Community Corner
Faia Pitches Big Blue Baseball Past Pentucket
Senior righty Robert Faia scattered three hits over seven innings leading Swamspcott to a 4-2 win over the Sachems Saturday night on Forest Avenue.
The Swampscott High School baseball team bounced back quickly from a rare home loss to Marblehead earlier this week, winning their last home game of the season 4-2 over Pentucket Regional High School.
Swampscott swept the season series between the two schools, winning 9-7 in extra inning last month. Pentucket (11-9) will wait for the tournament seeding to come out on Tuesday to see whom they play in the playoffs.
The Big Blue (12-7) have one more order of business to wrap up the season, beat Saugus on Sunday afternoon and secure a home playoff game next week.
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The score was tight, with the Blue leading 3-2 in the bottom of the sixth when pinch-hitter Justin Perry launched a high, high fly into center field that Pentucket’s John Silva lost when it went over the lights, allowing A. J. Baker to score an insurance run, putting the Blue up 4-2.
Senior Robert Faia allowed the first two Sachems to reach in the top of the seventh, but settled right down, retiring the final three batters to end it. Faia put an exclamation point on his win, whiffing Josh Silva looking to end the game.
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“Definitely a home field advantage on Justin (Perry’s) fly ball,” Big Blue coach T. J. Baril said. “Credit A. J. (Baker) for getting a great read on the ball and coming all the way home from first to get us another run.
Baker led off the bottom of the sixth pinch-hitting for Tommy Keenan, and raced to first on a dropped third strike keeping the Swampscott inning alive.
Junior Nick Meninno got the Blue on the board in the bottom of the third, knocking in Gino Cresta and Frank Legere with a sinking single to right off Pentucket starter and loser Alex Ministeri.
Meninno put the Big Blue up by three in the bottom of the fifth, driving in Mike Walsh from second with another shot to right field. Walsh doubled to right with two outs ahead of Meninno.
Things were moving along smoothly for Faia until the Pentucket sixth, when the Sachems plated two runs, helped along by two Swampscott errors.
Faia induced a groundout with two men on to squelch the Pentucket rally.
Faia struck out seven and gave up just three hits over seven full. Ministeri pitched a complete game for Pentucket, struck out five and gave up seven hits in six and a half innings.
“Robert pitched a nice game for us,” Baril said. “He’s one of our senior captains and we count on him to play well and lead this team.”
The Big Blue recognized their seniors and their all-stars Saturday night at the final home game of the 2011 regular season. Justyn Fischer-Block, Faia, and Tommy Keenan all started for the Big Blue. Swampscott placed three players on the Northeastern Conference Small All-Star team, Mike Walsh, Frank Legere and Sean O’Brien. All three are just juniors who will be back in 2012 for Swampscott.
Swampscott will know who they play in the state tournament come Tuesday, but first they take on those other Sachems, from Saugus on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Saugus.
