Nick McCarthy slammed a three run homer in the top of the eighth inning and Joe Boudrow went the distance through all eight frames on the mound to lead the Winthrop High baseball team to a 10-6 triumph at Brighton High School Thursday afternoon.
After yielding four runs in the opening inning, Boudrow settled down nicely the rest of the way, enabling his teammates to mount a comeback. The Vikings eventually caught their hosts with a four run uprising in the sixth, the key blow being delivered by Boudrow himself, a two run double.
In the eighth, Dylan Piwinski reached on an error and Dan Eruzione singled, setting the table for McCarthy, whose three run tater proved to be the game winner. The Vikings added another run for good measure on successive singles by Boudrow, Chris LeBlanc, and Matt Todiscoto account for the 10-6 finale.
A day earlier the Vikings dropped a 9-6 decision to North eastern Conference rival Marblehead. Alex Laberti earned the start and pitched well through five innings, yielding only three earned runs. “Alex pitched well for us and kept us in the game,†noted WHS head coach Frank DeMarco.
Winthrop trailed most of the way until a five run uprising in the fifth inning left matters deadlocked at 6-6 after five frames. The Viking rally began courtesy of three walks from Marblehead pitching, which were followed by base hits off the bats of McCarthy and Boudrow that accounted for most of the RBI production.
However, Marblehead responded with three markers in the sixth to come away with the victory.
This week’s rainouts will force the Vikings to play six games in seven days, starting tomorrow (Friday) at home against Lynn Classical. Winthrop will journey to Gloucester Saturday; return home to entertain Danvers Sunday at noon; host Swampscott Monday; and host Saugus Wednesday. Winthrop will play Watertown next Thursday.
DeMarco and his crew still have a chance at qualifying for the state tourney if they can finish with a .500 record against the Division 3 opponents on their schedule. However, that means the Vikings will have to sweep their three contests with Swampscott, Saugus, and Watertown next week.
“With the postponements coming at the end of the season, it definitely will put a strain on our pitching staff,†said DeMarco. “But we have to makeup those games in a hurry to meet the MIAA deadline.â€