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September 27, 2019 · 11:09 pm

Shorthanded North Reading defeats Newburyport 28-14

Jack Keller (3 TDs) uses a block by Ryan Kavanaugh (4)

Backup QB Ryan McCullough took a keeper 58 yards in the first quarter

(Newburyport MA) The Hornets starting quarterback Brian Heffernan was out with a sore back.

He already had ten touchdown passes in just three games.

Not to worry, sophomore fill-in Ryan McCullough was more than up for the job and North Reading continues undefeated after a Cape Ann League win (28-14) over Newburyport on Friday night.

“We had to simplify things,” said NR coach Ed Blum afterwards. “He (Ryan) hasn’t had many QB reps but he’s an athlete and he did a good job.”

Ryan passed for a touchdown (Jack Keller) and ran for one, all in the first half.

The Clippers (2-2) were unaware that they would be facing a different quarterback. It didn’t really matter to Newburyport coach Ben Smolski: “They ran what they ran on film and we defended as we taught them to.”

Walker Bartkiewicz (8) scored all of Newburyport’s points

The Clippers matched the Hornets (4-0) with two first-half touchdowns. Both were by senior Walker Bartkiewicz.

Newburyport squandered a chance to take the lead early in the second half. The NR punt receiver dropped the ball and Spencer Beane recovered setting the home team up on the NR 23. But a Charlie Cahalane pass bounced off Walker Bartkiewicz’s hand and junior Jack Donohue had the interception near the goal-line.

Jacob Buontempo (20) turns a fumble into positive yardage

The Hornets turned the NHS turnover into a 94-yard march with Jack Keller finishing the final twenty-two yards on a sweep left with 3:16 to go in the third quarter. Rob Tammario kicked the extra points just as he had done after the two first-half scores. NR was now ahead, 21-14.

Jack Keller tallies the Hornets final touchdown

Turning point alert! Next possession Newburyport started on their own 41 and moved to the NR 13 and had a 4^th-and-2 from there as the seconds ticked off at the end of the 3^rd quarter. “There was a miscommunication between us and the refs over the time left on the play clock,” said Coach Smolski. “We would have called a timeout but instead we ended up with a five-yard delay of game penalty.” Now pushed back to the NR 18, there were still two options; go for the first down or kick a field goal.

“Walker (Bartkiewicz) was within his range but we wanted to tie the game and then put us in a position to win the game later on a field goal,” explained Coach Smolski.

The Clippers opted for a pass play and it might have worked for the important first down, but the toss was dropped by Trevor Ward.

Brayden Scribner had an interception for NR in the 4th quarter

Newburyport did get the ball back in the 4^th quarter (7:54) with yet another chance to tie the score. However, Brayden Scribner in the Hornets secondary picked off Charlie Cahalane’s pass attempt and returned the interception to the Newburyport 22 with 3:31 left in the game.

North Reading was now running the Wildcat with Jack Keller getting the direct snap. Jack found a hole up the middle and went in untouched from eleven yards away to seal this one for the visitors. This was Jack’s third TD of the contest.

This was the 4^th time that the Hornets have pulled out a game in the second half. “I wish we could play a better first twenty-four minutes,” said Coach Blum post-game.

Newburyport has now lost five straight times to North Reading.

In the last two games Walker Bartkiewicz has scored all the Clippers’ points. He had sixteen last week against Ipswich.

Lovely evening with temps close to sixty with no wind.

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

Aidan Carucci (6) ends Newburyport’s last possession with an interception

Brayden Scribner had an interception in the 4th quarter

Charlie Cahalane looks for a receiver in the flat

Charlie Cahalane throws over Aidan Carucci

Coach Ed Blum

Gerry Callagy

Ryan McCullough

Tyler Foley (15) brings down Jack Keller

Walker Bartkiewicz (8) behind the defense after catching a pass

Walker Bartkiewicz tangles with Robert Tammario (10) trying to catch a pass

Ryan Kavanaugh (4) finds an opening

Ryan McCullough on his way to the end zone

Ryan McCullough runs for a first down

North Reading wins first defeating Triton 11-5

Devin Parsons dives back into second as 2B Michael Vittozzi takes the throw

Winning pitcher Cole Doke

(Byfield MA) North Reading got their first win this afternoon.

