Tag Archives: Casey McLaren

June 6, 2019 · 10:00 pm

Pentucket edges Newburyport 2-1 in eight innings in D3 North First Round

Owen Kamuda scores the winning run in the 8th

Pentucket starts to celebrate

Peter Cleary

Casey McLaren

(Groveland MA) Nothing surprising here.

You knew it would be tight and you knew it would be decided at the end.

With eleven days off, you knew that the aces, Peter Cleary and Casey McLaren, would be doing the pitching.

You also knew that at the end there would be significant celebrating and dejection.

And that was how it was as Pentucket edged Newburyport, 2-1, in eight innings on Thursday afternoon at Groveland Pines in First Round action.

Andrew Melone scores the first Pentucket run

The Sachems (14-7) now move on in the D3 North tournament to the next round.

The Clippers (11-10) end their season on a five-game losing streak.

“This game went exactly how we thought it would,” said Newburyport coach Mark Rowe afterwards.  “More great performances by Casey and Peter.  We had our opportunities and they did too.”

The score was tied, 1-1, after four innings.

The Clippers had a runner in scoring position in the fifth, seventh, and eighth but couldn’t break through.  The key for the Sachems was that in each of those innings was that although the Clippers put the ball in play they hit it in the direction of CAL All-Star shortstop Gus Flaherty. Gus handled a popup and two grounders flawlessly to get Pentucket off the field unscored on in those threatening innings.

Parker McLaren reaches for home in the 4th inning

The end came for Newburyport in the 8th inning.  A popup by Owen Kamuda fell for a single into short center to start the inning.  After Andrew Melone struck out, Gus Flaherty reached on a walk.  Two on, one out.  A grounder to shortstop Ryan Archie.  Might have been two but at least would be a force out.  Instead, Ryan bobbled the ball and hurried the feed to 2B Tyler Koglin.  Runner Gus Flaherty slide into Tyler as he reached for the throw and the throw went by Tyler into right field. Owen Kamuda, who was heading for 3B when the grounder was hit, raced home with the winning run.

“The ending was tough for Newburyport,” said Pentucket coach Mike Wendt.  “However, in a game like this, that was so well played, that’s what you get at the end.”

The Sachems celebrated their First Round win in a big way and it was understandable.  Pentucket was 2-18 last year!

Jordan Cane drove in the first Pentucket run

1B Jordan Case was with St. Mary’s last season.  The Spartans make the state tournament with regularity.  “I told this team that there’s something special about playoff baseball.”

Jordan drove in Pentucket’s first run in the first inning.  Andrew Melone led off with a double to left and went to 3B on Jake Etter’s fielder’s choice.  Jordan then singled up the middle with two outs to score Andrew.

“I was thinking middle away, but he grooved a fastball down the middle and I had good contact,” said Jordan.

Walker Bartkiewicz drove in Newburyport’s run

The Clippers tied things in the fourth.  Parker McLaren doubled leading that inning off.  After two outs, Walker Bartkiewicz singled Parker home.

Newburyport finished with six hits but only Walker’s drove in a run.  “We certainly would have liked some more timely hits,” said Casey.

Winning pitcher Peter Cleary credited his defense: “It was good.  I was pitching to contact.”

Coach Wendt: “Peter (Cleary) is unflappable.  When I give him the ball in any game, especially a big game, he is always poised and always in control.”

Parker McLaren and Gus Flaherty

Coach Wendt: “Peter’s pitch count was low because Newburyport was first-pitch, fastball aggressive knowing he would pound the zone early in the count.”

Jordan Cane: “Newburyport is so athletic.  I have great respect for them after playing against them in hockey and baseball.”

Casey McLaren finishes a remarkable basketball/baseball career at Newburyport.  I again asked him about possibly playing baseball at Tufts along with basketball.  “I am not opposed to it.  I may have to get in touch with them over that.”  He added that he thinks that he will study economics and finance at Tufts.

Nice crowd took in the action on a sunny late afternoon.

2B Trevor Blanchard went backwards to make a nice catch to end the Newburyport sixth.

Pentucket box

Newburyport box

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Chris Husak 3B

Elusive popup

Elusive popup

Gus Flaherty throws to 1B

Safe or out?

Tommy Murphy and Gus Flaherty

Trevor Blanchard makes a catch

Ty Koglin, Ryan Archie, Parker McLaren pre-game

Joe Lynch steals 2B as Ryan Archie reaches to tag

Ryan Archie steals 2B

 

 

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April 30, 2019 · 10:16 pm

Newburyport hits and fields their way to 9-4 win over Amesbury

Tommy Murphy and Casey McLaren celebrate a 2-run homer

Parker McLaren limited Amesbury to four hits in six innings of pitching

(Amesbury MA) Plenty of baserunners.

Plenty of opportunities.

But on this Tuesday afternoon, Newburyport (6-4) turned in more big plays and defeated Amesbury, 9-4, at Amesbury Town Park.

Senior Casey McLaren led a 15-hit Clippers attack with three hits, including a homer, and four RBI.

Casey’s glove work at first was also important.  On three different occasions, two of which ended innings, he scooped low throws from infielders that kept runs from scoring.

“It’s all about getting down eye-level with the ball,” explained Casey afterwards.

The Clippers never stopped hitting in this one collecting at least one hit in every inning.  “We broke out of a hitting funk that we had been in the last couple of games,” said NHS coach Mark Rowe.

