Sixth sense: St. John's (Shrewsbury) baseball erupts for 11-run sixth inning, avenging title-game loss to BC High
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.
Enter Email
Sign Up
At separate points in the 49-minute bottom of the sixth, the Pioneers (17-5) had five, then seven runners reach base in a row. Owen Miller, Jackson Lucarelli, Gabe Terlato, and Secrist all reached twice in the frame.
Advertisement
'You don't draw it up like that, for sure,' St. John's coach Casey Cummins said. 'I would've liked the 11-spot in the first inning maybe, nerves-wise. I can't say enough about the toughness this team showed.'
Related
:
The Eagles (12-10) pounced early with an RBI single from Tommy O'Donnell in the first, then three runs in the second capped by Sam Bushley's RBI double.
But the Pioneers rallied with a four-run second, sending 10 batters to the plate to tie it — a number that looked quaint by the day's end.
Advertisement
After the Eagles scored in three straight innings, the Pioneers needed to respond. They worked five walks, knocked six hits, and two of the outs in the sixth inning were productive sacrifice flies.
'When we're down in innings, I tell them to be a little bit more patient,' Cummins said. 'Let's not help them out. We need baserunners, and at that point we took advantage of our eye, our zone, and made it hurt when it counted.
'I probably had a sick feeling in my stomach for 11 months,' Secrist said. 'It's still not gone, but just great to beat them.'
The Pioneers will host No. 10 St. John's Prep (14-8) in the quarterfinal, at a date and time TBD.
St. John's Prep 5, Wachusett 2 —
Will Shaheen grabbed the win for the No. 10 Eagles (14-8) against No. 26 Wachusett (11-11), fanning six, while James Willett picked up the save with a strikeout. Tyler Spear led Prep's offense with two hits, three RBIs, and a run, Willett scored twice, and Connor Durney tallied a hit and an RBI
Division 2 State
Mansfield 4, Woburn 0 —
Junior Jack Peabody twirled 11 strikeouts in a complete-game effort, surrendering four hits and two walks as the No. 5 Hornets (14-9) buzzed into the quarterfinals over No. 21 Woburn (13-9). Darrian Sanders powered Mansfield with three hits, including a triple.
Advertisement
Plymouth North 3, Billerica 0 —
Junior Liam Pearson recorded three strikeouts and allowed five hits and two walks in a complete-game effort for the top-seeded Eagles (18-4) in their second-round win over No. 17 Billerica (11-11). Matthew Nardone and Jake Novak had a hit and an RBI each.
Reading 2, Hopkinton 0 —
Grady Ventura tossed a flawless game, going seven innings, striking out seven, and giving up only one walk and one hit as the No. 2 Rockets (19-3) advanced to the quarterfinals over No. 15 Hopkinton (15-8).
Somerset Berkley 7, Melrose 4 —
Luke Thornton manufactured a game-high three hits, singling in the first, third, and sixth innings, and Kyle Sherman Jr., Hayden Teasdale, Alex Crook, and Liam Meehan all picked up RBIs in the second-round win for the No. 6 Raiders (16-6) against No. 22 Melrose (13-9).
Division 3 State
Bishop Stang 4, Hanover 3 —
The No. 5 Spartans (15-5) got on the board early after Matt Burt singled to center and Nolan Donaldson grounded into a fielder's choice, each scoring a run. Brock Winslow extended Stang's lead to 4-1 in the bottom of the second, and Burt earned the win, going five inning with three strikeouts, a walk, six hits allowed, and two earned runs in the second-round defeat of No. 12 Hanover (13-7).
Foxborough 5, Falmouth 2 —
Senior righthander Nolan Gordon hurled three strikeouts and relinquished six hits and one earned run as the No. 3 Warriors (15-8) made it to the quarterfinals over No. 14 Falmouth (13-7). Henry Griffin led the offense with two hits, a run, an RBI and a walk, and Gordon added a hit.
Advertisement
Sandwich 8, Gloucester 2 —
Joe Coughlan's nine-strikeout day and Ty Creighton's two hits and four RBIs propelled the No. 7 Blue Knights (17-5) to the quarterfinals over No. 10 Gloucester (20-2). James Niemiec and Coughlan each recorded two hits and an RBI.
