LYNNFIELD — Closers, by nature, aren’t easily intimidated and live for the chance to sit down the other team’s best hitter and end the game.
Bases loaded and one out away from a trip to the state’s Division 4 Final Four in baseball might raise the temperature a bit in that spot. On Saturday, Salem High’s Julian Ortiz was just the guy to cool things down.
Top-seeded Lynnfield left the bags full in the seventh and the Witches scored a 7-5 upset victory in the D4 quarterfinals. Next week’s state semifinal matchup with defending champion Seekonk (20-3) will give Salem a shot at reaching its first state baseball title game in 35 years.
“I’m at a loss for words,” said first-year Salem coach Matt Hubauer, now the second man to take this program to a Final Four along with Al Giardi, who of course was in attendance rooting on the 24th seeded Witches Saturday.
Leading by four with the meat of Lynnfield’s order due in the bottom of the seventh, Hubauer didn’t want the Pioneers’ best hitters to see ace Riley Fenerty a fourth time. A couple of singles (both on 0-2 pitches) and a walk loaded the bases, but Ortiz got a strikeout to settle in.
Dylan Damiani and Luke DiSivlio followed with RBI singles for the Pioneers to slice the lead down to two runs. A strikeout brought up Ty Adamo, one of the best hitters in the Cape Ann League, but shortstop Kevin Soto corralled a ground ball and stepped on second to touch off Salem’s celebration.
“The truth of the matter is (Adamo) is such a good hitter I wanted Julian to aim for the other batter’s box,” Hubauer said. “Infield back, keep the ball away from his hands, don’t give him extra bases. Julian trusted himself, slowed the game down and got the job done.”
Junior Rocco Ryan of Salem blasted a 2-run homer to left in the top of the seventh that turned out to be the winning runs. The powerful centerfielder felt he’d been struggling a bit at the plate but came alive in this one, belting a 2-run double that tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth inning and adding the round tripper to finish with four RBI.
“I told myself I was in the backyard playing Wiffleball with my boys. Instead of being tight or changing something, play it like that,” said Ryan.
The early parts of the game were a seesaw battle. Salem (13-10) took a 1-0 lead as Fenerty walked and scored when an Ortiz single was bobbled and rolled to the fence. Lynnfield (20-3) responded immediately when Madux Iovinelli doubled, leading to an Owen Mullin RBI single and an error that made it 2-1.
A couple of hits in the third gave the Pioneers a 3-1 lead, but Fenerty found a groove from there. He got out of a bases loaded jam in the fifth, had his first 1-2-3 inning in the sixth, and worked six full while scattering seven hits and only walking two (one intentional).
“I was a little nervous getting off the bus but then it was another day, another baseball game,” said Fenerty, a righthander who keeps the ball low and pitches to contact as well as anyone.
A few Pioneer sluggers got good pieces of long outfield shots, but Ryan had a tremendous game tracking them down in center. Rightfielder Corey Grimes ran through the portable fence to try and catch one, and though it rolled through for a ground rule double that kind of sacrifice proved inspirational.
“It’s a no-fly zone in that outfield,” said Fenerty. “No matter what, I trust those guys so much. They’re going to get to any ball that gets hit out there.”
Trailing by two, Salem stranded a runner on third in the third and fourth but did not panic. A leadoff single by Grimes led to a big fifth as Shea Christel was plunked and Yan Tejada Ruiz singled to load the bases.
That’s when Ryan doubled to tie it up. Soto followed with a 2-run double, putting Salem in the lead for good at 5-3.
“Mr. RBI,” Ryan said of Soto’s tendency to come through with runners aboard. “He’s basically automatic.”
Soto, Grimes and Ryan all finished with two hits for the Witches. Tejada Ruiz (1-fof-2, two walks) scored twice and Christel and Fenerty each walked and scored. Fenerty and Ortiz were both excellent in trouble spots as the Pioneers stranded eight (5 in scoring position).
Even after a couple of errors and falling behind the No. 1 seed as the No. 24 ranked club, there was never any doubt in the Salem High dugout.
“We’ve had a big shift in our culture with the mentality that if they take the lead, it doesn’t matter. We keep the energy up, chip away and lock in,” Hubauer said.