The Indians (4-4) had only four hits off Clippers starter Parker McLaren but used walks and Newburyport miscues to get runners aboard every inning.

Blake Bennett had two hits and drove in two runs

“We just couldn’t string anything together today,” explained AHS coach Joel Brierley.

“You could see that things weren’t going our way when twice we had our best hitter (Logan Burrill) up with the bases loaded and even though he hit the ball hard we had nothing to show for it.”

Trailing 4-0 in the fourth inning, the Indians loaded the bases with one out.  Logan hit a hard grounder down the third baseline that 3B Tommy Murphy turned into an inning-ending double play.  It did take a great scoop by 1B Casey McLaren to complete the DP.

Later (6th inning) now behind 9-0, Amesbury filled the bases with one out.  This time Logan hit a rope to left, that Ryan Archer managed to catch.  “Ryan (Archer) made a nice play on that line drive to left,” said Coach Rowe.  “It was a rocket.”

Casey McLaren after an inning-ending stop at first

At least in the 6th inning, Logan’s teammates were able to push four runs across after the catch in left.

Blake Bennett paced the AHS attack with two hits, including a triple, and two RBI.

Walker Bartkiewicz and Parker McLaren each had three hits for Newburyport.

Casey McLaren drove in the first NHS run with a single in the first.  He drove in their next two runs in the third inning with a HR blast over the head of CF Logan Burrill.

Two of the Cape Ann League’s best players; Casey McLaren and Blake Bennett

“It was a fastball, up and a little outside, and I was looking for it,” recalled Casey.

In the fourth, Ryan Archie reached on an error (Shea Cucinotta), stole second, and reached third on a wild pitch.  Tyler Koglin then singled him home.

In the 5th inning, Casey McLaren singled, stole second, and reached third on Thomas Greene’s single.  Walker Bartkiewicz delivered Casey with a single to center pushing the Clippers lead to 5-0.

Newburyport broke the game open in their half of the sixth with four runs.  Casey and his brother Parker had RBI.  Two other runs crossed after a throwing error by 3B Cam Chambers.

The Indians cut into the 9-0 deficit in the bottom of the 6th.  A bases-loaded walk (Tucker Molin), a passed ball, and Blake Bennett’s triple produced four runs.  But the inning ended there with Casey coming up with a low Ryan Archie throw to end the threat.

Freshman Jack Fehlner pitched the final inning for Newburyport.

Jeremy Lopez, Tom Flanagan, and Tim Gilleo pitched for Amesbury.

“Anytime we can beat a good team like Amesbury is a good win,” said Coach Rowe.  “They battle.  They don’t quit.  Like the first time we met (8-7 NHS win) they had a comeback in them.”

Derek Doherty (2B) throws to first

“We didn’t have very many quality at-bats,” added Coach Brierley. “When we did hit the ball, they made the plays.”

Casey McLaren: “It’s in my mind to play baseball at Tufts.  I haven’t talked to the coach yet.  We’ll see.  It would be tough to give up baseball.  There’s no doubt in my mind that I could pitch there.”

Newburyport has defeated Amesbury three of the last four times they met.

Amesbury had won three straight before today’s loss.

Amesbury’s Derek Doherty will attend Rivier University (Nashua NH) next fall to play baseball.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Kyle Therrien

Nick White congratulates reliever Jack Fehlner

Play at third

Blake Bennett fields a grounder

Catcher Derek Beaupre corrals a popup

Sophomore Jeremy Lopez

Pitcher Jeremy Lopez sets to throw to third

Shortstop Ryan Archie collects a grounder

Shortstop Shea Cucinotta sets to throw

Thomas Greene

Tyler Koglin scores the Clippers first run

 

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April 13, 2019 · 10:02 pm

Casey McLaren and Tyler Koglin lead Newburyport by Masco 2-1

Casey McLaren congratulated by teammates Tommy Murphy and Nick White

2B Tyler Koglin

(Newburyport MA) Casey McLaren didn’t even see the play.

The tying run on third.  One out in the final inning.

Masco’s Matt Aldrich flaired a blooper to right with trouble written all over it.

“I headed for home,” recalled Casey afterward, “to back up a throw.”

But then Casey heard cheering.  “It took me a few seconds to realize that we’d gotten an out.”

Newburyport second baseman Tyler Koglin caused the cheers by racing back into right and making a remarkable over-the-shoulder catch to keep Andrew Gotts from scoring from third.

Tyler then handled the final grounder and the home team (Newburyport) had a 2-1 win over Masconomet on a summer-like Saturday afternoon in Cape Ann League action.

“That play the second baseman made in the last inning saved the game for them,” said Chieftains coach TJ Baril.  “That’s a real tough catch for a second baseman to make.”

Mark Rowe and TJ Baril

Newburyport coach Mark Rowe was equally enthusiastic about Tyler’s catch: “As far as making a big play in a special situation, his catch would rank near the top of the list in all the years I’ve been coaching.”

And then there was the pitching!

Senior Casey McLaren had a no-hitter going into the seventh and finished with a one-hitter.

Easy to overlook was Masco’s pitching but it was also solid. Freshman Erik Sibbach yielded only four singles in 3 innings while sophomore Aaron Zenus followed and held Newburyport hitless during his three innings of work.

