05/04/201905/05/2019

Moran, Mansfield Prevail in Extras Against Taunton

Mansfield baseball Kyle Moran — Mansfield’s Kyle Moran pitched all 10 innings and allowed just one unearned run to lead the Hornets to a win. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

TAUNTON, Mass. – It didn’t take long for those in attendance at Taunton High School to realize runs would be hard to come by in Saturday’s matinee game between the host Tigers and the visiting Mansfield Hornets.

Right from the start, both Hornet senior starter Kyle Moran and Taunton right-handed junior hurler Logan Lawrence were on the money.

So it wasn’t a huge surprise when the teams headed into extra innings knotted at 1-1.

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Mansfield finally broke the stalemate in the top of the 10th inning, getting a pair of runs against the Tiger’s bullpen to emerge with a 3-1 victory in a division clash.

Moran pitched all 10 innings, allowing just three hits, one walk, one hit batter, and struck out eight to earn the win. Lawrence was not involved in the decision, tossing nine innings with seven strikeouts, three hits, and two walks. Both starters allowed an unearned run.

“Kyle Moran was how we found a way to win that one,” said Mansfield skipper Joe Breen. “Obviously he pitched the whole game, he’s been a senior leader for us, he’s battled against some really good teams, including [Taunton]. We knew it was going to be a close, long game…I think Taunton only plays extra-inning games.

“We talked to Kyle about attacking hitters and keeping his pitch count down, which hasn’t been a strong suit of his but it definitely was today. He attacked guys and that allowed him to go the whole distance.”

After two scoreless extra innings pitched by Lawrence, the Tigers turned to the bullpen. Mansfield senior Mike Hargadon got things going with a hard ground ball through the left side for a one-out single. Senior Aidan Angland sliced a blooper that fell just fair down the right field line to put runners on the corners.

Breen elected to put the pressure on the defense with a suicide squeeze and Nick Dumouchel put the ball down perfectly. Taunton pitcher Justin Rollo tried to make a play at home but the throw was high and the Hargadon came in and both base runners moved up.

“Pushing one across with the safety squeeze, we had the perfect personnel out there at the time for that play,” Breen said. “We had Hargadon at third, and he’s a great baserunner…and Nick Dumouchel is a smart hitter and smart baseball player. It was the two perfect guys for that situation to put a little pressure on the defense and they executed.

“We’ve talked a lot in the last two weeks about mental toughness and how to be strong in tight games. We’re getting better with it but with a game like this, you have to be mentally engaged at all times because one play slip of focus can cost you the game. We have a lot of seniors on the field that have been here before and are battle tested and they are showing it.”

After an intentional walk, Taunton turned to sophomore Danny MacDougall on the mound. After hitting Sam Nugent to bring in one run, MacDougall got a strikeout and a fly ball to limit the bases loaded situation to just one run.

Moran closed the door with a 1-2-3 inning, the sixth time he retired the side in order in the game, to pick up the win.

“Logan pitched a great game, [Moran] pitched a great game too,” said Taunton coach Blair Bourque. “They gave us [a run] and we gave them one right back, and I think it was a matter of who was going to be able to execute at the end and they were able to do a better job than we were. We just have to make sure we continue to practice hard now and hopefully, the adversity we’re facing now will help us in the long run.”

Taunton took the lead without getting a hit in the fifth inning. Junior Jared Roderick was hit by a pitch and used head’s up base running to sprint all the way to third on a sac bunt down the third base line from Joe Crawford. Moran got a strikeout for the second out but Roderick came home a couple of pitches later on a passed ball.

Mansfield tied the game in the next half inning, also pushing a run across without a hit. Dumouchel reached on an error and took second on the same throwing error. Pinch runner Michael DeBolt took third on a wild pitch and came home on a sacrifice fly from Nugent to make it 1-1.

Lawrence had a two-out single in the bottom of the first inning but the Tigers didn’t get another hit until the seventh inning. Moran got a fly ball to center in the first for the third out to erase that threat. Roderick had the second hit of the game with a one-out infield hit but Moran induced a line drive to left and got a strikeout looking for the third out.

