The Marblehead High baseball team (3-3) had winning results during school vacation week with two triumphs against Beverly (5-4) and Salem (14-1) after dropping an 8-1 decision to non-league Newburyport on April 16.
Against the Clippers, host Marblehead, coming into this game with a 1-2 record, continued to struggle at the plate. They managed only one run against a solid visiting Newburyport squad.
Pitcher Matt Mahan (3 hits, one earned run, 2 strikeouts) allowed only two runs over four innings, but the Marblehead offense had trouble keeping up with his performance on the mound.
Kiernan Moss (2.1 innings, 3 hits, 6 earned runs, 5 walks, 3 strikeouts) followed him to the hill, and was cruising until the seventh when things went awry, according to coach Mike Giardi. Cole Wales relieved Moss, and before getting the final two outs he yielded one hit and one walk, while also fanning one.
Charlie Sachs helped power the attack with a double against the Clippers. Riley Schmitt was credited with a single and scored a run. Chris Cannuscio and Cam Quigley each singled once.
The Magicians didn’t have to wait long to get back on the winning side of the ledger. The very next day after the loss to Newburyport they were able to edge visiting Beverly, 5-4.
Junior Carter Sahagian (4 innings, 3 hits, 1 earned run, 5 strikeouts) relieved senior starter Bodie Bartram (3 innings, 1 hit, 3 runs, 1 earned, 6 walks, 3 strikeouts) on the hill to help secure the win. Bartram, battling all the way to keep the Panthers off the scoreboard, limited the damage to only three runs over three innings.
Cannuscio helped pace the attack with a big double in the first. It was followed by Bartram’s two-run single to left that gave the local nine a 2-0 advantage after one.
In the third, the Panthers took advantage of some walks and miscues to plate three runs, before
Bartram was able to get out of it. After allowing a run in the fourth, Sahagian shut it all down throughout the rest of the game.
With two outs in the fourth, the Magicians were able to rally for three runs to win the game. Mahan started the uprising with a walk, and went to second on a passed ball, before scoring the team’s third run of the game on freshman Greyson Leventhal’s clutch single to right. Leventhal immediately stole second, and went to third on a passed ball. A short time later, he waltzed home on a wild pitch, all of which occurred during Schmitt’s nine pitch at-bat that turned into a walk. Junior Stef Shepard then doubled him home to account for what turned out to be the game-winning run.
The first five hitters – Schmitt, Shepard, Cannuscio, Sachs and Bartram – in the Marblehead lineup recorded hits in this game. Shepard and Cannuscio had the extra base hits with one double apiece.
Leventhal, batting nine, was credited with the other Marblehead hit in the game, which kept the line moving in the fateful fourth.
The Magicians closed out vacation week by beating up the Witches, 14-1 on April 19. The game was called after four innings, because of the mercy rule.
After giving up an unearned run in the first inning, the Marblehead boys scored the next 14, including eight in the second. Shepard led off the second with a solo homerun, and capped off the offensive explosion with a three-run round-tripper in the same frame.
The Magicians banged out nine hits, led by Brooks Keefe, Schmitt and Cannuscio (3 hits) with one double apiece.
Cannuscio went all four innings on the mound, allowing one hit, one walk and one run, while whiffing five to record the victory.
After taking on Bishop Fenwick and Danvers on the road Monday and Tuesday afternoon after press deadline, the Magicians will face the Falcons again on Friday, April 26, starting at 4 p.m.