Ryan Archer had an RBI single

“It was your classic pitcher’s duel,” said Coach Baril.

The Clippers (2-1) put three of their four hits together in the second inning and produced two runs out of it.

Parker McLaren singled to short center and went to second on a passed ball with no outs. Tommy Murphy followed with an infield hit moving Parker to third and then took second on an infield out.

A wild pitch brought Parker home and advanced Tommy to third.  Ryan Archer’s bloop single to center scored Tommy with the eventual game winner.

Casey McLaren

Casey McLaren was overpowering.  He retired the first eleven Masco batters before walking Pat Costigan in the 4th. The Tufts commit had eight strikeouts.

An error (Tyler Koglin) gave Masco a baserunner with two out in the 5th but Casey ended the inning striking out Ethan Cote.

The seventh inning was the big test for the Clippers.  Casey walked leadoff batter Pat Costigan on four pitches.  Andrew Gotts then lined Masco’s first hit to center.

“When Casey works ahead in the count, good things happen, “said Coach Rowe.  “In the seventh he fell behind the first batter, walked him, and then anything could have happened.”

Last year the Chieftains slugged twenty-two homers.  Almost all of those HR’s graduated.  Therefore, this year Masco is developing other ways to score runs.  One of those ways is to be aggressive on the bases.  In their opening win (6-2) over Lynn Classical the Chieftains had five steals.

Seventh inning action with the tying run on third

Today in the 7th with two on and no outs, the Chieftains successfully executed a double steal.  Next thing you knew, a wild pitch led to Masco’s first run and moved the other runner to third with no outs.  Suddenly the outcome wasn’t so certain.

But then Casey surrounded Tyler’s terrific catch with two infield grounders and the Clippers had their second win of the young season.

“It was a great Cape Ann League game,” said Coach Rowe.  “Two pretty good teams that should be in it in the end.”

Casey said that he was aware that he hadn’t given up any hits.  “I started thinking about it in the fifth inning.  Last year I had several one-hitters so I wanted to finally get a no-hitter, but it will have to wait.  Getting the win was more important. Both of my pitches were working well.  My curve ball was big against the top of their order.”

The weather was very pleasant and brought out a good crowd.

Part of the crowd at Pettingell Field

Coach Rowe: “Casey was outstanding.  He pitched some pretty good ones at the end of last season.  It’s hard for me to rank them however in this one he was as in command as he has been in a long time.”

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Final out

Andrew Gotts had Masco’s first and only hit

Caught in a rundown

Erik Sibbach

Parker McLaren scores on a wild pitch in the second inning

Pat Costigan

Pat Costigan scores in the seventh

Ryan Archer steals second

Trouble in the field

Tyler Koglin about to throw to first

Shortstop Will Hunter and Tommy Greene

Shortstop Will Hunter fields a grounder

Tommy Murphy

 

 

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March 2, 2019 · 12:49 am

Late triple by Dracut knocks Newburyport out 57-54

Dracut celebrates the win

Mitch Monette’s pass led to the winning basket

(Newburyport MA) Freshman Adrian Torres delivered the shot Dracut needed to advance to the Division 3 North semifinals.

Adrian (16 points) took an excellent feed from Mitch Monette and swished a 3-pointer in the closing seconds from in front of the Middies crowd to give #12 Dracut a 57-54 upset win over #4 Newburyport on Friday night.

The Clippers (18-4) nearly got even in those closing seconds but Ryan Archie’s triple rimmed out.

George Coryell (11 points) defends Adrian Torres (16 points)

“Adrian shoots like that every day in practice,” said senior Mitch Monette afterwards. “I was confident that he would make it.”

The Middies (12-10) will face either Arlington Catholic or St. Mary’s in the next round.

Newburyport had a nine-point lead in the first half while Dracut was ahead by four in the second half.  But those leads didn’t hold up.

The Clippers led 12-10 after one period.  At halftime, the teams were even, 27-27. The third quarter ended with Newburyport in front, 40-39.  In the final quarter, the scored was tied, 54-54, with 1 ½ minutes remaining.

Neither team could gain separation.  The Middies were hurt by foul trouble while the Clippers missed fifteen free throws.

It came down to the final ninety seconds and the five possessions that filled them.

Newburyport sought the perfect shot and ended up with a shot-clock violation.

Ryan Archie guarded by Tyler Guerriero

Ryan Archie’s tight defense forced a bad Dracut pass.

George Coryell missed a shot.  Jake Robertson got the rebound but traveled.

This was the lead-in to Adrian’s game winner.  Mitch Monette (12 points) had been able to get to the basket, so when he looked to be about to come down the lane the Clippers defense sagged in to stop it.  But instead of shooting, Mitch tossed a jump-pass to his left to a wide-open Adrian Torres who didn’t miss.

“That freshman, he’s something else,” said senior Cam McCullough.  “I’m not surprised he made it because he does it every day in practice even when I’m guarding him!”

“We wanted to spread the court and see what turned up,” said Dracut coach Brian Myers about his team’s last possession.

Ball on the floor

The Clippers did have a chance to tie the game and came close. George Coryell tossed a full-court pass to Jake Robertson, who was fouled.  I suspect that the plan was for Jake to make the first shot and then miss the second hoping a rebound could produce a 2-point play for the tie.  Instead, Jake missed the first one.  The second shot was then missed intentionally and Harry Bovee was able to flip the rebound out to Ryan Archie, beyond the arc.  Against Swampscott, Ryan hit that shot.  Not tonight and the celebrating began for the Middies.

