Big seventh inning lifts Derry Post 9 past Sweeney Post 2
NASHUA – The Derry Post 9 baseball team just needed the door opened a little bit in Tuesday’s game against Sweeney Post 2.
NASHUA – The Derry Post 9 baseball team just needed the door opened a little bit in Tuesday’s game against Sweeney Post 2.
Once the door opened, Derry crushed through it, scoring six runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 9-5 win over Sweeney in the American Legion Senior Tournament at Holman Stadium. The win put Derry in the championship game against Dover Post 8 that was also scheduled for Tuesday.
With the bases loaded and two out in the seventh, Sweeney’s Brendan Sullivan couldn’t make a play on a groundball by Derry’s Chace Spears, allowing Riley Cahill to score the go-ahead run. Pat Mahoney and Ben Curry followed with RBI singles and Kyle Albertelli delivered the knockout blow, clearing the bases with a double that made it 9-3.
“We got a groundball with two outs and Sullivan slips in the mud,” Sweeney coach David Flurey said. “We couldn’t have asked for anything more. They had probably their slowest runner heading toward third, and 99 out of a hundred times, he makes that play and it’s a tie ballgame instead of being down six. That’s the game and they certainly took advantage of the opportunity.”
Sweeney got two runs back in the top of the eighth on an error, but Chris Gerossie came on to pitch a perfect ninth inning. Matt Tritto got his third win of the tournament for Post 9, as he went eight innings, allowing five runs – three earned – on eight hits and a walk.
Gerossie had a solo home run in the sixth that tied the game at 3, and Jamie Collins had a two-run homer in the third that put Derry up 2-1.
Peter Abood and Kevin Gonzales both had RBI singles in the fifth to put Sweeney back in top. An RBI groundout by Aaron Mersereau in the second inning – back on Monday – gave Sweeney an early 1-0 lead.
Nolan Flynn suffered the loss as he allowed five runs in 6 1/3 innings on eight hits and two walks. Connor Walsh relieved Flynn with the bases loaded and one out in the seventh and got Gerossie to ground into a fielder’s choice, but the next five Derry batters reached base safely.
“They hit the ball all day,” Flurey said. “We had our best pitchers going and that’s what we wanted. Give them credit. They’re good hitters and they took advantage of the opportunities they had.”
