(Amesbury MA) Georgetown certainly didn’t do it the easy way.
The Royals had two runners thrown out at home.
They had two others caught at third.
Didn’t matter, Georgetown still came away with a satisfying, 6-3, season-ending win over Amesbury on Tuesday afternoon.
The sunny skies at the start gave way to dark clouds, thunder, and then game-ending lightning as the Amesbury half of the sixth inning was about to start.
I usually talk to coaches and some players afterwards but not today. That lightning changed my plans and had me and my camera equipment beelining it immediately for the AHS parking lot.
Not only did Georgetown (6-10) run into outs on the bases but they also used a different pitcher in each inning. Those frequent pitching changes would seem to have been a recipe for disaster sooner or later but not on this afternoon.
We’ll never know what the Indians (8-7) might have done with two more innings of batting, however. I’m betting though that we would have seen two more Georgetown pitchers.
The Royals had eleven hits, at least one in every inning, off Amesbury pitchers (Trevor Kimball & Josh Sorgini).
Georgetown got off to a great start with RBI doubles by Nick Gaeta (two hits) and Jack Lucido in the first inning.
That inning ended with Jack getting caught trying to steal third base.
Amesbury got a run back in their half of the first inning. Jeremy Lopez (three hits, two RBI) doubled home Shea Cucinotta.
Drew MacDonald was caught stealing in that inning.
Georgetown continued to hit during the next three innings but ran themselves into outs on the bases that kept them from scoring runs.
Great throws by LF Drew MacDonald (2nd inning) and RF Drew Scialdone (3rd inning) were key plays for the Indians in staying close on the scoreboard.
In the fourth inning, Garrett Sedgwick tried to go to third (from second) on an infield out but was thrown out at third on a good throw by 1B Tiernan Bentley.
I thought that the wasted opportunities might catch up to Georgetown, but it didn’t happen.
New pitchers came and went each inning for the Royals, yet the one-run lead stayed in place.
The Indians loaded the bases against Ayden Kent in the third inning but a two-out liner by Trevor Kimball was snagged by 1B Nick Gaeta to end the threat.
The Royals finally scored more runs in the fifth inning. RBI by Iain Kantorski & Carter Lucido finished starter Trevor Kimball’s afternoon.
Josh Sorgini came on in relief.
Twice Georgetown, with runners on first and third, sent the runner on first and were able to score the runner from third and add two more runs to their total.
Amesbury did not recover completely from those four additional runs. They did score two runs, however.
Jeremy Lopez doubled to the rightfield corner sending home Drew MacDonald. Later, Jeremy stole third and came across when the throw (from the pitcher) to third was wild.
That 6-3 score turned out to be the final as the threatening weather kicked in.
Everyone in Georgetown’s starting lineup had at least one hit. Rob Popielski and Nick Gaeta each had two hits for the Royals.
Jeremy Lopez had a perfect day going three-for-three with two RBI.
Drew MacDonald and Trevor Kimball each had two hits for the Indians.
The Georgetown season ends on an upswing as they finished winning three of their last five.
Amesbury will be in the post-season tournament. They suffered losses yesterday and today.
Amesbury defeated Georgetown, 5-4, in early May at Georgetown.
(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)
McClelland Miscellanea 