Ipswich - 2, Rowley - 1 (9 Innings)

Beverly - 6, Topsfield - 6

Beverly and Topsfield tied 6 to 6 in 7 innings Wednesday night at Proctor School.  Topsfield scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 5th to take a 6 to 3 lead but Beverly answered with 3 runs of their own in the top of the 6th to tie the game.  Andy Brown threw 2 scoreless innings in relief to preserve the tie.

For Beverly, Josh Levesque was 3 for 4 with a double and 3RBI.  Eric Messina was 2 for 3 with 3 runs scored.  Paul Drinkwater was 2 for 2 with an RBI.

For Topsfield, Zack Lamkin was 2 for 5 with a run scored.  Budrewicz and Gagnon were each 1 for 3 with 2RBI.  Brooks MacArthur was 1 for 1 with 2 runs scored.

Playoff Picture

Rowley:  With 36 points Rowley has clinched 1st Place.

Manchester:  With 29 points Manchester has clinched 2nd Place.

Beverly:  With 23 points Beverly has clinched 3rd Place.  Ipswich could still reach 23 points and tie Beverly, but Beverly holds the first tiebreaker which is Most Total Wins.

Hamilton:  With 20 points Hamilton currently sits in 4th Place but they do not control their own destiny.  Hamilton's final game is vs Manchester Thursday night.

Ipswich:  With 19 points Ipswich currently sits in 5th Place but they control their own destiny.  If Ipswich can finish 2-0 vs Rowley this week they will make the playoffs.  If they finish 0-2, Hamilton will make the playoffs.  And there remains the possibility of a tie for 4th and a one game playoff.

Topsfield:  Still alive, but a long shot.  Topsfield would need to go 5-0 and get help.  Three of those five games haven't even been scheduled yet.

Rockport:  Officially eliminated last night.  Rockport has 11 points and can only get to 19 points even if they win out, which wouldn't catch Hamilton.

Hamilton 7 M/E 6

Hamilton picked up a much needed win last night in Essex.

Rowley -5, Topsfield -1

Mike Sloban pitched 5 innings for the win, Jeff Moore pitched 2 scoreless innings of relief. Colin Sitarz had a double and a triple for thr Rams. Zach Lampkin pitched well in the loss.

Beverly - 1, Ipswich - 1 (9 innings)

Beverly (11-11-1) and Ipswich (8-11-3) squared off in a classic pitcher's duel last night at Balch Park in Beverly.  The game ended in a 1 to 1 tie after 9 innings with both Beverly's Josh Levesque and Ipswich's Greg Doucette going the distance.  Levesque gave up 1 earned run on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out 6.  Doucette allowed 1 earned run on 7 hits, 1 walk, and a hit by pitch while striking out 7.

Ipswich manufactured a run in the top of the 3rd inning to give them an early 1 to 0 lead.  Curran walked and was bunted over to 2nd by Gongas.  Andy Knox's infield single moved Curran to 3rd.  Galanis then hit a sac fly to left scoring Curran.

The game remained 1 to 0 until the bottom of the 7th.  Jeff Barricelli led off with a single.  Brian Chirco then singled to right moving the pinch runner, Eric Messina, over to third.  Dan Cashman then singled home Messina to tie the game.  The next batter grounded into a double play.  With a runner at third, Doucette got out of the jam inducing another grounder to send the game to extra innings.

Beverly had the best chance to score in extra frames when they put two runners on base with one out in the bottom of the 9th, but Doucette struck out the final two batters to lock up the tie.

With the tie, Beverly clinched 3rd Place.  Ipswich is in a battle with Hamilton, and potentially Topsfield for the final playoff slot.  Beverly travels to Topsfield to finish off their regular season on Wednesday.  Ipswich will be in Rowley Wednesday night and will face them again later this week in a makeup game.

Rowley at Ipswich Monday Game Postponed

Field was unplayable.

Generals 7 Townies 0

Generals picked up the shutout win in Rockport last night in a makeup game.

Ipswich @ Beverly Makeup

Tuesday, July 29th at 5:45PM at Balch Park

Topsfield at Rockport Postponed

Ipswich at Beverly Postponed

Field was unplayable.

