Shaun McGrath pitched a complete game four hitter and helped his own cause with a key, two out, two RBI base hit in the sixth inning to lead the Everett High baseball team to a 5-2 win over GBL rival Malden Thursday.
"Shaun pitched a great game for us," said EHS head coach Joe Marchese. "He stayed ahead of the Malden batters and gave us a chance to win in the late innings."
McGrath’s final line showed an impressive nine strikeouts while allowing only an equally impressive two bases on balls.
The contest was a pitchers’ duel all the way. Everett scored single runs in the first and fourth innings, while Malden reached McGrath for a pair of tallies in the third. However, the Crimson Tide put together a rally in the sixth that saw most of the damage occur with two out.
After Chris McCarthy drew a walk with one out, Michael Russo singled and Dan Concannon worked another free pass to first to fill the sacks with Crimson Tide.
With the Malden infield now playing in, Raymond Gallagher bounced to second and McCarthy was forced at home, sending Russo and Concannon to second and third. Everett then caught a break with a passed ball that allowed Russo to speed home with the go ahead run and moving Concannon to third and Gallagher to second.
That brought up McGrath, who stroked a base hit to deliver both teammates for a pair of insurance markers and a 5-2 lead.
McCarthy was the main man at the plate for Everett with two of his team’s six hits. Chris also stole a base, scored a run, and accounted for an RBI.
"That was a big win for us,"noted Marchese, as it lifted his team’s record to 2-1 in the GBL and 5-4 overall.
Two days later, the Tide once again played well, but came up on the short end of a 6-3 decision to non league rival St. John’s Prep at Glendale. Joe Saia turned in a fine effort on the mound, as the southpaw went five innings, allowing only four hits, fanning five, and walking four.
Saia and his teammates battled the Prep to 3-3 deadlock through five frames, but a hit and a pair of errors gave St. John’s a chance to break open the game with a three run rally to account for the eventual 6-3 final score.
Everett had taken a 3-0 lead early on in the contest with a three run outburst in the second that was keyed by back to back doubles by Matt Cafarella and Matt Costello. However, that was all of the offense that the Tide could muster against Prep’s top hurler in a wooden bat contest.
Chris DiNapoli finished the final two innings, allowing three hits, but no earned runs, and striking out two.
Marchese and his crew, now at 5-5, embarked on a crucial week starting yesterday (Tuesday) with a home game with GBL foe Medford. The Tide will host another GBL rival, Somerville on Thursday and then journey to St. John’s Prep Saturday before returning for another home game against top rated GBL foe Cambridge next Tuesday.