Coach Brian Myers said that playing in the tough Merrimack Valley Conference helped them.  “We play tight games like tonight’s every game in that league.”

The gymnasium was packed.  Many ended up standing around the perimeter.

Casey McLaren (21 points) chased by Jean Carlos Santiago

Casey McLaren (21 points) became Newburyport’s all-time leading scorer.  He passed Rachel Wile tonight to do it.

Casey scored all fifteen of Newburyport’s points in the second quarter.

Casey got those 15 points in the first six minutes of the second quarter giving NHS a 27-20 lead.  However, the last two minutes belonged to the visitors.  A layup be Cam McCullough and a triple and two free throws by Adrian Torres earned Dracut a halftime tie.

“Coming back from the nine-point deficit was key,” said Coach Myers.  “We showed that we could stay with them.”

After Dracut took a 3-point lead on Will Peters’ layup with 2:18 left in the game it was the Clippers’ turn to rally back.  A rebound conversion by Ryan Archie and a Casey McLaren free throw knotted things at 54.

Will Peters shoots against Parker McLaren

George Coryell & Parker McLaren each collected eleven points for NHS.

Mitch Monette added twelve points for Dracut.

That Dracut is even in the tournament is a story in and of itself.  The Middies had 1-19 seasons the last two years.  They were not only defeated a lot but often defeated by lopsided scores.  But along came Coach Brian Myers.  Brian said afterwards that he’s “a Dracut guy.”  After coaching successfully at Lowell, Brian opted to come back to coach the school he attended.  He said that he “saw potential.”

“It takes a group of kids buying into a system.  We work hard every day.”

Despite the team’s lack of size, they were able to hold their own against larger Casey McLaren and his brother Parker.  Casey had only three points in the second half.

Cam McCullough was in awe of the setting: “It was the loudest environment I’ve ever played in.  It was a great game to be part of.”

Newburyport box

Dracut box

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Adrian Torres (16 points)

Cam McCullough

Casey McLaren chases a loose ball

Casey McLaren shoots a free throw

Discussing how to defend their 3-point lead

Dracut coach Brian Myers checks on his bench

Farai Zuvarokoka and Jake Robertson

Jake Robertson from the corner

Jean Carlos Santiago shoots a floater over Harry Bovee

Mitch Monette and Trevor Ward

Season ends for the Clippers

 

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February 12, 2019 · 12:59 am

Toskany Abreu gets 29 points but Newburyport edges Beverly 60-57

Micah Davies (34) takes the last shot over Parker McLaren

Casey McLaren made clutch free throws in the final minute

(Newburyport MA) This had the feel of a tournament game.

Close, tense, free throws, last shot, and jumping around in celebration for the winners.

It was the Clippers (16-3) enjoying the happy ending as they defeated a very good Beverly team, 60-57, on Monday night.

“It was an excellent high school basketball game from start to finish,” said Beverly coach Matt Karakoudas afterwards.

Senior Toskany Abreu (29 points) had a monster game for the Panthers (10-6).  The BHS guard was able to get into the lane most of the time for layups despite an assortment of Newburyport defenders trying to stop him.

NHS coach Dave Clay was impressed: “We were trying somehow to stop #3 (Toskany Abreu).  He was terrific.  We tried everything; zone, man-to-man, face guard, diamond-and-one.”

The visitors from the Northeastern Conference took a one-point lead (57-56) into the final 2 ½ minutes after Toskany hit two free throws.

Beverly wouldn’t score another point.

“The key to this win was our effort,” said Coach Clay.  “I love what we brought to the table.”

All eyes were on Toskany Abreu as he scored 29 points for Beverly

Parker McLaren (15 points) finished an eight-point quarter with a jump shot in the lane assisted by Ryan Archie to put the Clippers in front 58-57 with 1:54 remaining.

Both teams then traded turnovers and Beverly had the ball back with thirty seconds left.  After the way things had gone all night, it wasn’t hard to imagine Toskany getting the shot in the crucial possession.

But that’s not what happened.  Harry Bovee defended Toskany well enough so that he gave the ball up.  Teammate Micah Davies tried a pass to Marje Mulumba under the basket that was high and wide.

Casey McLaren honored for scoring 1000 points

Beverly quickly fouled Casey McLaren and the pre-game honoree rattled two free throws in to increase the NHS lead to 60-57 with twenty-three seconds left.  Still plenty of time for Beverly to tie it.

Again, I imagined Toskany doing something but the Clippers defense forced the ball out of his hands.  Instead, senior Micah Davies attempted to tie the game with a three over Parker McLaren.  It rimmed out, Newburyport secured the rebound, and the celebrating soon followed.

Beverly build up a 10-point lead in the second quarter (27-17) putting a 13-2 run together.  Contributors were; Micah Davies, Marje Mulumba, Toskany Abreu, Jack Crowley, and Kyle Camara.

Casey McLaren beats the half-time buzzer

The Clippers used the final 2 ½ minutes of that second quarter to erase most of their deficit.  Casey McLaren’s long-range, buzzer-beater had NHS within three (29-26) going into the second half.

Casey ended up with fourteen points.

