On Monday, May 11, the varsity baseball team took on Lincoln-Sudbury (LS) in a Dual County League (DCL) matchup. This game was a special chance for both teams, as they had the unique opportunity to play at Polar Park, an over 7,000 seat stadium that hosts the “Woo Sox,” the Triple-A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox.
Before the game, both teams got to hit in the batting cage and throw in the bullpen. After warming up, Wayland and LS were treated to a professional introduction, with Wayland alumni Charles Moore reading the starting lineups and reserves for each team over the intercom.
After the starting lineups were read under beautiful baseball weather – 60 degrees with just a few clouds – the teams took the field, with Wayland batting first. After being held scoreless, LS quickly made their presence known by stringing together back-to-back RBI hits against Wayland starter Mikey Johansson, giving them an early 2-0 lead.
After another scoreless inning for Wayland in the second, junior captain Joey Fay took over on the mound, and gave the Warriors their first bit of momentum after retiring the side in just nine pitches.
Meanwhile, LS pitcher Simon Fletcher continued to dominate, retiring the side in order for the third straight inning. Fay got off to a hot start in the third, but with two outs, LS was able to hit a single, earn a walk and then drive both runners in with a Luke Danielson two-run double, making the lead 4-0.
In the fourth inning, Wayland finally broke up Fletcher’s perfect game with one out, as junior captain Mikey Johansson slapped a single into right field. Senior captain Albin Valdez followed the hit up with another single, and with two outs, junior Cooper McFarlane drove in the Warriors’ first run with an RBI single before LS escaped the inning, preserving their 4-1 advantage.
Neither team scored in the fifth inning or sixth inning, as both Fay and Fletcher continued to take over the pitcher’s duel. With two outs in the sixth, senior Ori Kohl entered, replacing Fay and forcing the final Lincoln Sudbury out, which kept Wayland within three runs.
With Fletcher still in the game, Wayland began to rally in the decisive seventh inning. McFarlane earned a walk– giving the Warriors their first leadoff base runner of the game – and freshman Jack Hartunian hit a single to send the tying run to the plate with just one out.
With the game on the line, manager Chris Fay went to the bench, calling on sophomore Louis Lefebvre to pinch hit. After a first-pitch ball, Fletcher made Lefebvre swing and miss twice before catching him looking for his ninth strikeout of the game.
Down to their final out, freshman Tommy Fay was called on to pinch hit as the tying run. The young infielder battled to a 3-2 count and fouled off multiple pitches, but before his six-pitch at bat could reach a conclusion, McFarlane was picked off of second base, ending the game in heartbreaking fashion and completing an outstanding performance for LS’s Fletcher.
The LS starter tossed seven innings of one run baseball, conceding just four hits and two walks while striking out nine. He threw a whopping 96 pitches, and was able to reach the finish line alone, securing the victory for his team.
The loss hurt Wayland without a doubt, but the Warriors were still left with the silver lining of Fay’s pitching performance. Fay went four and two-thirds innings, allowing just four hits, one walk and two runs, dropping the junior’s season ERA to just 3.64 through 32.2 innings pitched.