Lawrence had his second hit of the day, a one-out bloop single to right but Morgan got back-to-back grounders with second baseman Connor Smith (four assists) and Hargadon (one put out, three assists), the shortstop, making the plays. Mansfield did not commit an error in the game while the Tigers had three.

“Going into today, we knew it’d be a close one…with all of our pieces back, we had what we felt was our best defensive line up out there and then we were able to bring some bats off the bench to do some things,” Breen said. “The guys up the middle, Hargadon and Smith, are stellar and Dumouchel is one of the best high school defensive first basemen I’ve ever coached. Just having those guys in the infield gives a pitcher confidence to go out there and throw strikes and not feel like they have to strike everyone out.”

Mansfield’s Eric Longley had a two-out single in the second but was erased trying to steal second on a nice throw from Taunton catcher Andrew Gomes. Dumouchel had a two-out single in the third but Lawrence induced a fly ball to center, and after John Carney walked with two outs in the fourth, the Taunton junior got an infield grounder to get out of the inning.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

The Hornets threatened when Hargadon walked in the fifth but MacDougall turned a double play to cancel that threat.

“We’ve faced some adversity so far this year,” Bourque said. “I wouldn’t say we’re comfortable playing in this type of game but we’re used to it. Any mishandle, any errors can cost you the game. We’re battle-tested, it’s just a matter of putting some hits together and helping our pitchers a little bit.”

Mansfield baseball (8-2 Hockomock, 9-2 overall) is back in action on Monday when it hosts North Attleboro. Taunton (5-4, 7-5) will host Stoughton on the same day.

06/07/201811/23/2018

Taunton’s Comeback Comes Up Short Against Durfee

Taunton Tyler Medeiros delivers a pitch against Durfee. (Cameron Merritt/HockomockSports.com)

By Cameron Merritt, HockomockSports.com Contributor

TAUNTON, Mass. – For the 11th-seeded Durfee Hilltoppers, the third time was the charm.

The team from Fall River defeated #6 Taunton Tigers, 7-6, in the first round of the MIAA Division 1 South tournament on Thursday, after the Tigers had taken the two regular season meeting games against their non-league rivals this year.

“Today was one of those days where we tried to pick up each other, we came together as a team, we fought, but they were just the better team today,” said Taunton coach Blair Bourque. “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy. We came to play and left everything on the field, [we] just came up a little short today.”

The Hilltoppers put up three runs in the third and four in the fourth to forge their path to victory. The visitors saw important offensive contributions from several players, including second baseman Nate Ladeira, who went 3-for-3 with three singles, two runs, a walk and an RBI. Right fielder Remy Dumont also impressed for the visitors, going 2-for-3 with a run, a walk and a stolen base.

On the mound, starter Tommy Lambert took the win, going 5.2 innings giving up nine hits, six runs, and two walks while striking out five. In relief, third baseman Ethan Ferreira moved over to the mound and tossed 1.1 innings giving up a hit and a walk while striking out two.

For the Tigers, a handful of players impressed at the plate, starting with the leadoff batter, center fielder Trevor Pietrzyk, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, a walk, and two stolen bases. Designated hitter turned pitcher Tyler Medeiros also went 2-for-3 with two runs, in addition to a double and two RBI while left fielder Logan Lawrence went 2-for-4 with a three RBIs, a run, and a home run.

For the Taunton pitchers, starter Jack Moynihan gave up three runs, four hits and a pair of walks while striking out three for the no decision. The loss was charged to reliever Josh Lajoie.

Medeiros finished the game for Taunton, giving up three hits, a run (unearned) and a walk while striking out three in 3.2 innings.

The game began fairly the same for both teams, as they both lead off the first with hits only to see themselves come out of the inning scoreless as the pitchers battled back.

Durfee put themselves on the board in the top of the third inning as Ladeira walked, Dumont singled and left fielder Lucas Sousa was hit by a pitch to load up the bases for the Hilltoppers. In that scenario, first baseman Curtis Perry delivered a double that scored the first two, and a wide throw to the plate by Lawrence that went out of bounds allowed Sousa to cross the plate and gave the visitors a 3-0 lead.

