Lowell tops L-S to reach North semis
Matt Draper has quickly developed into one of the top arms in Division 1 North.
On a damp day, the Lowell hurler surrendered just two runs on two hits over five innings as the visiting Red Raiders defeated Lincoln-Sudbury, 6-2, in the tourney quarterfinals.
Draper often found himself in trouble courtesy of three walks and three hit batters, but made the key pitch all day long to keep the Warriors mostly at bay.
Lowell coach Danny Graham said Draper has developed into a quality starter.
“(Matt) Draper is very relaxed, everything is around the zone, he gives you everything you look for in a starter,” said Graham. “He was our No. 3 starter at the beginning of the year, but he has pitched so well in big games for us that he has definitely become our No. 2 starter.”
The Red Raiders offense jumped on top in the opening inning. Edgar Velazquez and Henry Funaro walked with one out, and Alex Cruz launched an RBI double to center to put Lowell ahead 1-0.
Two batters later, Max Gilman increased Lowell’s lead with an RBI single to right to score Funaro. Consecutive wild pitches allowed Cruz and Dan Smith to score, giving Lowell a 4-0 lead after a half inning.
Lincoln-Sudbury scrapped across a run of its own in the bottom half on a Devan Pathak sacrifice fly, but the Red Raiders (15-7) came right back.
A single and consecutive walks loaded the bases with one out and a wild pitch combined with an RBI groundout gave Lowell a 6-1 lead.
The Warriors (14-7) put pressure on Draper in the second, third, and fourth innings but each time the lanky right-hander was able to get the big out he needed. Draper stranded two in the second and third frames.
His biggest pitch of the day came in the fourth though, when with two outs and the bases loaded against cleanup hitter Jack McKeon, Draper induced a fly out to end the Warriors’ final threat.
Beau Dana went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and also allowed one run in three innings as No. 9 Marblehead (13-9) stunned topseeded Lynn Classical, 6-2, in a Div. 2 North first-round contest. . . . Justin Nadeau allowed four hits in six innings and Anthony Olszak drove in three runs as No. 3 Danvers (18-4) defeated 11th-seeded Melrose, 6-0. . . . John John Mondello threw a three-hitter as No. 13 Gloucester (12-10) edged 12th-seeded Salem, 1-0.
Kyle Hawes went 3-for4 with three RBI and two doubles to power No. 3 Lynnfield (20-2) to a 10-6 victory over No. 6 Shawsheen in a Div. 3 North quarterfinal.
Senior Mike DiBari tossed a five-hitter for his sixth win of the season as No. 3 Bridgewater-Raynham (15-7) defeated No. 6 Walpole, 4-2, in a Div. 1 South quarterfinal. . . . Lucas Sousa, John Paul McDonald and Chris Cadima each drove in a pair of runs as No. 8 Durfee (14-8) knocked off top-seeded Franklin, 153.
In the Div. 3 South quarterfinals, senior Owen Webb threw a four-hit shutout with three strikeouts as No. 8 Dover-Sherborn (14-8) blanked No. 1 East Bridgewater, 1-0. . . . Senior captain Kylar Macoratti went 3-for4 with a run scored as No. 4 Bourne (17-7) outlasted No. 5 Seekonk, 2-1, in 10 innings.