Triton will have to wait another day.

The Hornets (1-2) piled up the runs early and Triton (0-3) couldn’t find the hits to rally back.

The final was 11-5 on a cold, uncomfortable Thursday afternoon of Cape Ann League baseball.

“It’s tough to go down five early and then try to dig yourself out of a hole,” said Triton coach Ryan McCarthy afterwards. “The timely hitting hasn’t been there in our first three games.”

North Reading went up 7-0 after three innings and all of those runs came after two outs. That’s timely hitting!

Ball in the air over second base

Senior Cole Doke led the way for NR on the hill and at the bat. He limited Triton to four hits and three runs. He was even better batting getting two hits, three RBI, and scoring a run.

Cole was quick to deflect the credit to others afterwards: “It was a great team win. We got the bats going and they fielded well behind me.”

The Hornets collected fourteen hits. Cole Doke, Alex D’Ambrosie, Matt Solecki, Michael Vittozzi, and Jimmy Currier each had two hits.

The only player in the NR starting lineup without a hit was Ryan Connor. He did, however, nicely execute a safety squeeze to bring home the last North Reading run in the 6^th inning.

The Vikings ended with eight hits putting four of them together in the final frame to get two runs.

Jack Tummino had two hits and scored twice

Jack Tummino, Tyler Godfrey, and Jared Berardino each had two hits. Jack also scored two runs.

Triton twice ended innings (first & fifth) getting caught off base. In the first, pitcher Cole Doke fielded a slow roller down the third baseline, faked a throw to first and then turned to pick Devin Parsons off third. In the fifth, Cole threw quickly to first catching Kyle Odoy away from that bag.

You sensed in the first inning that Triton might be in for a long afternoon because right after Devin was picked off third, Jared Berardino singled. The Vikings didn’t get a run in that opening inning.

Mark Glickman (3B) and Brady Lindholm (SS) converge in the NR 2nd

The North Reading second was even more difficult for Triton. The Hornets had the bases loaded with two outs. Joey Frammartino hit a flair into short left that 3B Mark Glickman dropped after hustling to make the catch…..two runs scored. Later pitcher Devin Parsons was late covering first leading to a third NR run. Then another potential inning-ending grounder got by 2B Cam Gilroy allowing two more Hornets to cross.

“The mistakes in the second inning were contagious,” said Coach McCarthy. “You can’t let that stuff happen.”

But it did happen putting the home team down five.

NR got RBI singles from Matt Vittozzi and Jimmy Currier in the third inning to stretch their advantage to 7-0.

Tyler Godfrey had two hits, and RBI, and scored a run

The Vikings put three runs up in the third. Two walks, two wild pitches, and a single (Tyler Godfrey) and a fielder’s choice (Cam Gilroy) produced the scores.

Two terrific plays by 3B Jack Keller limited the damage Triton might have done in the third inning.

Matt Capozzoli singled home a run in the fifth. In the same inning, Cole Doke rapped a two-run double off Triton reliever Cael Kohan.

Despite the eventual loss, Triton finished strong tallying twice in their final inning off NR reliever Ryan Veneziano. The Vikings had half of their hits (Andrew Maiuri, Jack Tummino, Tyler Godfrey, and Jared Berardino) in that productive inning.

Jack Keller (3B)

“I thought that our kids played well,” said NR coach Eric Archambault. “We were very disappointed to start the season 0-2. There were some things we needed to improve on, and we did. We have the potential. When we put it together we are a really good team.”

Cole Doke: “It was my first start of the season. I battled injuries most of last year. My curve was working but my fast ball was the main pitch.”

Cole told me that he will be playing baseball for the Nichols Bison next season.

Ryan McCarthy: “We were chasing runs from the get-go. It’s the little things that we’ve got to be better at in the future. We’ll be back tomorrow.”

The weather was very unpleasant. Temps were in the 40’s. There was drizzle in the early innings. And then there was a very cold wind in the final innings. I spent a week in Turks and Caicos in March!

I was fortunate enough to pictures of Matt Solecki going skyward to avoid a possible tag by 3B Mark Glickman in the sixth inning.