“Toskany played very, very well,” said Coach Karakoudas.  “We needed to give him a little more help in scoring.  Give credit to Newburyport and Coach Clay because they did an excellent job on our big man, Jack Crowley. They limited him to ten points which is below his norm.  Jack still did very well but they did a good job focusing on him.”

Jack Crowley tries to get away from Ryan Archie

The Clippers controlled the first period while the Panthers controlled the second period.  The second half was small leads, ties, and back-and-forth.

“What more could you ask for as a fan?” asked Coach Karakoudas afterwards. “I could ask for a win, but the fans had to love it!”

Nice crowd on hand including a collection of Pentucket players.  The Sachems won a big one from Newburyport on Friday night.

Casey McLaren was honored pre-game by state representative James Kelcourse for reaching 1000 points.

Newburyport box

Beverly box

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Closing second

Parker McLaren leans in for a tough layup

Toskany Abreu guarded by Max Gagnon and Casey McLaren

Toskany Abreu shoots a 3 from the corner

Decisive free throws by Casey McLaren

George Coryell sets to pass

Jacob Roberton gets to the hoop

Marje Mulumba guards Casey McLaren

Parker McLaren denied a layup by the Beverly defense

 

 

 

 

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December 12, 2018 · 12:01 am

Newburyport opens with a 61-49 win over Rockport

Max Gagnon was part of a very tight Newburyport defense

Casey McLaren at the front of the Newburyport defense

(Newburyport MA) The combination of two sizable runs of points and an effective full-court defense keyed Newburyport’s 61-49 win over Rockport on Tuesday night.

The Vikings (0-2) had won four of their last five previous meetings with the Clippers (1-0).

“Our bigs struggled to get going tonight,” explained Rockport coach Phil Whitley afterwards.

Some of that struggle was due to the never-ending in-your-face defense by the home team.

“The defense was good,” said NHS coach Dave Clay, “but there still are some things we need to clean up.”

Tight defense

Rockport had twenty-two turnovers (by my count).  That’s a lot of empty possessions in a 32-minute game.

“We want the defense to be a staple of the team,” said Coach Clay.

Having 6’5” Casey McLaren at the point on the full-court defense, forced inbounds passes to the sides where the Clippers could double-team.

The Vikings broke open a close game (14-13) with a run of six points in the second quarter.  A rebound basket by Jake Knowlton and two free throws apiece by Gavyn Hillier and Ezra Mendoza had RHS up, 20-13, with 3:49 left in the second quarter.

Ryan Archie (with the ball) was part of the run that gave the Clippers separation

Then junior Ryan Archie heated up.

A rebound basket by Jacob Robertson was followed by eight straight Ryan points (two three’s and two free throws).

Both of Ryan’s 3-pointers were set up by George Coryell.

Newburyport led by a point (23-22) at the half.

Rockport opened the second half with three points and then the Clippers ran thirteen points over the next 3+ minutes.

That streak sent the home team up by ten points (35-25) and Rockport didn’t have the shooting to get closer than six points (51-45) the rest of the way.

Jacob Robertson and Noah Rawson

The beauty of Newburyport’s run of thirteen points was that the scoring was done by four different players (Ryan Archie, Parker McLaren, Casey McLaren, Charlie Cahalane).

“When we moved the ball by passing instead of dribbling, we did better against their zone,” said Coach Clay.

Casey McLaren (19), Ryan Archie (14), Jacob Robertson (13), and Parker McLaren (10) were the top Newburyport scorers.

Rockport was paced by Jake Knowlton (17) and Gavyn Hillier (10).

The NHS defense was a factor in the outcome, but foul trouble was certainly a problem for Rockport as well.

Starters Jake Knowlton and Ezra Mendoza both had three fouls in the first half despite sitting out some minutes in that half.

Ezra Mendoza was gone in the third quarter

Ezra fouled out of the game in the third quarter and Jake had his 4th before that same quarter was over.

Minus a primary ball-handler and their top scorer not only limited the Vikings offense but it added to their troubles handling pressure.

Jake Knowlton had thirty points in Rockport’s 83-77 loss to Bishop Fenwick in their opener.

I was impressed, as usual, with senior Casey McLaren.  On a night when the three’s weren’t falling, he moved in for mid-range shots and drives.  His defense within the press was important for NHS.

Parker McLaren above the Rockport defense

Coach Clay: “Parker (McLaren) played well.  We need to keep him out of foul trouble.  I love it when he attacks the basket. He’s such a big guy.  Think of LeBron James in high school.  I wouldn’t want to get in his way!”

Coach Whitley: “Their defense gave us trouble and our foul trouble didn’t help.  I think we got tired in the second half.”

Serious man-to-man defense was played by George Coryell and Max Gagnon.

Good crowd in the house for the Clippers home opener.

Newburyport starts the season with six straight home games all in December.

Part of that good crowd was made up of other CAL schools scouting the two future opponents.

Newburyport box

Rockport box

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Jake Knowlton in for two

Jake Knowlton fends off Parker McLaren

Jake Knowlton block a shot

Jake Knowlton at the line

Austin Matus (13) eyes the hoop

Casey McLaren layup

Gavyn Hillier (35)

George Coryell in the air with Ezra Mendoza

 

 

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June 2, 2018 · 8:16 pm

The Clippers are alive and well!

The Clippers finished their late-season run to the tournament today.

