Just weeks before the season, it looked like Wilton-Lyndeborough wouldn’t have the numbers to field a baseball team. But first-year head coach Tom Brennan cobbled a squad together, drawing on players with experience so varied that some of them hadn’t played organized baseball in a decade.
“I looked at my rightfielder when he showed up for practice and said ‘When’s the last time you played baseball?’ ” Brennan said. “He said ‘When you coached me,’ and I said ‘That was t-ball!’”
With that level of experience on the field, there are bound to be some rough patches this season, and Saturday’s 10-0 loss at Mascenic was one of them. Still, the Warriors are improving, and with strong pitching from Troy Brennan and Sean Brennan, coach Brennan has his sights set on the Division IV playoffs, when the records reset, the opponents are of the same division, and the games really matter.
“I think by the end of this month, we were going to be one notch better,” coach Brennan said. “I don’t think anyone’s going to want to play us in the playoffs, because they know we have the two pitchers.”
Bright spots were evident for WLC Saturday, despite the mercy rule loss. Junior Keegan Hall had never caught before coming into the season, and he’s shown improvement over the season. Leftfielder Alex Balusek tracked down a bomb in left field for an impressive running catch, and that aforementioned rightfielder, Tim Crowley, hit in the seven spot after working his way up the hierarchy.
“In practice, he’s starting to climb over kids,” Brennan said. “He’s hitting the balls, and he blooped one out there, at least.”
Crowley had one of WLC’s two hits on the day off Mascenic starter Jack Cocozella, who threw a five-inning complete game shutout with only one walk and six strikeouts.
Meanwhile, the Vikings had their way with starter Troy Brennan, especially in the fourth inning, where Mascenic notched seven runs.
Jack Cocozella (2-3, 2 RBI), Jared Sullivan (1-1), Hayes Pearson (1-2), Blaine Krook (2-3), Joe Cocozella (2-3, 2 RBI) and Sean Agonis (1-3, 2B) drove in runs for Mascenic.
Earlier in the week, the Vikings took a 5-0 loss against Keene, as Mascenic could only come up with two hits against the Division I Blackbirds. Shea Zina threw six innings, allowing three earned runs and striking out 10.
Mascenic (4-2) is at Conant Tuesday.
WLC (1-4) was set to host Epping on Monday after press time and play at Keene Thursday.
Mascenic wins Saturday doubleheader over Conant
After a long stretch of inactivity due to field conditions, the Vikings were back in action last week, losing their first game of the season at Division I Keene and then sweeping Conant in a Saturday doubleheader.
Saturday’s twin bill featured two very different games. In Game One, a pitchers’ duel between Mascenic’s Katalina Davis and Conant’s Graecen Kirby resulted in a 3-1 Viking win. Conant scored first when Riley Herr walked and scored on a wild pitch, but Mascenic tied it on a Ella Pearson single in the bottom of the first. Pearson gave Mascenic the lead with another RBI in the third before Kenzie Cormier’s RBI double padded the lead.
Game Two was a far different matter, as the Vikings exploded early and ran away with a 17-2 win. Cormier (2-3, 2 2B, 3 RBI) blew the game open; Pearson (1-3, 3B, 2 RBI), Allison Adams (2-3, 2B, 2 RBI), Leah St. John, Xaria Talbot and Delaney Traffie drove in runs for Mascenic.
Conant couldn’t get much going off Davis and Lexis Vautour, who combined to allow just one earned run in five innings.
Kirby and Heather Gonyea drove in Conant’s runs. Kaylee Karns took the loss for the Orioles.
Earlier in the week, Conant shut out Hinsdale, 8-0, behind a gem from Kirby, who went seven shutout innings, striking out 14.
Herr, Irelynd Aucoin, Kirby and Karns drove in runs for Conant.
The Orioles (4-4) were scheduled to play at WLC Monday after press time and host Mascenic Tuesday.
On Thursday, Mascenic lost their first game of the season at Division I Keene, as the Blackbirds’ Emma Bartlett went seven innings of shutout ball with 12 strikeouts, five hits and a walk.
Lyla Buxton allowed three earned runs and took the loss.
Mascenic (6-1) is at Conant Tuesday.
Hollis-Brookline 7,
ConVal 1
ConVal’s short win streak was snapped Friday by the visiting Cavaliers. Sam Henderson walked and stole a base in the first inning and scored on a hit from senior Breanna Hutchinson to provide the Cougars’ only run.
Lily Mandel took the loss on the mound in a complete game, allowing eight hits and two walks while striking out five. Henderson made five catches in the outfield and Morgan Bemont was solid behind the plate, with no passed balls and a diving catch of a pop-up bunt.
ConVal (3-3) hosts Pelham Wednesday.
Hollis-Brookline 16,
ConVal 3
The Cougars played a solid two innings before errors in the field did them in, coach Matt Harris said Friday.
“We just didn’t make the mental plays,” Harris said. Brady Carpentiere did his job pitching to ground balls, Harris said.
Owen McGuire was 1-1 with two runs scored and Sam Scheinblum was 2-2 with a double and an RBI.
ConVal (0-6) hosts Pelham Tuesday.