LUKE DISILVIO slides home during Lynnfield’s 17-3 win over Hamilton-Wenham in the Final Four on June 11 at Fraser Field. DiSilvio threw 6 innings of shutout ball in the state championship but the bats couldn’t get going in a tough, 3-2 loss. (Shlok Kudrimoti Photo)
WORCESTER — The Lynnfield High baseball team took on Millbury in the Div. 4 state championship game held at Polar Park in Worcester on Saturday. After an exciting run through the state tournament — including a dominant 17-3 win over CAL foe Hamilton-Wenham in the Final Four — the Pioneers came up just short in the State Final, falling to Millbury 3-2.
Playing in the shiny, new confines of the Triple-A Woo Sox, the Pioneers and Woolies each came out swinging as all five combined runs were scored in the 1st inning.
No. 5 Millbury put up three in the top half, jumping on No. 2 Lynnfield with four hits to set the tone and get Woolie fans jumping with an electric start to the game.
The Pioneers bounced back, nearly matching their counterparts in the bottom half.
Ty Adamo led off with a single and advanced to third following an error in right after a base hit by Nick Groussis.
With runners on second and third and no outs, Lynnfield fans roared to attention and Madux Iovinelli put the ball in play, scoring Adamo on a ground out. Luke DiSilvio then made it 3-2 on an opposite field RBI single. Millbury starter Ryan Nikiforow (7IP, 8H, 2R, 1ER, 0BB, 6K) buckled down with a strikeout and a ground out to escape the frame with the lead.
After one thrilling inning, both teams were excited about the prospects to come. A barnburner was clearly brewing.
And then, it wasn’t.
Nikiforow and DiSilvio (7IP, 4H, 3ER, 2BB, 9K) would go on to douse any potential scoring opportunities for the next six innings.
In fact, after the 1st, DiSilvio didn’t allow another hit. He sat Millbury down in order in the 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 6th and 7th. He essentially did the same in the 5th working around a one-out walk by getting a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out as catcher Drew George gunned out the runner trying to steal second to end the inning.
After each of these dominant innings by Lynnfield’s junior captain, the Pioneers brought momentum into the next half but could never scrape together an equalizer. Charlie Morgan had a one-out single in the 2nd and Iovinelli had a one-out single in the 3rd but Lynnfield could advance them.
Lynnfield got something going in the 4th after a leadoff single by George but Millbury returned the strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out favor to halt the momentum.
Groussis again recorded a one-out single in the 5th but Nikiforow struck out the next two batters to end it.
With frustration and pressure mounting, Lynnfield’s bats could never break through as Nikiforow had one, two, three innings in the 6th and the 7th, ending Lynnfield’s state title dreams.
The Pioneers were hoping to win their first state championship since 1961, but will have to wait for next year as they lose five key seniors from this year’s terrific 20-5 team: Adamo, Iovinelli, Groussis, Morgan and Walter Radulski.
Lynnfield’s ticket to Polar Park was emphatically punched in the Final Four against Hamilton-Wenham at Fraser Field in Lynn on June 11.
The Generals beat the Pioneers 7-6 in their only regular season matchup on April 17, handing Lynnfield one of only two losses in the Cape Ann League this year.
Hamilton-Wenham got a run on the board against Lynnfield starter, Iovinelli, sparking the General fans to believe that they had a chance to go 2-0 against the Pioneers.
Lynnfield wasted no time in dashing those dreams, exploding for 7 runs in the bottom of the 1st and changing the game for good. Altogether, Lynnfield racked up 12 hits and 14 RBI in the victory.
Radulski led the way with 2 hits and 4 RBI. Iovinelli helped his own cause with 3 RBI and Adamo added 2 RBI. Morgan had a team-high 3 hits and 3 runs scored and junior Matt Tracy added 3 runs scored along with a hit and an RBI.
Lynnfield had 5 hits in the 1st inning alone. Adamo led off with a walk and Groussis singled. Iovinelli’s ground out made it 1-1 and Radulski later helped his team take the lead for good on an RBI line drive to center. George followed with an RBI single of his own and after a walk and a fielder’s choice, the Pioneers led 4-1 with two outs. Morgan kept it going with his first of two perfectly-placed bunt hits and an Adamo walk with the bases juiced made it 5-1. Groussis then brought Lynnfield’s fans to a new stratosphere with a 2-RBI base hit.
As “Mad Dog” Iovinelli (5IP, 3H, 3R, 1ER, 5BB, 6K) settled in and chewed up General batters, the Pioneer bats continued to go off. Lynnfield added 8 more runs in the 3rd to all but seal what was essentially a giant Pioneer party at Fraser, a memory that Lynnfield baseball fans won’t soon forget.
In the end, that was the theme for Lynnfield after their heartbreaker in the championship game. It didn’t end how they wanted, but the Pioneers made Lynnfield proud with one of the best tournament runs in team history.