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With just four games left in the regular season, the Winchester High School baseball team (11-5) couldn’t be any hotter.
The Red & Black have won four straight games starting with the 8-2 win over visiting Watertown on April 30. They were then all over host Burlington two days later on May 2 to the tune of 13-2, followed by triumphs against Arlington (10-6, May 6) and Woburn (2-1, May 8).
As a result of their successes, Coach Ed McDonald’s team was seeded 22nd in the latest Division 1 power rankings on May 6 that didn’t take into account the Arlington and Woburn games. They are bound to move up, when the rankings are updated next week. There are 60 teams in Division 1.
“We were definitely happy to get our 10th win against Arlington to clinch a state tournament berth after what we had to deal with last year,” said McDonald. “Our No. 1 goal has always been to get into the postseason, but we still have four more tough games left on the regular season schedule against really good teams before thinking about the playoffs.”
The team’s recent winning streak started against Watertown. Steve McCabe pitched the first 5.2-innings to secure the win. He gave up four hits, two walks and one earned run, while striking out seven. Rami Flummerfelt finished up on the mound, allowing two hits, one walk and one earned run over 1.1-innings.
The Winchester boys banged out nine hits, led by first baseman Brett Daniels with two singles and a triple that resulted in three RBI for him. Shortstop Connor Pandolph collected two singles. Second baseman Nick Penicaud drove home two with a single. Centerfielder Adam Fiorentino and Nolan Gannon each singled in a run. Right-fielder Alex Casey contributed a single to the winning cause.
The Burlington game was cut short in the fifth inning, because of the mercy rule. Nick Penicaud pitched the first 3.2-innings, yielding three hits, one walk and two earned runs. He fanned two. Fiorentino hurled one inning. He issued one hit and three walks, and was credited with one strikeout.
The Red & Black offense collected nine more hits in this game. Daniels once again powered the attack with a triple. He also had a walk, and was responsible for three RBI, while also scoring two runs. Casey had two singles and a walk, and scored twice. Harrison Burbine doubled in two runs. Brendan Bock also chipped in with a double to knock in another Winchester run in this game. Catcher Ronan O’Connell accounted for a two-run single. Gannon singled twice, one of which drove home a run. He also scored twice. Fiorentino factored into the offense with a run-producing single.
Owen Penicaud (4 innings, 4 runs, 3 earned, 3 hits, 3 walks, 3 strikeouts) and Burbine (3 innings, 2 earned runs, 2 hits, 5 walks, 2 strikeouts) were on the mound for Winchester in the Arlington game. Owen, like his brother Nick in the Burlington game, was the winning pitcher.
The Winchester boys banged out 11 hits, and Fiorentino helped supply the fireworks with a three-run homer. Daniels (single, double 2 RBI) and Pandolph (2 singles) were the team’s other offensive leaders in this game.
The Red & Black closed out the first week of a new month with a narrow win over the Tanners. They scored the game-winner in the top of the seventh.
Casey (4 innings, 2 hits, 0 walks, 1 earned run, 5 strikeouts) and Fiorentino (3 innings, 0 hits, 3 walks, 0 runs, 2 strikeouts) pitched for Winchester. Fiorentino ended up with the win. But it was Casey’s first time on the mound this spring after incurring an injury in an early April game.
“He’s our senior captain, who will definitely help us a lot down the stretch in the pitching department, while adding to the depth of the staff,” said McDonald.
The offense made the hits count to win the game. It had seven altogether, and all of them were singles. Gannon had two of them to pace the attack, one of them drove in a run.
McDonald has a simple explanation for this current winning streak.
“It’s a successful recipe of good starting and relief pitching that gives up few walks, while the offense gets timely hits,” he said. “We had a three-game losing streak this year, when we didn’t do any of that.
“In these four games, we got good production from all nine players in the starting lineup, and they also didn’t strikeout that much,” McDonald added. “The message is clear: Put the ball in play and keep it simple.”
The Red & Black have two home games next week at Ciarcia Field against Lexington (May 13, 4:15 p.m.) and Reading (May 15, 7 p.m.). They defeated the Minutemen, 5-1, but lost to the Rockets, 5-2 the first time around last month.