Mike Puzzanghera can be reached at
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Super Bowl–winning ex-Eagles standout continues to miss time with new team
A former Eagles Super Bowl winner remains absent from practice with his new team. It's often impossible to immediately quantify the success of an NFL trade. It's just as difficult to measure the impact of seeing a critical Philadelphia Eagles contributor leave the organization in free agency to continue his dream in another city. Often, the aftershocks of a roster shakeup involving two teams can't be measured until months or even years after its announcement. Philadelphia has seen good fortune recently. They won the Carson Wentz and A.J. Brown trades, and often, when they have taken chances on free agents, those moves have also led to some satisfactory labor from new additions and bridge players. Mekhi Becton continues to miss Chargers training camp practices Mekhi Becton is one of those solid signings referenced. Philadelphia rolled the dice on him this past season to the tune of a one-year deal intended to prove his mettle. Becton arrived in Philadelphia, and there were questions about his attitude and injury history. Fortune shone on him. For the most part, he stayed relatively healthy. There were no complaints about his attitude, as he was once quoted as saying he had never had so much fun playing football. But every offseason brings the same dilemma. There is only so much money to spread around in free agency. The Eagles had Tyler Steen on deck and other roster needs. Becton was allowed to leave the organization via free agency. He signed with the Los Angeles Chargers. Sadly, the injuries have returned, but his ailments haven't been made public. Plus, there hasn't been any timetable mentioned for when he might return. We're still in the training camp and preseason process, so NFL teams aren't required to provide weekly injury reports. There is, however, growing concern coming out of Los Angeles. Becton hasn't practiced since July. There hasn't been anything concrete stating when he will again. Might this be evidence that the Eagles moved off of him at the right time? It's certainly an interesting discussion. Steen has taken over for the Eagles as their starting right guard, waiting in the wings are guys like Brett Toth, Matt Pryor, and Trevor Keegan. Losing a starting caliber player is always worth mentioning. Fortunately, it appears Philadelphia won in this regard. They saved money at the position, and no one has to spend time racking their brain over what's going on with an expensive player. Becton will always be loved and respected in the City of Brotherly Love as a champion, but for now, his continued NFL story has tapped the 'pause' button.
USA Today
3 hours ago
- USA Today
An elevating linebacker group provides the Eagles with a wealth of solid options
Continuous and constant improvement from the Eagles' linebacker corps gives Philadelphia a wealth of options at the position Long ago, the Philadelphia Eagles slapped the franchise tag on Jeremiah Trotter Sr., and that led to one of the ugliest standoffs between a player and the organization in franchise history. He'd leave to join the rival franchise in Washington, where he'd play for two seasons (2202-2003), but he returned home in 2004 to help lead the team that drafted him to a Super Bowl appearance. In total, 'The Axe Man' played 127 games spread over eight seasons for the Birds. That includes 11 postseason games. Fast forward to the present, and his son is on the roster. Trotter Jr. wears the number 54 jersey, just like his father. He's a part of what has evolved into an impressive linebacker corps. It's hard not to love this Howie Roseman. He's handing out rich deals to Saquon Barkley. He paid a linebacker for goodness' sake, but how do you not pay Zack Baun? Have you seen what that guy has morphed into? Zack Baun leads an Eagles LB corps that is now one without rival in professional football Zack Baun's story is one we'll sit in the rocking chair and tell the grandchildren about one day. A one-year, prove-it deal was handed to a guy we weren't sure would make the roster. Following a position switch, he's now one of the best players in the game at his position. And, he isn't alone. Nakobe Dean's most recent season ended with an injury. His estimated timetable for returning to the active roster is unknown. He's a banger, though. He puts it all on the line, as do others playing at Philadelphia's second level, but while he's been absent, the green dot that was once on the back of his helmet is being worn by the second-year guy, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. In the second game of the preseason slate, a 22-13 loss to the Cleveland Browns, Trotter led all Eagles tacklers with six total stops. Three of his tackles were of the solo variety. He and rookie Jihaad Campbell carried the momentum they've been building all summer into the contest. The latter finished his day of work with four tackles (three were solo stops), a sack, a tackle for loss, and an additional hit on the quarterback. Smael Mondon is another member of the Eagles' 2025 draft class. He finished with the second-highest tackle total on the day, five stops. All of Mondon's tackles were solo takedowns. No other Eagle produced more. He's so good, but his career figures to begin with a heavy special teams workload as there aren't enough defensive snaps to go around. Many shared the theory that it was a foregone conclusion that Baun and the rookie Campbell would take up residency as the starting linebackers, but Trotter has been very impressive. How does one justify relegating him to reserve duty now? Place all of that in the pressure cooker. Stir it up. Here's what one comes up with. This is what one might call 'having a good problem'. There's a lot to think about and a wealth of options for Philadelphia at the defense's second level. We've come a long way from the Andy Reid era and the Jim Schwartz philosophy, when it was believed the Eagles put little stock into improving themselves at the linebacker position. Again, no one knows when Nakobe Dean will be cleared for contact and return to the lineup, but here's what we can guarantee. When he does return, he'll be part of a linebacker corps that is better than when he left. This is year four and a contract season. He isn't guaranteed anything past whatever turns out to be the final Eagles game, but here's what we can guarantee. That should make for some interesting conversations throughout the campaign.
Yahoo
15 hours ago
- Yahoo
Masataka Yoshida's two-run single
Masataka Yoshida rips a single to right field, plating Roman Anthony and Trevor Story to put the Red Sox on the board
