Sports
Cougars Eliminate Big Blue Baseball Team
Four-run first inning helps Austin Prep knock Swampscott out of the state tournament, 9-3, Thursday afternoon on Forest Avenue.
It was not the way the three senior Swampscott co-captains wanted to end their Big Blue baseball careers, with Austin Prep winning the first round playoff game 9-3.
The Cougars scored four runs in the top of the first off Big Blue starter Sean O’Brien and cruised to the win in Swampscott Thursday afternoon.
The junior righty took the loss, pitching four full innings, giving up five runs on five hits, striking out seven and walking one. Senior Robert Faia relieved O’Brien in the top of the fifth, gave up four runs on three hits, struck out one and issued one walk.
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Faia’s Big Blue career ended Thursday along with co-captains Justyn Fischer-Block and Tommy Keenan. Fischer-Block went 1-3 with a double in the second, and walked in the seventh and was on first with Gino Cresta on second and pinch-hitter Tommy Keenan on third when AP’s Tyler Finigan whiffed pinch-hitter Robert Serino to end the ballgame.
Finigan relieved Cougar starter Ryan Havey who got the win, moving to 4-0 on the mound this season. Havey pitched 5 2/3 innings, allowed all three Big Blue runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked two.
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“That first inning was tough,” Big Blue coach T. J. Baril said. “We got behind early and were never really able to get back in the game.
Swampscott threatened in the second, trailing 4-0 with Cresta on third and Fischer-Block on second, after smashing a double to deep left field, just past the stretch of AP left-fielder Mark Mezzina. Trevor Massey hit a fly ball to left; Mezzina snagged it and threw Cresta out at home, for a double play. A. J. Baker flied out to end the Big Blue second with no runs on the board.
Ryley Maceachern homered for the Cougars in the top of the third, and the Blue was behind by five.
Junior Nick Meninno gave the home fans a lift with a two-run shot with Frank Legere aboard cutting it to 5-2 after three full.
Austin Prep (13-8) scored three more in the fifth and a single run in the sixth for their nine runs. The Cougars finished tied for second with St Mary’s of Lynn, behind Bishop Fenwick in the Catholic Central League, and came in as the tenth seed in Division 3 North.
Swampscott, the seventh seed, pushed across a run in their half of the sixth when Massey singled to left scoring Cresta who had reached on an infield error.
The Big Blue ended the 2011 campaign with a 13-8 mark.
“We got great leadership from our seniors, our captains (Fischer-Block, Keenan and Faia), Baril said. “They led by example and the younger players, we have thirteen coming back, really emulated them, they left it all on the field.”
“We started quick, got out ahead and we were able to grab the win,” first year Austin Prep coach Steve Busby said. “(Ryan) Havey was real strong for us on the mound today.”
Swampscott will have seven starters back next spring, but the end of this season came much too soon for the Big Blue.
