WEST BRIDGEWATER — The No. 37 Lintek baseball team fell to No. 28 West Bridgewater, 2-1, on Friday afternoon in a defensive battle that saw both teams not want their seasons to end.
The Division 4 showdown was scoreless through three innings before the Tigers jumped out to an early lead. In the top of the fourth, Chris Boyd singled to center field. After two grounders, Boyd was on third base with two outs. Freshman Riley Driscoll came to bat with a chance to give the visitors the lead.
With two strikes, Driscoll protected home plate and hit a single just past the third baseman's glove, sending Boyd home and giving Tech a 1-0 lead.
“Riley's trying to come back. He's struggled a little bit recently, but he definitely stepped up today,” Tech coach Eddie Lewis said. “He's still young. We've got three more years with him.”
The Tigers held the lead until the fifth inning, when a passed ball tied the score at 1-1. Wildcats' Nick Navin scored a “great second run” by scoring before the throw, according to head coach Jay Costantino.
Lewis said the Tigers' defense was great before that mistake.
“Honestly, I thought we performed great, we did a great job defensively and we dominated the game the whole time,” Lewis said.
Then in the sixth inning, the Wildcats finally scored the winning run. With a runner on third and one out, Costantino called for a squeeze play. Unfortunately for the Tigers, it worked, giving them a 2-1 lead.
“The last run came on a safety squeeze. Great work from Christian Bates and good reads from Ben Dowdall at third base,” Costantino said. “We were at the bottom of the lineup and I wasn't sure we'd be in that position at least that inning, so I knew we had to score there. I'm good at bunting and I practice the play all the time, so I felt comfortable bunting in that situation.”
Despite the win, Costantino praised Tech for being a tough opponent.
“Lynn played a great game. They really fought us,” he said.
The Tigers put runners on base in the top of the seventh, but good pitching from West Bridgewater prevented them from bringing home the tying run.
“James Sheedy is a big strike pitcher for our team and has always stepped up to the plate and done a great job of throwing the first pitch for a strike, which is important in any game,” Costantino said. “Jagu Garces is one of the better pitchers on our team and we had him in our back pocket to close out games.”
Lewis was proud of the team's playoff run throughout the spring.
“I'm proud of my whole team. From how we've come to this point to where we are, the guys did exactly what I asked of them today,” Lewis said. “We've been solid defensively all year and that carried over into the postseason.”
The five students graduated, the largest number under Lewis' tenure.
“We had more seniors this year than we have the previous three years since I've been here,” Lewis said, “We have five seniors and just about all of them made an impact. We're going to miss them, whether it was base running, at the plate, defense or on the mound, but we really had a great season.”
But what Lewis will miss most, at least when it comes to this team, is his willingness to fight.
“The players stayed together from start to finish. We struggled a little bit, but the players stuck together and put in a little effort to get into the tournament. The players weren't necessarily obsessed with winning or losing; they were just focused on playing together and enjoying the game. That's pretty much all you can ask for as a coach.”
West Bridgewater will face No. 5 Northbridge this Sunday at noon.
