By Liam O’Brien
Managing Editor of Sports
Despite carrying a wealth of momentum into Thursday’s do-or-die scenario, the Lions witnessed their quest for postseason play come to an abrupt halt, falling 9-1 to a dominant Lincoln-Sudbury team.
Needing a win to clinch a playoff berth, South was unable to overcome its DCL foe, as its offensive attack was quelled by an impressive pitching staff, while the Warriors bats appeared to piece together timely rallies in the precise moments necessary for a decisive victory.
“We didn’t make the routine plays early on and got punished for it,” junior right fielder Peter Quinn said. “Tough way to lose, especially with the upside the team showed in the second half of the season, after starting it 0-4”
Lions starting pitcher Ronney O’Connor yielded seven hits and five earned runs in 4 1/3 innings of work, walking two batters while failing to record a strikeout in the loss. O’Connor was impressive at times; however, the Warriors took advantage of every vulnerable situation in which the sophomore found himself throughout the outing.
On the other side of the docket, Lincoln-Sudbury starter Rory Bordiuk proved nearly impossible to rattle, earning the win while throwing four innings of shutout ball. The right-hander struck out three South batters while relinquishing three hits and a walk.
The Warriors barrage of offense began almost instantly. The first two hitters reached base, and three-hitter Scott Holzwasser immediately drove the tandem home with a two-run double, providing Lincoln-Sudbury with a 2-0 advantage before the Lions even received the chance to bat.
Sophomore Ben Alexander placed himself in scoring position with a one-out double in the bottom half of the inning, but was left stranded at second base.
South’s woes continued in the top of the second inning, as first baseman Tommy Novick reached second on an error by sophomore center fielder Nathan Elbaum and came around to score on a suicide squeeze bunt by Thomas Garcia-Meitin, giving Lincoln-Sudbury an early 3-0 lead.
O’Connor shut down the Warriors in the top half of the third inning, but the Lions left Elbaum in scoring position in the bottom of the third.
It was in the top of the fourth inning, however, when the Warriors broke the game open.
With two outs and and runners on both first and second, Lincoln-Sudbury’s Alex Dillon laced a double into left field, plating both runners and pitting the Lions in an insurmountable 5-0 hole. O’Connor’s outing ended in the top of the fifth, when Holzwasser singled to left, and subsequently came around to score on a stolen base, a passed ball, and a balk.
Freshman flamethrower Zeke O’Connell relieved O’Connor but ran into some trouble himself in the ensuing stanza after setting down two batters with ease in the top of the fifth inning.
After walking two to begin the inning, O’Connell allowed one run to score on a passed ball, and, after a walk, run-producer Holzwasser plated the two remaining baserunners with a single, increasing the Warrior lead to 9-0.
The Lions were able to stage a rally in the bottom of the sixth inning, but by then the production was too little, too late.
Alexander, who went 2-for-2 on the afternoon, walked to begin the inning, and after advancing to third with a combination of a wild pitch and a sacrifice groundout, was brought home by an RBI single laced to right field by sophomore first baseman Tae Lee.
Senior Evan Nahabedian pitched a scoreless seventh inning before Lincoln-Sudbury reliever Gino Fordiani set the Lions down in the bottom of the inning, ending South’s campaign.
Despite a slow start to the season, the baseball team gave itself a chance to live another day, yet LS would not let the young Lions team have their way.
“[It was a] tough loss, Quinn said, “but we came a long way after a really tough start to the season.”