Casey McLaren – Two-hitter with nine K’s

Casey McLaren – Triple that drove in two runs

(Newburyport MA) Struggling along with a 3-10 record after their May 10th loss to Masco, any tournament plans were dreams of the highest order.

Needing seven straight wins to qualify for the post-season, the Clippers completed that remarkable accomplishment with a 3-0 victory over Essex Tech on Saturday afternoon.

Coach Mark Rowe said that his team’s approach changed after that 10th loss.  “We talked in the dugout the next day and I told them that our chances of making the tournament were slim, but they weren’t none.  We changed our focus to only the next game and not beyond it. We ended up beating several teams that had defeated us in our first meeting.”

Junior Casey McLaren didn’t do it all for the Clippers (10-10) today but he came close!  He drove in Newburyport’s first two runs in the third inning with a triple to the fence in right center.  On the mound he struck out nine, allowed only two hits, and started a 1-6-3 double play.

Ken Hodge scores an insurance run in the 5th inning

“When he (Casey) throws strikes, with his speed, he is going to put himself in a good spot,” said Coach Rowe.  “Today he was dominant and overpowering.”

Essex Tech coach Jed Beauparlant agreed: “We ran into a pretty good pitcher today.  He had us off balance.”

Casey told me afterwards, “My fastball was on and for part of the game I had a good curveball.”

The Clippers got an insurance run in the fifth inning.  After Ken Hodge walked, the Hawks decided to intentionally walk Casey.  Made sense since Casey had tripled in his previous at-bat while Tommy Greene (the next batter) had popped out twice.  What made “sense” didn’t work out for ET, however, as Tommy laced a run-scoring single down the line in right.

The Hawks (7-12) had only four baserunners in the game and three of them were cut down on the bases.  Andrew Fournier had ET’s first hit on a beautiful bunt in the third inning but was thrown out attempting to steal.  Will Preshon was hit by a pitch in the fifth inning but later was taken out in the middle of a well-turned 1-6-3 double play.  The killer for the Hawks was in their 6th when Ben Condon tripled to the fence with two outs.  Four pitches later Ben thought that the count was 3-2 and when Chris Masta swung and missed Ben ran toward home thinking the inning was over.  That miscue got him caught in a rundown in which he was tagged out by catcher Ken Hodge to end the inning.  “You have to be mentally engaged,” said Coach Beauparlant afterwards. “He thought the count was 3-2.”

Hawks starter Jack Christianson

Coach Beauparlant liked the work of his freshman starter Jack Christianson. “That was a good experience for him.  It was nice that his brother (seniorDylan) was the catcher.”

The Clippers left nine runners stranded and had four hits.

Senior Ken Hodge scored two runs for NHS.

Casey McLaren afterwards: “We’ve won seven in a row but every one has been a battle.  Nothing was easy.  We had to beat teams we had already lost to.  I feel bad for whoever has to play us in the first round!”

Coach Rowe: “I’m very happy for the kids.  They got to play today in front of a great crowd.”

Former NHS coach Bill Pettingill was in the house.

Weather?  Over in Amesbury it rained three different times before the three o’clock start time.  I came over after the third rain shower just to see if it might still be played.  Arrived just before the first pitch.  Had to scramble a bit to get this one covered but was glad to see the tourney-clincher.

Jed Beauparlant: “I’m proud of the way my guys battled after being eliminated from the playoffs last week.”

The tourney selections come out on Tuesday.  Certainly the Clippers will be at the bottom of the seeding and will face one of the top seeds.  As Casey suggested, that high seed could get more than they bargain for.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Ben Condon on his way to third

Ben Condon caught in a rundown

Walker Barkiewicz makes a putout

Chris Masta and Parker McLaren

Tommy Greene drove in a run

Ben Condon talks to Coach Beauparlant

Andrew Wellman

Shortstop Tommy Murphy reaches for a low throw as Andrew Fournier tries to steal second

Tommy Murphy holds on after being upended by Andrew Fournier

SS Chris Masta throws to first

Ken Hodge scored two runs

3B Ty Coglin throws to first

Max Faigen

Play at first

Clippers dugout

 

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May 27, 2018 · 9:41 pm

Newburyport wins Spofford Tournament 2-1 over Georgetown

Brendan Willis tags Tommy Greene on the leg during a rundown.

(Georgetown MA) The Newburyport Clippers won the Bert Spofford Tournament, 2-1, over Georgetown on Sunday afternoon.

The tourney win was important but the way the Clippers reacted to the victory was also about post-season dreams being kept alive for yet another day.

The Clippers were 3-10 on May 10th with zero margin of error left for the remaining seven games. Remarkably, they have won six straight since then including an unlikely one today.

Kyle Greenler

Casey McLaren

Why unlikely today?  The Royals (11-7) started D1 commit Kyle Greenler on the mound.  Kyle throws hard, throws strikes, and is good enough that Elon University (North Carolina) gave him a scholarship to pitch for them next year.

How did the Clippers win?  The Clippers had junior Casey McLaren pitching for them.

Kyle and Casey dominated batters all game long.

“It was great to have a championship game with two of the top pitchers in the Cape Ann League going,” said NHS coach Mark Rowe afterwards.  “We tip our hat to Kyle (Greenler).  He did a great job as did Casey for us.”

Kyle recorded thirteen strikeouts (seven of them looking) while Casey had eleven.  Georgetown had six hits while Newburyport had five hits.

