By DAN PAWLOWSKI
ARLINGTON — Literally, there will be brighter days for the Wakefield High baseball team.
As sophomore reliever Patrick Maloney (W, 2.2IP, 0H, 5K, 2BB, 0R) worked to get the final out of a Warrior victory at Arlington’s Spy Pond Field last night in near total darkness and 30-degree weather, it was hard not to pine for those late-season spring nights.
Figuratively, Wakefield would gladly take 20 games of this in 2025.
The reigning Middlesex League Freedom Division champions kicked off their season with a 7-2 victory over the Spy Ponders.
Senior ace Marc Gagne (4.1IP, 4H, 6K, 3BB, 2R, 0ER), an All-Conference All-Star last season, had a good start in less than ideal conditions and the Warriors erased a 2-0 deficit through 5, putting up 4 runs in the top of the 6th and 3 more in the 7th while Maloney cruised to earn his first varsity victory.
“Both Marc and Pat were great on the mound for us,” said Wakefield head coach Kevin Canty who kicked off his 8th season at the helm with a victory.
Keeping the Spy Ponders off the board for 4 frames was no small feat for Gagne. In addition to chilly temperatures, the Warriors battled traffic and were late to the opening day party, rushing through warmups before sending their senior southpaw to the hill. Wakefield was hardly sharp defensively either, making multiple errors including two in the 5th which sparked Arlington’s rally and allowed them to get on the board. Through the game, Gagne kept Arlington’s hitters off balance, racking up 6 strikeouts and although he has another level to reach as the season goes on, it was the type of gritty start that Wakefield needed against Arlington’s own senior lefty ace, Jack Sadowski, who cruised through 5 shutout frames with an impressive 9 strikeouts.
Maloney entered a tough situation with the bases loaded and 1 out in the 5th. He responded by getting his first of 5 strikeouts in just 2.2 innings of work and followed by getting out of it with a pop up.
That created some momentum for Wakefield as senior Charles Gagne led off the 6th with a walk and his first of three stolen bases in this one. Senior Andrew Nemec moved Gagne to 3rd with a groundout and later with two outs, junior Jack Pennacchia and senior Cam DePrizio walked to load the bases, bringing up junior Dylan McDermott. Gagne scampered home on a wild pitch to make it 2-1 and with the runners advancing to 2nd and 3rd, McDermott dug out an infield hit, scoring two more and giving the visitors a 3-2 lead. After another stolen base (Wakefield swiped 7 bags overall) senior Jayvith Chea walked and set up a perfect delayed steal which got the attention of Arlington’s relief pitcher, allowing for another run to come home, making it 4-2.
Maloney shut Arlington down in the 6th thanks to two strikeouts and the defensive play of the game by senior Nicolo Labieniec at 2nd base as he stole a base hit up the middle and made a terrific throw back to first to get the runner by a half-step.
After a meeting with the coaches and the umpires as darkness descended, the decision to finish the game was made and the Warriors added on more in the 7th, sparked again by Charles Gagne’s walk, two steals and another run scored on a wild pitch. After junior Aidan Bligh walked and swiped 2nd, Pennacchia drove him in with a shot down the right field line to make it 6-2. The final run came on a misplayed pop up with the bases loaded as Wakefield got one more across before a tag ended the inning.
Maloney somehow saw the strike zone enough to rack up two more K’s in the bottom of the 7th, sending Wakefield’s frozen fans home happy with a solid win to start the season.
“It was your typical early game but Marc really battled and kept us in it through some of our fielding mistakes and then our pressure on offense finally got to (Arlington) in the 6th and 7th when we were able to put some runs on the board,” said Canty. “Our aggressive base running definitely was a key in both innings leading to mistakes by them.”
There are no guarantees that the home opener at Walsh Field on Monday, 4:15 p.m. against Woburn will be a brighter or warmer day, but Wakefield will bring a 1-0 record into that one as they continue a promising new season.