The Tigers, however, were quick to respond.

Right fielder Evan Melo and Pietrzyk hit back-to-back singles, and an overthrow on a steal attempt allowed Melo to come home, and Medeiros drove in Pietrzyk a batter later to make it 3-2.

On the next at-bat, a double deep to right by Lawrence some Medieros come home all the way from first, tying the game back up at 3-3 as the third inning came to a close.

Lajoie took over on the mound in the fourth inning but ran into some early trouble, hitting the first two batters he faced and gave up an RBI single to the third, Ladeira, to give Durfee a lead they would never relinquish.

A wild pitch advanced both designated hitter Brett Fonseca and Ladeira into scoring position, in time for Dumont to send them both home off a deep single to the left center gap, making it 6-3.

After the hit, Medeiros took the mound in relief. An infield single bunt by Lambert plated Dumont, and the Hilltoppers came out of the inning with a 7-3 lead over their hosts.

The Tigers still were hungry, and not ready to go down without a fight.

In the bottom of the fifth Pietrzyk drew a one-out walk and stole second to put himself in scoring position. A hard-hit double by Medeiros drove the outfielder in, and he himself would cross home as Lawrence sent a deep shot over the left field fence by the foul pole for a two-run home run, leaving the Tigers trailing the Hilltoppers by just a run.

That run, however, would never come for the hosts. After threatening with second baseman Griffin Tomaszycki on third, Durfee swapped their starter for Ferreira, who closed out the inning and kept the Taunton mostly at bay for the next couple of innings.

For the Tigers, Medeiros was able to get himself into a groove, including striking out three out of four batters he faced during one strand.

The Hilltoppers nearly added another run in the top of the seventh as Ferreira tried tagging up to home on a Fonseca pop out to left, but Lawrence had different plans as he sent a strong, accurate throw to catcher Andrew Gomes at the plate to beat the runner and turn a routine fly into a double play.

Durfee moves on now to the MIAA D1 South Quarter Finals, where the #11 Hilltoppers will be challenged with a trip to #3 Wellesley on Monday.

05/18/201805/18/2018

Taunton’s Lajoie, Bignar Silence Bombardiers’ Bats

Taunton baseball — Taunton junior Josh Lajoie (12 strikeouts) delivers a pitch in the first inning against Attleboro. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By Brian Hines, HockomockSports.com Contributor

ATTLEBORO, Mass. – When Attleboro loaded the bases in the fifth inning, Taunton head coach Blair Bourque decided to make a call to the bullpen to try and keep the score even.

The decision to bring in senior right-hander Brendan Bignar proved fruitful as he struck out the next two batters to escape the jam.

“It was huge, you know he comes in throwing strikes,” said Taunton head coach Blair Bourque. “We did that to ourselves, he was able to pick up Josh [Lajoie]. It was a great effort, good leader, came in throwing strikes and that’s what we needed him to do and that’s what he did.”

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Along with Bignar, Taunton’s starter Josh Lajoie had success silencing the Bombardiers’ bats en route to a 1-0 victory.

Lajoie pitched 5.1 innings, striking out 12 batters while allowing just one hit. The two combined to toss a seven-inning shutout, combining for 18 total strikeouts.

“[Josh] is a good pitcher,” Bourque said. “If he can locate that fastball and pitch to contact more, keep the pitch count low and try to extend them a little bit, he’s going to be big for us.”

As effective as Taunton’s pitching staff was, Attleboro’s starter and senior captain Jon Candiales was just as brilliant. The right-hander struck out seven batters while pitching all seven innings for the Bombardiers’, allowing just two hits and one run.

Taunton’s eventual game-winning run came in the top of the sixth, when Trevor Pietrzyk was able to score after Attleboro tried to throw out Tyler Medeiros stealing second.

Pietrzyk started the inning with a leadoff single and was able to steal second to be put in scoring position. He moved to third after a sacrifice bunt from Bignar.

