ESSEX — The Manchester Essex baseball team hosted Georgetown early on Saturday morning looking to flip the script from the first time the two teams met back in mid-April.
The Hornets were motivated to even the season series and they sure looked like it, earning a convincing 10-0 victory over their Cape Ann League rivals at Memorial Park.
“We came out and we balled today,” said Manchester Essex coach B.J Weed, his team evening their season record at 7-7. “I’m proud of the guys. They came out with energy from the beginning, energy to the last pitch.”
Manchester Essex had contributions all around in a total team victory.
“We had some clutch hitting today and Connor St. Laurent on the mound was excellent,” Weed said. “It was a great team win.”
St. Laurent was stellar from the jump, scattering just two hits all morning, getting one strikeout, and earning a well deserved win in a complete game effort.
“Connor set the tone from the first inning; I could tell he was going to be on today,” Weed said. “He commanded his fastball, good change up … he didn’t have his curveballs much, but he didn’t really need it.”
On the other side of the ball, Parker Woodman had a big game for Manchester Essex with three singles and two RBI.
His teammate, Kevin Heim, would get the scoring started by taking off on a wild pitch to give his team a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning.
After a couple of slow offensive innings for the hosts, they started to click in the fifth and sixth innings to walk away with the mercy rule triumph.
In the bottom of the fifth, Cody Mears roped a double to center field, scoring Adam Macleod (double). Heim followed suit with an RBI single to increase his team’s advantage on the scoreboard.
Woodman’s big day would continue in the fifth, as he drove home Mears with another knock to make it a 4-0 game.
The Georgetown offense could not find their rhythm on Saturday with just two singles on the day from AJ Macchiavelli and Robbie Skahan.
Manchester Essex would then put the game away in the sixth by exploding for six runs in the frame.
Mears had an RBI single in the decisive inning, scoring Anton Gilson, followed by an RBI walk from Kevin Heim that scored St. Laurent to make it a 6-0 game.
Woodman finished off his excellent showing with an RBI single to score Nick Glass, and Chris Heim would also hit a single of his own to get Mears to cross the plate.
In an 8-0 game, Manchester Essex was looking to put the nail in the coffin and Jackson Bartlett was on the same page, connecting on an RBI single to send both Kevin Heim and Woodman home to seal the deal at 10-0.
“Georgetown’s a really good team, but we came out and had more energy than they did and we wanted it more,” Weed said.
Georgetown’s starter Rex Nadeau pitched four innings, letting up four runs before being relieved in the fifth inning.
Manchester Essex will be back in action Tuesday when it visits Essex Tech for a 4:30 p.m. first pitch.