Kyle told me after the game, “It was two good teams and one did better than the other.  Between Casey and I we probably had 20+ strikeouts.  All respect to Casey.  He’s pretty good.”

Junior Tommy Murphy drove in both Newburyport runs.

Junior Tommy Murphy was the hitting star for Newburyport driving in both runs with two singles.  Sophomore Tim Chianca knocked in the Royals run.

The visitors tallied their first run in the second inning.  “We made a mistake early and they took advantage of it,” recalled Georgetown coach Phil Desilets.

That early mistake was a bad throw to first by catcher Tim Chianca on a drop after a strikeout.  That error put Tommy Greene on second base and he would score from there on a 2-out bloop single by Tommy Murphy.

The Clippers added to their lead in the fourth inning.  A walk (Casey McLaren), a single (Tommy Greene) and a sacrifice bunt (Parker McLaren) put two runners in scoring position with one out.

3B Tommy Long started a rundown that led to an out

After Kyle Greenler K’d Kyle Therrien, Tommy Murphy faced the Royals ace with two out and two on. Tommy hit a grounder to deep short (Brendan Willis) and Tommy, sliding head first into first, beat the cross-diamond throw allowing Casey McLaren to score NHS’s second run.  The play continued as 1B Ethan Block caught Tommy Greene off third and Tommy was eventually tagged out on the leg in a rundown by Brendan Willis to end the inning.  Newburyport, however, now had a 2-0 lead.

Georgetown got one of those runs back in their half of the 4th.  Brendan Willis (CAL All-Star last year) singled, took second on a fielder’s choice, and third on a wild pitch with one out.  Tim Chianca’s single to left brought home Brendan.

Things got very tense during Georgetown’s last at-bats.  After a strikeout (Justin Ziolkowski), Jake Adamsky and Cam Martin singled.  But Casey McLaren dashed any late-game Royals’ heroics by getting Max Girouard looking and a groundout (4-3) to end it.

“It’s tough to lose because this tournament means a lot to us,” said Coach Desilets. “However, we have to turn the page because we’ve got bigger things ahead.”  The Royals have games left with Swampscott and Masco before they start in the D4 tournament.

2B Jack Doyle sets to record the final assist of the game

An improved defense was a key to the win according to Coach Rowe: “We made the plays we needed to bail us out of jams.  That hasn’t always been the case this year.  When we play good defense we usually have good results.”

The Clippers (9-10) will need to win next Saturday (at Essex Tech) to continue their season beyond twenty games.  One certainty is that Casey McLaren will be doing the pitching for Newburyport.

Scariest moment of the game?  In the Georgetown 4th inning, right fielder Walker Bartkiewicz, chasing a foul ball, ran through a fence and totally disappeared from view. You suspected the worst when several Georgetown coaches joined Newburyport players and coaches rushing over to see where Walker was and if he was okay.  Fortunately, out came his glove and he followed shortly, apparently unharmed.

Pitcher Kyle Greenler turns a suicide squeeze bunt into a double play

The Clippers had two runners in scoring position with one out in the sixth inning.  Pinch hitter Ken Hodge then tried to execute a suicide squeeze bunt but got under it a little and pitcher Kyle Greenler snagged it and turned a double play.

The pitching was impressive.  Both could throw heat for strikes and batters had to be set for it.  Both also had sharp breaking stuff and most of the caught-looking’s were on that type of pitch.

The weather turned back to early April all over again.  You wonder why New Englanders have so many clothes in their closets?  We have to be prepared for all seasons year round!  Yesterday 80’s.  Today 50’s!

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

Clippers celebrate their 9th win of the season

Newburyport team with the Spofford Tournament trophy

Pitcher Casey McLaren returns with the MVP award

The run to celebrate as the game ends

Ty Koglin

LF Justin Ziolkowski tracks down a fly ball.

2B Colin Nally takes in a high throw as Ty Koglin steals second

Infield hit

Georgetown crowd

 

 

 

 

 

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April 14, 2018 · 9:07 pm

Sophomore Clay Marengi shines in first varsity start for Lynnfield

Lynnfield starter Clay Marengi allowed only three hits in six innings

Will Garfoli drove in three runs for the Pioneers

(Newburyport MA) Lynnfield sophomore Clay Marengi turned his first varsity start into an 8-1 win over Newburyport on Saturday.

“He (Clay) threw strikes and used a minimal number of pitches,” said Lynnfield coach John O’Brien afterwards.  “Catcher Nick Giammarco called a great game for him behind the plate.”

The Pioneers (2-1) put the ball in play with regularity collecting twelve hits.  All nine starters reached base.

Joey Mack led LHS with three hits.  Will Garfoli drove across three teammates.

“Lynnfield hit the ball,” said NHS coach Mark Rowe.  “A lot of their ground balls found holes.  I thought that our pitching (Chris Halliday, Parker McLaren) was good enough but when you only score one run in two games it’s never going to be enough.”

The Clippers (0-2) ran into another first-time starter (senior Andrew Manni of Masco) on Friday and came away with no hits and twelve strikeouts.

Today it was Clay Marengi.  Clay held Newburyport to three hits in six innings of work.  Dan Jameson finished off the 7th.

Newburyport threatened in the first with two on and one out, but Clay induced groundouts by Walker Bartkiewicz and Parker McLaren to escape.