“This was definitely a pitcher’s duel, lot of strikeouts. We got to get guys in motion and try to make things happen,” Bourque said. “It’s tough for [Attleboro] to lose that way and it’s something we got to work on, kind of put the ball in play and making things happen and actually getting those balls to drop.”

Attleboro had plenty of opportunities throughout the game to put runs on the board, but failed to capitalize. The Bombardiers’ drew eight walks, led by Tim Callahan with three, which is something Taunton has struggled with all season.

“We kill ourselves, we are our own worst enemy, walking guys, errors, big innings…you know you got to limit the damage,” Bourque said. “That’s been all year, the games you look back at you have a lot of regrets.”

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Attleboro’s best opportunity outside of their bases-loaded situation in the fifth came the inning earlier. After Sam Larkin was hit by a pitch and Dakota Kirby drew a walk, a double steal put both runners in scoring position with no outs.

But three strong stops by Taunton catcher Ben Joyce left the runners where they were and Lajoie recorded three consecutive strikeouts to end the Bombardiers’ threat.

“We’ll take that, we’ll take it anyway them come right now, that was a tough game,” Bourque said.

Taunton baseball (8-5 Hockomock, 11-5 overall) returns to the diamond on Friday for a matchup with Sharon. Attleboro (5-9 Hockomock, 6-10 overall) is back in action on Sunday, as they welcome Lowell to town.

05/08/201805/08/2018

Dalton, Mansfield Earn Revenge Against Taunton

Mansfield baseball — Mansfield’s Tyler Dalton (right) slides under Taunton catcher Andrew Gomes for a run. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

TAUNTON, Mass. – Mansfield senior Tyler Dalton found himself in an unusual spot on Monday afternoon, looking to bounce back after a tough outing in his last start.

Dalton allowed nine runs – six earned – in his previous start on the road at Oliver Ames. But with a chance to bounce back, Dalton was at his best. The senior right-hander allowed just two hits — only one out of the infield — while striking out 10 and walking just one in a complete game effort, helping the Hornets pull out a 7-2 win over Taunton.

“After his bullpen, the only thing he said to me was ‘We’re not losing today,’ and I could see the look on his face, you just knew he was going to go out and deal,” said Mansfield head coach Joe Breen. “He knew what he was up against with Taunton being a good team and [Jack] Moynihan being one of best pitchers in the league. He had his work cut out for him, but he certainly met the challenge, that’s for sure.”

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Dalton limited Taunton to one hit in the third and one in the fourth, the two innings the Tigers scored single runs. Beyond that, he faced the minimum in the first, second, fifth, sixth, and seventh. Taunton had a runner in the second (HBP), but he was erased by catcher Cullin Anastasia trying to steal second.

He also recorded at least one strike out in every inning, getting a pair of Ks in each the second, third, and sixth innings.

After a pair of scoreless innings, Taunton finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Griffin Tomaszycki battled back from down 0-2 in the count to lead off with a walk. He then took second on a ground out from Andrew Gomes and came around on a sharp grounder down the first base line from Josh Lajoie to make it 1-0.

Mansfield got its first two hits of the game in the top of the fourth with Dan Saraceno and Dalton both singling. Dalton and Kevin Dow (reached on fielder’s choice) got to second and third with two outs but Taunton starter Jack Moynihan got the final out to prevent any damage.

Taunton added to its lead in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Jacob Crawford reached after an infield error and took second when he beat the throw on Tyler Medeiros’ ground ball. With two outs, Tomaszycki hit a hard ball to the left side of the infield for a single, but the throw was off which allowed Crawford to come home from third to make it 2-0.

But the lead didn’t last too long as Mansfield responded in the top of the fifth, with a little help from the Tigers’ defense. Justin Pena’s single was followed by Chris Jenkins’ grounder, which resulted in a fielding error and then a throwing error. Pena moved all the way to third and Jenkins to second.

Mike Hargadon drove Pena in with an RBI ground out, and a couple of pitches later Jenkins took third on a passed ball and scored on a two-out single from Sam Nugent to make it 2-2.

