale said of Thorbjornsen. “He’s incredible. I met him a few years ago. He’s a great kid. He’s got all the talent in the world. I’m rooting for him, and it’s his to take. He has a bright future if he keeps going at this pace.” Though he was facing an opponent from Brockton, a city known for its fighting champions, Thorbjornsen landed some heavy punches early on. He made birdie on his first five holes and had another stretch of five straight birdies from holes 12-16, opening up a 6-up lead through the first 18 holes. “Those first five just came up on me pretty quickly,” Thorbjornsen said. “Just driving 2 Large Cheese Pizzas $17.99 Pizza • Hot & Cold Subs • Dinners • Salads • Sandwiches • Side Orders • Pasta Dinners • Fish Dinners • Calzones • Homemade Soups & Chowder We deliver! the green, two-putting, and then having some tap-ins the next couple of holes just feels really good. And then birdieing the first five, it’s just kind of tough to compete against whoever you’re playing, so I feel like that’s what really set me up well later on.” The pair also set a torrid pace, only needing 3.5 hours to play the first 18, and capping off their final 12 holes in exactly two hours. Errors were few and far between for Thorbjornsen. Other than a misfire off the tee on his second crack at hole 9 that landed him in the fescue, Thorbjornsen was within 10- feet of the hole on his approaches more often than not. In almost any other year, Parziale’s performance would have left him in contention, but there was only so much the 2017 champion could do to keep pace. Despite shooting 5-under-par on the first 18, he still found himself down by six. Of the four holes he did win in the match, all of them were birdies or better. “I was happy with how I played,” said Parziale, whose father Vic caddied the entire week. “So, if I played poorly then I’d probably feel differently, but I was happy with the way I played. Today is the day where one person is most happy and one person is the most upset. That’s the nature of this tournament. It was great to get here, but you lose, so you’re not happy. At least I played well, and he just played incredibly, so congratulations to him.” Parziale got it back within five by driving the green on the 15th. He did the same Friday with a 3-wood but decided to use his driver and made the putt for his lone eagle. “They had the tee back again, so I was fortunate enough to hit a good one there, and then I had a good line on that and hit a solid putt there,” Parziale. At the end of the day though, there wasn’t much Parziale could do other than tip his cap.
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