Wellesley returns to South final
H.S. BASEBALL
The Wellesley baseball team remains on track to complete some unfinished business.
The third-seeded Raiders, a Division 1 state finalist last season, earned a second straight trip to the Div. 1 South final following a back-and-forth 7-4 victory over No. 7 Xaverian yesterday at Adams Field in Quincy.
Senior Henry Weycker went the distance for the Raiders and also contributed at the plate with a two-out, two-run triple in a four-run sixth inning as Wellesley (18-5) rallied late to knock off the Hawks.
“(Henry) is a big-time player. He stepped up for us last June and he is doing it again this season,” said Wellesley coach Rob Kane. “He is definitely a June player, but this was a team win.”
Trailing 4-3 to start the bottom of the sixth, Wellesley loaded the bases with nobody out on a single from Colin Blasco, an error and a bunt base hit by Tommy Lieberman (3-for-3, three runs). However, after leadoff hitter John Ciolfi’s line drive was dropped in the infield and turned into a 6-2-5 double play, the Raiders season hung in the balance.
And then it didn’t. Wellesley went on to tie the game on an infield error before Weycker drove a ball to deep center to score two additional runs. Kai Grocki plated another run with an RBI single before Weycker closed out the semifinal with a quick 1-2-3 top of the seventh.
“Different guys have stepped us for us in every game this season,” Kane added. “It’s nice when your next game you get to play for a trophy.”
The Hawks (14-9) fell behind 2-0 after two innings before rallying to tie the game in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Charlie Bean. Wellesley retook the lead in the home half of the fourth when Lieberman scored on a wild pitch, but the Hawks scored twice in the top of the sixth on two-out hits by Bean and Sean Birch to grab the 4-3 lead.
In other tournament baseball action yesterday:
All-Scholastic Spencer Brown drove in three runs and Mike Urbanski pitched 52⁄3 innings of scoreless relief as No. 3 Beverly (19-4) advanced to the Div.2 North final with a 5-1 win over No. 10 Burlington.
Jake Lanciani hit a three-run homer, Phil Durgin knocked in two runs and Luke McClintock pitched a shutout as No.3 Hamilton-Wenham (175) extended its postseason scoreless streak to 21 with an 8-0 win over No. 7 South Boston in a Div. 4 North semifinal.
Brandon Guerrero had three hits, Colman O’Toole drove in three runs and Chris Bear went the distance as No. 1 Boston Latin (17-5) advanced to its first Div. 1 North sectional final in 23 years with a 7-2 win over No. 4 Waltham.
Aidan Harding and Nick Raneri drove in five runs apiece, while Peter Cohen threw a two-hitter to lead No. 1 North Attleboro (202) to a 20-2 victory over fifth-seed Dartmouth in a Div.2 South semifinal.