Hamilton and Topsfield tie again

Heard thru the ITL grapevine

Ipswich - 7, Beverly - 3

The Ipswich Chiefs (8-11-2) beat the Beverly Giants (11-11) by the score of 7 to 3 Friday night at Bialek Park.  Rich earned the win allowing 2 runs over 5 innings.  Greeney earned the save allowing 1 run over the final 2 innings.  In the 7th, Beverly brought the tying run to the plate with the bases loaded, but the rally ended there.

For Ipswich, Matt Small was 2 for 3 with a HR, 2RBI, and 3 runs scored.  Curran was 3 for 4 with 2 runs scored.  Greg Doucette was 2 for 4 with 2RBI.

Beverly was led by Dan Cashman, who went 3 for 3 at the plate and retired the only two batters he faced on the mound.  Andy Brown took the loss for Beverly.

The two teams play again Sunday evening at Beverly High.  A win for Beverly clinches a playoff spot, and 3rd place for the Giants.  A win for Ipswich improves their chances of making the playoffs greatly.

Mariners 6 Townies 3

The Mariners were led by Caulin Rogers (2-4, 2 doubles) while Max Nesbit, Cory Burnham, and Rory Gentile all had RBI hits.
M-E pulled ahead 2-0 through 3 innings then the Townies tied it up in the 4th. M-E answered back scoring 2 more to take the lead for good in the 5th. Ryan Marques picked up his 5th win of the season while Adam Philpott pitched in relief recording the save.
Jason Vizena pitched a complete game for the Townies.

Hamilton- 2, Topfield- 2

Game ended in a tie

Rowley - 2, Manchester - 0

White pitches Rams past Mariners to 2-0 victory

By Mac CerulloSports Editor

ROWLEY — Down two runs and locked in a grueling pitcher’s duel with Rowley pitcher Joe White all game, Manchester Essex hurler Peter Clark nearly took advantage of his team’s only genuine scoring opportunity all game when he ripped a fastball deep into left field with men on first and third and two outs.

But unlike on Tuesday, when the Mariners erased a late two-run lead with a massive three-run home run, this time the ball stayed in the yard, and it stayed up just long enough for Rams left fielder Colin Sitarz to reach out and make the highlight reel catch, ending the sixth inning and effectively sealing the 2-0 victory for his team.

“I thought it was trouble,” said Rowley coach Jeff Wood. “Every time you see your outfielder’s number, you get worried, but Colin recovered nice and made the catch.”

The catch saved two runs and preserved Rowley’s slim lead, allowing White to slam the door in the seventh to finish off the complete game shutout. White allowed only three hits and four total base runners all game, and right from the start he was in complete control of the game.

“Everything tonight starts with Joe White,” Wood said. “He’s already pitched a no-hitter and a one-hitter this year, so he’s been dialed in, hitting his spots, keeping people off balance, and the infield defense tonight was outstanding.”

The only Mariner who was able to consistently beat White all game long was centerfielder Mike Cain, who went 2-3 with a pair of base hits. Though Cain’s first hit didn’t lead to anything significant, his second hit nearly proved to be a turning point in the game, especially after second baseman Rory Gentile beat out an infield single later in the inning to give the Mariners men on first and third with two outs, leading to the aforementioned catch by Sitarz in left.

Though Clark may have been unlucky on that play, he was excellent on the mound. Clark pitched six innings and allowed two runs on four hits, matching White for most of the game before his defense failed him in the fourth.

First, Rowley right fielder Tim Cashman led off the inning with a double and then came around to score after designated hitter Marco Luisi beat out an infield single to put the Rams up 1-0. Then, after Zach Rice came in to pinch run for Luisi, first baseman Justin Bolla reached on an error by the shortstop, allowing Rice to come around to make it 2-0.

Gentile said after the game that he felt his team played well, but ultimately just got overmatched by White.

“I thought we fought hard. There’s not much you can do when you hit the ball hard right at people,” Gentile said. “White pitched good, he was all around the plate, that’s what matters. What could we have done more? Get more base runners. Pete pitched great, we made plays every inning except for that one, but we have to hit better.”

With the win, Rowley improves to 17-3 while Manchester Essex will fall to 14-6, and barring an unexpected collapse, the Rams will almost surely finish the season in first place ahead of the Mariners. The two teams will also split their season series with two wins apiece, and with four games remaining in the regular season, Wood said he’s looking forward to the chance to keep busy going into the playoffs.

“We want to play a lot of baseball before the playoffs and we’ll get the opportunity to do that,” Wood said.