The Pioneers started both the fourth inning and the fifth inning with three straight hits and came away with three runs in each inning.  Five of their hits in the 3-run innings were on the ground and on this morning/afternoon they turned into runs.

Joey Mack (three hits) finds his way home

Joey Mack scored Lynnfield’s third run in the fourth inning and believe me it wasn’t easy.  Joey fell down about fifteen feet from home plate and had to stumble/crawl the rest of the way.

NHS shortstop Ryan Archie limited the Lynnfield damage in the 4th inning with a terrific running catch that he turned into an inning-ending double play.

“Ryan has made very good defensive plays in both our games,” said Coach Rowe.

The Clippers got their run in the 6th.  Casey McLaren reached on a fielder’s choice and took third on a single by Walker Bartkiewicz.  Walker’s steal attempt drew a bad throw and Casey scored from third.

Stolen base

Will Garfoli drove across Lynnfield’s final two runs with a bases-loaded single in the seventh inning.

“Our defense was good today,” said Coach O’Brien.  “We had seven errors in our first game.”

The Pioneers were 18-2 in 2017 and graduated ten seniors.  “Seven of those kids are playing college ball,” added Coach O’Brien.

It looks to me as if the Pioneers have reloaded quickly.  Discovering an effective starter like Clay Marengi should certainly help Lynnfield going forward.

Coach Rowe was disappointed with the loss but not discouraged.  “The offense will come.  We have some guys just getting acclimated to varsity pitching.”

I was at Hadlock Field in Portland last night (Tim Tebow, Drew Pomeranz) and it was in the upper 50s.  Today in Newburyport?  40’s, cloudy, and breezy!

Cooper Marengi, Nick Giammarco, and Casey McLaren were listed by the Boston Herald before the season as players to watch in Division 3.

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge considerably if you click on them.)

NHS starter Chris Halliday

Casey McLaren

3B Tyler Koglin chases a popup

RF Nick White ends the Lynnfield third with a nice catch

Fernando Gonzalez sets to score Lynnfield’s first run

2B John Singer tosses to first

Casey McLaren scores the Clippers run

Walker Bartkiewicz (8), Tyler Koglin (4) and Ryan Archie (2) chase a foul ball

Shortstop Jonathan Luders chats with 7th inning pitcher Dan Jameson

Shortstop Ryan Archie turned an inning-ending double play in the 4th inning

Cooper Marengi scores on a wild pitch

Nick Giammarco had two hits and scored two runs

 

 

 

 

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February 27, 2018 · 11:16 pm

Newburyport gets past Lynn Tech 67-63 after twenty-four lead changes

The Clippers begin to celebrate their win over Lynn Tech

Casey McLaren led all scorers with thirty points.

(Newburyport MA) A year ago, in the same gym and on the same date, the Clippers led Lynn Tech 30-5 at halftime and won easily, 70-36.

Believe me, that was then.

Tonight, the Lynn Tigers did everything but win versus the same Clippers.

The final was 67-63 and there was little to choose between the two teams in this first-round battle in Division 3 North.

Both teams were 13-7 coming in and it took a coin toss to determine where this game would be held.

How close was the game itself?  How about seven ties.  How about TWENTY-FOUR lead changes! There were at least five lead changes in every quarter.

Both teams had high-scoring weapons.  Casey McLaren (30 points) and his brother Parker (17 points) paced Newburyport while Robert Wallace (25 points) and Belmin Berilo (22 points) led the Tigers.

The last tie was 63-63 with 2:22 left in the game.

Casey McLaren stretches the NHS lead to four points with this jump shot in front of the student section.

The Clippers pulled in front, 65-63, on a George Coryell layup set up by Parker McLaren.  After an empty LT possession, Casey McLaren nailed a jump shot from the foul line area with 1:27 to go that sealed this one for the home team.

No doubt Lynn Tech was exhausted down the stretch.  In the final minute the Clippers ate the clock on two different occasions with LT unable to foul to stop the clock.

“Casey played terrific,” said Coach Dave Clay afterwards.  “He has incredible instincts for the game.”

Casey had six three’s, getting at least one in each quarter.

His top crowd-pleasing moment?  A steal in the final quarter that he turned into the only dunk of the game.

Plenty of defense played by both squads.

Robert Wallace led the Tigers with twenty-five points

“We needed to get the ball to the middle of the court and then look opposite,” explained Coach Clay on how to handle the press.  “However, Lynn Tech was so well-coached that it was hard to do.”

The Clippers (14-7) will next face top-seed St. Mary’s on Thursday.

Newburyport led 21-20 after one quarter.  Lynn Tech led 35-34 after two quarters.  Newburyport led 53-52 after three quarters.  There just was no true separation!

LT coach Stevie Patrick took his team to the locker room after the game without having his team participate in the normal post-game hand shaking.  I’m not sure what that was about.

The Clippers had been 3-4 in February before tonight’s win.

Lynn Tech was 7-14 last season.  You talk about improvement!

Lynn Tech box

Newburyport box

(All of the pictures above and below will enlarge when you click on them.)

Casey McLaren blocks a shot

Belmin Berilo

Tre Baldwin guarded by Casey McLaren

Belmin Berilo (22 points) gets free

George Coryell

Jama Aroni chases Casey McLaren

Parker McLaren (17 points tries to drive on Tre Baldwin

Jama Aroni

Ryan Archie looks to pass

 

 

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