It got scary late, but Weymouth baseball upsets Milton to continue hot start
MILTON − Leaving nine runners on base, four of them in scoring position, and having another runner tagged out at the plate would not seem like a formula for success when you're going up against a defending state champion in their own backyard.
Walking three straight batters in the seventh inning after getting the first two outs while clinging to a two-run lead is also, generally, frowned upon as a winning strategy.
But the Weymouth High baseball team has been full of surprises this season. So why should Wednesday have been any different?
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It's true that coach Joe Paolucci's club squandered some prime scoring chances. And the whole thing almost fell apart at the very end. But, as usual with these guys, there were high-fives and handshakes, thanks to a 2-0 statement win over mighty Milton that locked up a Division 1 playoff berth.
Weymouth, which won five games each of the last two seasons, is suddenly 11-4 overall, 7-2 in the Bay State Conference's Herget Division. That means they are right on the heels of Milton (14-2, 8-1), the defending Div. 2 state champ.
"This is huge win for us," said senior first baseman Andrew Ferguson, whose fifth-inning RBI single provided a key insurance run. "Taking down these guys? We haven't beaten these guys in years. Fourteen-and-one, best team in the state. We came in here and beat them on their own field. And clinched a tournament (berth) while we're at it."
"We've been talking about this game for a few weeks," said senior pitcher Sean Zaslaw, who allowed two hits over 6⅔ innings before reliever Colin McPherson recorded the final out. "Obviously, (Milton) is an unbelievable team. Beating them, I think that's a really good look for us. It's basically a playoff game right now. Winning this game will really build up our confidence. Moving forward I think we're in a really good spot."
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In the latest MIAA power rankings, which came out Tuesday morning, Weymouth was 10th in Div. 1, although one of their recent wins (over Cardinal Spellman) was not accounted for. This latest victory, coming on the heels of Tuesday's loss to Walpole that snapped a seven-game win streak, should provide a nice boost, considering that Milton's overall ranking (5.9064 as of Tuesday) was the third-highest of any team in the state.
"This shows us that we can beat anybody, right?" Paolucci said. "If we can hold our own against Milton, we can certainly beat anybody that we see going forward."
Weymouth's recent history − the Wildcats were 5-17 last spring and 5-13 in the abbreviated 2021 campaign − did not stamp them as a contender heading into 2023. But here they are.
"I always knew we had the talent to do it," said Ferguson, who's hitting a scalding .476. "Last year was an off year. Not a great group of leaders. But this year we turned it up. Worked hard in the offseason. New group of leaders and completely different team this year."
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"The last two years we had a pretty bad environment," McPherson said. "This year we have a bunch of guys who want to be here, which is a huge difference. Also, we just kind of figured it out. We're playing good baseball. We're not giving up any big innings, which is something we had been doing a lot of (in previous seasons) but we're not anymore."
By the numbers
122: Pitches needed by Zaslaw to record the first 20 outs. He was brilliant, allowing only a two-out double to Harrison Hinckle in the third and a two-out single by Jack Finnegan in the sixth while striking out five. "Stud," Ferguson declared. "You could pitch him against any team in the state and he'll come through for you." The Bryant-bound right-hander improved to 4-0 and lowered his ERA to 1.11.
2: Pitches needed by McPherson to slam the door after Zaslaw walked three straight batters − pinch-hitter Jeff Potter, Hinckle and leadoff man Scott Longo, the last two on full counts − after retiring the first two batters in the seventh. Zaslaw acknowledged he was frazzled a bit by some calls that didn't go his way. No matter. McPherson notched his second save by getting Jimmy Fallon to tap to third on a slider.
"I know that Sean and I are two completely different types of pitchers," McPherson said. "He's a real power pitcher; I'm more of a finesse guy. He's throwing about 90; I'm at 75. If I can get (hitters) with the offspeed, they're going to be way out in front, especially in a one-at-bat scenario. I was looking to catch (Fallon) out in front, get a nice weak groundball and trust the boys in the infield."
17: Team-best RBIs for Ferguson after his fifth-inning single that plated Zaslaw for a 2-0 cushion. Zaslaw staked himself to a 1-0 lead in the first when he singled in Gill Dolan (hit by pitch, stolen base). It was RBI No. 12 for Zaslaw, who was 2-for-3.
85: Pitches for Milton starter (and hard-luck loser) Owen McHugh, who allowed seven hits over five innings with nine strikeouts. Said Finnegan, Milton's catcher: "He throws harder than anyone else on the team and he's got a nice little mix with the changeup, makes it work."
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5-0: Record for Milton sophomore ace Longo, a transfer from Catholic Memorial. His emergence has helped Milton deal with the graduation losses of 2022 co-aces Charlie Walker and Brian Foley. "He started for CM down the stretch (last year as a freshman), so he's had playoff experience," Finnegan said. "He's great. He does everything. He hits, runs the bases well, probably our best pitcher. He just does everything for us."
They said it
"This is a great group of kids. They play hard, so no surprise (that we're good again). We're very happy. Fourteen-and-two is a great spot to be in. These guys play hard, you saw it today. They played a full seven innings. We just came up short." − Milton coach Brendan Morrissey on his team
"I thought that if everybody performed to their highest capabilities, we could (be good this season). I've thought that in other years and it hasn't worked out. But this year everybody is doing their job. We've got a short roster but everybody's pitching in and we have three or four guys having career years. That's the key." − Paolucci on whether he's surprised by Weymouth's emergence this season
This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Zaslaw stars on mound as Weymouth baseball upsets Milton, 2-0
