By Nick Curcuru
Sports Editor
—
GLOUCESTER— For five and a half innings it looked like the Gloucester baseball team was on it's way to its first defeat of the season.
Saugus starting pitcher Dom Pesa was cruising taking a no hitter into the sixth inning. Even more impressive about Pesa's outing was the fact that he allowed just one walk while Gloucester could not even muster up a hard hit ball through five innings.
The Fishermen, however, showed their heart and guts by pouncing on a tired Pesa in the sixth inning touching him up for four runs in the frame with junior third baseman Alex Webb delivering the big hit in the form of a three run home run en route to a 4-1 win at Nate Ross Field.
The Fishermen were out-hit 6-2 in the game but still found a way to come out on top. With the win Gloucester moves to 4-0 on the season, all four wins coming in a six day span.
"This was a really gutsy win and a character builder," Fishermen skipper Joe Orlando said. "We got some nice timely and the players who were called upon to step up stepped up."
Entering the bottom of the sixth inning and trailing 1-0, Orlando called upon his bench to tie the score using three straight pinch hitters. Vinny Terranova drew a walk and was followed by Marcus Cottone who laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt getting Terranova to second. That set the stage for pinch hitter Peter Clark, who ripped a double into the left centerfield gap for Gloucester first hit of the contest and more importantly its first run as Terranova reached home plate tying the score at 1-1.
"They were cheering on their teammates on the bench the whole game and when they were called upon they each made an important play," Orlando said. After a Kyle Lucido walk Webb came to the plate and worked the count to three-and-two before popping one over the right field fence giving the Fishermen a 4-1 lead and the eventual win.
Pesa began to tire in the top of the sixth and Gloucester not only knew it, they took advantage of it.
"He was shutting us down all game with a hard fastball and a long looping curve ball to keep us off balance," Lucido said. "But we could sense that he was tired in the last two innings and we took a better approach at the plate, we were much more selective."
Senior right hander Ben Favazza came in to shut the door in the seventh for the save. Junior Jason Vizena picked up his second win of the season going six innings while scattering six hits and surrendering just one run. Vizena made big out after big out in the middle innings quietly keeping his team in the game while Pesa was cruising.
The Sachems right hander helped out his own cause in the top of the second inning with a two run shot to left field giving his team a 1-0 lead.
From there until the sixth inning Vizena and Pesa made sure there was no more damage done as both pitchers were outstanding. Pesa used his power pitches while mixing in his curve ball while Vizena hit his spots and threw all of his pitches for strikes.
Gloucester now moves on to play Swampscott Wednesday morning on the road in another key Northeastern Conference small clash (10:00 a.m.).
Gloucester 4 Saugus 1
at Nate Ross Field, Gloucester
S: Enos, ss, 4-0-1; Pulicari, rf, 3-0-1, Trainor, 3b, 3-0-1, Groark, 2b, 3-0-0, Blaney, c, 3-0-0, Pesa, p, 3-1-1, Nahaghesi, 1b, 3-0-1, DeSantis, cf, 2-0-0, Henehan, lf, 3-0-1. Totals, 27-1-6.
G: Parisi, ss, 2-0-0, Clark, ph, 1-1-1, Lucido, rf, 2-1-0, Webb, 3b, 3-1-1, Hemeon, dh, 2-0-0, Pallazola, c, 2-0-0, Vizena, p, 2-0-0, Muniz, 1b, 3-0-0, Horne, lf, 1-0-0, Terranova, ph, 0-1-0, Zappa, 2b, 1-0-0. Totals, 19-2-4.
RBI: S, Pesa; G, Clark, Webb, 3.
WP: Vizena; LP, Pesa; SV, Favazza.
Records: S, 2-2; G, 4-0.
