Rowley takes 2-0 lead over Manchester in ITL Finals

Rowley takes 2-0 lead over Manchester in ITL Finals

By Nick Curcuru
Aug 21, 2020

ESSEX — The Rowley Rams are now just one win away from their first Intertown Twilight Baseball League championship since 2011.

With a dominant, 10-0 win over the defending champion Manchester Mariners on Thursday at Memorial Field, the Rams now have a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five finals. That means the Rams can clinch the championship with a win in Game 3 on Saturday at Eiras Park in Rowley.

Rowley manager Jeff Wood, however, is cautions that there's more work to do.

"This one doesn't mean anything if we don't finish," Wood said. "It was a good win, we will enjoy it tonight, but we will put it behind us tomorrow and get ready for Saturday. We're in a good spot but we're not done yet."

Jake Baressi picked up the win on the mound for Rowley as he went the distance, allowing just three hits while striking out eight in a shutout win. Baressi worked off his fastball and located the pitch to keep the Mariners lineup at bay. He also made several big pitches with men on base as the Mariners stranded 12 baserunners on the night and had a runner in scoring position every inning.

"That was a big performance from Jake, he's been working through some stuff this season and he had a great outing," Wood said. "It all started with his fastball, he was all over the strike zone with that pitch and he made big pitches when he needed them."

Offensively, Justin Bolla continues to be on a tear for the Rams. A night after blasting two RBI doubles in a Game 1 win, he went 3-for-4 with two homers and four runs batted in. His fourth inning solo shot got the scoring started and he gave Rowley some breathing room the very next inning with a two-out, three-run homer to center field to make it 4-0 Rams.

Rowley put the game away with six more runs in the sixth inning. Dimitri Hunt, Richie Williams, C.J. Ingraham and Tim Cashman all had RBI hits in the big inning, which capped the scoring at 10-0.

The teams will be back on Saturday afternoon in Rowley at 4 p.m. If the Mariners fight off elimination, Game 4 will be on Sunday back at Memorial Field (4 p.m.). Game 5 will be on Tuesday in Rowley if necessary.