Updated with Box: Reading Bulldogs Come Back to Tie Blue Sox

BOX

Reading (4) – B. Flutie 5-1, Cataldo 4-1, Talis 4-1, Manzi 4-1, Dewing 4-0, Murphy 4-1, Fischer 3-0, Hartwell 1-0, Dellorfon 3-2   Totals 32-7

Lexington (4) – Frates 4-1, Wright 4-1, Gath 5-2, McEvoy 3-0, Nolet 2-1, Viguers 2-0,  Haugh 3-0, Agrillo 2-1, Morgan 1-1, Duff 4-1, Capra 3-1 Totals 33-8  

Doubles – Wright, Frates, Dellorfon

Triples-  Capra

Home Run- Gath 

TP-   Bodnar

TP-   McGinn 

Reading       001030000    4   7  0

Lexington    004000000     4   9  2

WRAP

The Bulldogs squared off with the first place Blue Sox on Wednesday night at Lexington HS and came from behind with a three run fifth to earn a 4-4 tie in nine innings as neither team could plate a run through the two extra innings played. 

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the third inning with some aggressive base running. Doug Dellorfon hit a one out double and advanced to third when Bill Cataldo beat out an infield hit. When Cataldo stole second, Dellorfon sprinted home on the back end of the steal. 

Colin McGinn had breezed through two innings before getting hit hard in the third. The Blue Sox put together four extra base hits with two doubles, a triple and a home run while batting around and scoring four runs. Reading native Steve Gath provided the big blow with a two run home run over the left field fence. 

Down 4-1 entering the fifth against a pitcher that had allowed only two earned runs all season, in Peter Bodnar, the Bulldogs rallied. Darren Hartwell walked and stole second and advanced to third on the errant throw. Dellorfon plated him with a sacrifice fly to right field to cut the lead to 4-2. 

Brett Flutie followed with a single and Cataldo walked. Catcher Zac Talis then singled home Flutie and Trevor Manzi singled home the tying run (both with two outs to tie the game 4-4. 

From there McGinn and lefty reliever Sean Boyle shut out Lexington the rest of the way but not without some drama. In the bottom of the sixth, the Blue Sox had two runners on when Gath hit a sure extra base hit to the right center field gap. TJ Murphy saved two runs by going fully horizontal to make a diving catch and prevent the lead runs from scoring. 

In extras, Lexington’s best chance was again thwarted by Murphy when last year’s league MVP Pete Frates was robbed, in a similar fashion to Gath, with two runners on to end the eighth inning. 

The Bulldogs had a good chance to push across the lead run in the ninth inning with two on but Flutie’s laser to left field was tracked down by Lexington on a ball that a foot short of going over the left fielders head. 

Boyle finished off a masterful four inning relief effort in the ninth, setting down the Blue Sox in order and recording his second strikeout of the game against the league’s leading hitter, Justin Wright. The game was ruled a tie after nine innings due to League rules.

“This was a great baseball game to be a part of and we executed down the stretch something we have struggled and had cost us some earlier wins” said Coach Matt Morrison. 

“Tonight ended the first half of the season and as I told the players we are pointed in the right direction, our pitching has been strong all year and the bats have definitely come alive in the past week” said Morrison, “we know we can play with anyone, Lexington is an elite team and we certainly feel competitively we are right there with the better teams in the league”. 

The Bulldogs begin a three game stretch with Mooney Dental (Woburn) starting on Friday night at 8PM at Ferullo Field, then come home for a Sunday doubleheader at Morton starting at 1:30 PM.