“I think the first few games of the season, once we got to two strikes in the count, we were pretty much an automatic ‘K,’” Breen said. “We’ve really changed our approach with two strikes over the last month and the guys are really taking to it. Everyone is up there battling with two strikes, and once we get two strikes, we’re not an easy out anymore. I think that pesky attitude paid off and we put some balls in play.”

Mansfield’s offense continued in the top of the sixth inning. Dalton drew a one-out walk, ending Moynihan’s day on the mound. Dalton took second on a passed ball and scored on a hard hit ball by Anastasia, who took second on the throw to home. With Anastasia taking off, he came around to score on another infield error to make it 4-2.

“You can’t do it, we’re hurting ourselves,” said Taunton head coach Blair Bourque of his team’s six errors. ”We didn’t leave guys on base too much today, obviously [Dalton] pitched an outstanding game today. But we have to eliminate the mistakes and have to play sound baseball because we’re not that great of an offensive team. Any extra bags or extra outs, they come back to haunt you and it’s killing us right now.”

The Hornets put the game out of reach with three insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. Saraceno was hit by a pitch with one out and moved all the way to third on an errant pick off attempt. Dow drove Saraceno in with an RBI single. Another error proved costly for Taunton as Anastasia was able to reach and Dow came all the way around make it 6-2.

Anastasia took third on that error and came home on a line drive single from Pena.

“If you told me we were going to get seven runs today, I wouldn’t have believed you,” Breen said. “I knew we’d have a few baserunners and that we’d have to maximize those guys as much as possible. We knew getting an extra 90 here or there, with a steal or something, would be huge. We have a lot of good athletes with some wheels, so we definitely want to use that as much as possible.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Despite suffering the loss, Moynihan pitched well, allowing just one earned run in 5.1 innings of work, four hits, one walk, and three strikeouts.

“I don’t think he had much on his fastball today, so he did really well for himself to work the off-speed pitch and do as well as he did without necessarily his best fastball,” Bourque said of Moynihan. “He’s learning how to be a pitcher, not just a thrower. In games when you don’t have your best stuff and can still get guys out is something he can be commended for. But we have to help him out and make sure we’re making those plays.”

Mansfield baseball (6-3 Hockomock, 8-3 overall) will try to extend its win streak to five when it hosts Attleboro on Wednesday afternoon. Taunton (5-4, 8-4) will try to bounce back the same day when it hosts Franklin.

“At this point, every game you win is the biggest of the season,” Breen said. “Being able to come on the road and beat a good team, especially with a good pitcher like that…we’ve had this one marked on the calendar for a while especially after the first game and the boys were certainly up for the challenge.”

04/21/2018

Tigers Ride Moynihan Gem to Win at Franklin

FRANKLIN, Mass. – The temperatures may have been hovering around 40 degrees and fans and players alike were bundled up as though it were mid-February rather than the middle of April, but Taunton starting pitcher Jack Moynihan was not bothered by the cold. He came out throwing heat and dominated from the opening pitch of Friday’s early season night game at Franklin.

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Moynihan struck out the first five batters he faced and closed the game by striking out five Panthers over the last two innings. He finished with 15 strikeouts on the evening, allowed only three hits, and tossed a complete game shutout, as Taunton walked away with a 2-0 victory to remain unbeaten.

“Phenomenal,” said Taunton coach Blair Bourque of Moynihan’s night. “Getting ahead with his fastball first time around and then mixing it up but getting ahead. He did a great job.”

While striking out the side in the first, Moynihan threw strikes on 10-of-11 pitches. He also retired the first two batters in the second on punch outs before Stephen Luttazi became the first Panther to put the ball in play with a grounder to second. Luttazi injured himself coming out of the batter’s box and was forced to leave the game.

In the third inning, Moynihan struck out a pair before Franklin finally made solid contact, as nine-hole hitter Colby Fitzgibbons broke up the no-hitter with a double to left center. Moynihan came right back with a strikeout of Jack Nally to end the inning.

“We faced him last year and we knew we were in for a really tough test,” said Franklin coach Zach Brown of Moynihan. “He certainly was on, pounding it, and he really threw his breaking ball well for strikes.”

Franklin, which has been struggling at the plate this season with only 10 runs scored in five games, put together its lone rally in the fourth. Scott Elliott took the first pitch to center for a single and Alex Haba lined a twisting drive down the right field line that Griffin Tomaszycki went full stretch to get a glove to but couldn’t haul in. Elliott had to pause in case it was caught and ended up at third on the single.

Haba stole second to put two runners in scoring position and Brown turned to a suicide squeeze with catcher Jake Macchi at the plate. Unfortunately for the Panthers, the sophomore couldn’t get a bunt down and Elliott was easily tagged out by Taunton catcher Ben Joyce. Moynihan ended the threat with a strikeout and a comebacker.

Brown explained, “Today wasn’t going to be the day that we were going to roll out and put up crooked numbers or anything like that, so opportunities to execute and push a run across we knew was going to be big and whoever got that first one was going to be in a good position. Unfortunately, we didn’t get it done.”

The Tigers were not able to turn Moynihan’s dominance into a lead thanks to a strong performance from Franklin starter Bryan Woelfel. Using a repertoire of off-speed pitches, he kept the Tigers off-balance and managed to bear down and work himself out of several early jams. He allowed no earned runs and struck out seven in six innings.

“He had that slider going and he was filthy,” said Bourque of Woelfel. “He mixed it up and had our hitters off-balance and he made us look silly sometimes. Just a great game.”

Jacob Crawford drew a walk in the first and advanced all the way to third after a single by Christian Simoes (3-for-4, reached base all four plate appearances) and a stolen base, but Woelfel induced a 6-4-3 double play off the bat of Tyler Medeiros to emerge unscathed. Taunton put two runners in scoring position in the third but again Woelfel escaped, this time with a strikeout.

Brown said, “I don’t necessarily know if Bryan had his best stuff today but one thing we don’t have to worry about is whether or not he’ll be ultra-competitive and he certainly was today. Very different styles, very different pitchers, but both competing hard and it was certainly a pitcher’s duel.”

A breakthrough finally came in the sixth inning. Simoes lined a double to center to leadoff the inning and, after Woelfel fell behind 3-0 in the count, Medeiros was intentionally walked. A wild pitch allowed both runners to move into scoring position, but Woelfel came back with a pair of strikeouts to get on the verge of another big escape.

Tomaszycki hit a slow, bouncing ball on the infield grass that couldn’t be fielded cleanly and allowed the game’s first run to come home. Woelfel limited the damage with another strikeout to end the threat.

The Tigers tacked on an important insurance run in the seventh against Franklin reliever Will Pacheco. With one out, leadoff hitter Trevor Pietrzyk dropped a perfect bunt down the third base line to get on base. After a strikeout and a stolen base, he stood on second with two down. Simoes came through in the clutch with his third hit of the night, driving an RBI-double to right center.

“Christian Simoes, a senior, came up big,” Bourque said. “He’s in that spot for a reason. That insurance run puts a lot less pressure on in the seventh. You get a runner on and your down just one that’s a lot different. Having that cushion allows us to take a breathe and go get the next guy.”

Two runs was more than enough for Moynihan. He struck out the first two batters he faced in the bottom of the seventh, his 14th and 15th of the night, and got a slow roller to third that looked like it might end the game, but instead the throw skipped away to bring the tying run to the plate. Moynihan got slow bouncing ball to Josh Lajoie at second to end the game.

“From start to finish, he pitched so well and I think getting ahead sets the table for his off-speed pitches and he was able to spot and hit corners,” said Bourque of his pitcher. “Hats off to him.”

He added, “Every team in the Hock is really good and Franklin is up there, so we’ll take them when we can get them.”

Taunton (6-0, 3-0) will stay in the division on Monday when it hosts King Philip, while Franklin (3-2, 2-2) will be right back on the field on Saturday with a trip to Bishop Feehan.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.