SHARON, Mass. - The Sharon High baseball team pushed through in pivotal situations to come from behind to defeat Foxboro, 3-2, for their third consecutive victory, at Eagle Ballpark on Friday.
Sharon senior captain Jake Fishman’s RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning gave the Eagles the lead, and senior second baseman Eric Lesser saved the game in the top of the seventh with a full-out diving stop on a grounder.
“Although it was far from our best game, a win is a win,” said Sharon senior relief pitcher Kevin McLaughlin. “This team always comes together to put up a fight and leave it all on the field.”
Senior captain Brad Kaufman said, “I thought we played a good game. [Junior lefthander] Will [Ginsberg] pitched a great game, we hit the ball well when we needed to, and we made up for our mistakes in the field with offense.”
Eagles senior captain Nathan Pedersen continued his hot stretch of hitting in the bottom of the first inning, when he launched a run-scoring double to score Kaufman and give Sharon an early 1-0 lead.
Neither team scored again until the fourth. In that frame, Foxboro tallied their first two runs, with both coming on consecutive RBI singles. The Warriors were aided by Sharon defensive miscues.
With those runs across, the Warriors still had the bases loaded and nobody out, threatening to put a crooked number on the scoreboard a la Sharon’s six-run fourth inning in their victory over Oliver Ames on Wednesday.
From there, Ginsberg, who shut out Canton on Monday, induced a ground-out, a pop-out, and another groundout to retire the side, stranding the sacks full with no more damage done.
“Will Ginsberg pitched a great game. He had his curveball working for him. He threw strikes,” said Sharon Head Coach Joel Peckham. “We gave them extra outs defensively. We can’t play that way and be successful.”
Sharon looked to have tied the game up in the bottom half of the fourth when junior designated hitter Michael Birschbach hit a fly ball to left field to bring home the tagging Fishman, but upon appeal, Fishman was ruled to have left the bag early.
In the fifth, Eagles junior third baseman Frank Sullivan walked. Pinch-runner and sophomore Matt Shaffer stole second base, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and dashed home on another wild pitch, evening the score at 2.
Sharon sent the top of their order to the plate in the sixth against Foxboro righthanded starter Nolan Clagg, who Kaufman said “looked good” on the mound for the Warriors.
With one out, Kaufman laced a single into the outfield, putting the go-ahead run on first base. McLaughlin said, “Brad Kaufman’s single was a huge hit to get us going at the end of the game.”
Kaufman then swiped second base, his second steal of the game, and went up to third on a wild pitch. With the Warrior infield drawn in, Fishman scorched a ball past the first baseman and into right field, plating Kaufman to give Sharon a 3-2 lead.
“Jake has been doing it all year,” said Kaufman. “Obviously, he plays a big role in the games, and we need him to keep doing that.”
Kaufman was buoyed with the Eagles’ performance in late-game spots. “It says a lot about our character as a team. Coach has been saying it all year – we need to get hits when we need to – and we came up very clutch today. I think we’re going to continue to do it the rest of the season.”
Peckham called in McLaughlin to relieve Ginsberg, who had thrown over 100 pitches, with one out in the seventh and Clagg on second base. This was McLaughlin’s first outing in a week-and-a-half.
Tim O’Halloran flied out to right field, pushing Clagg up to third. With two away, the next batter smacked a hard ground ball well to the right of Lesser. The hit appeared to be scooting into centerfield to tie the game.
However, Lesser threw himself towards the ball, snagged it cleanly, and miraculously heaved it over to first base from the ground. On an unusual hop, Pedersen scooped the ball out of the dirt, and with it, the Eagles’ victory.
Kaufman said, “Two outs, guy on third - we knew that on anything close, we were laying out. ‘The Cat’ did a great job – it was a great play.” McLaughlin added, “Eric Lesser’s diving play was incredible - no fear, he went all out.”
McLaughlin picked up his first save of the season. Peckham said of his work in relief, “That was big, because he hasn’t pitched since Plymouth South, and he really struggled at Plymouth South.
“For him to come in and get those outs – especially because he’s been a great team player [with him seeing reduced time at DH due to injuries at other positions] - I’m really pleased about that,” Peckham added.
McLaughlin says that his being sharp was a matter of being prepared when called upon. “As far as not having pitched in a while, I’m always ready. Physically, I do my stretches every day, long toss to build my arm strength.
“When I get in, I throw the ball like it’s my last time pitching, every time. I was more than happy to come in and close out a great team victory,” McLaughlin added.
Peckham says that he was pleased that the Eagles played as they did on Friday, since he feared that it could be a trap game. “Foxboro kids are tough kids. They don’t back down, they always play to the end, and they did it again today. For us to win that game was huge,” he said.
Sharon’s victory over the Warriors was their third consecutive Davenport Division conquest. The Eagles’ regular season is now at the halfway point.
Peckham is pleased with how the squad has progressed thus far. “I’m happy. We’re 7-3. We’ve played 10 games and nine good games. Today was a game we needed to win.
“We’re a veteran group in a lot of ways. Every game is a kind of a maturing experience. You go through certain levels of intensity, and if you handle them and you win, it really says a lot for what’s going to happen the rest of the season,” Peckham added.
Sharon has another three-game week next week, with each tilt versus a Kelly-Rex Division foe: at Mansfield (Monday), vs. North Attleboro (Wednesday), and at Attleboro (Friday). Foxboro (1-7, 1-6) faces Franklin, Taunton, and King Philip.
“I think they’re all winnable,” Peckham said of the Eagles’ matchups. “It’s a challenge, but I think we’re ready for it. We can play with anybody.”
Kaufman said, “This [past week] was a huge week. We went 3-0 in the division. Next week is just as big of a week; we’ve got to keep this rolling. I want to clinch the tournament next week – that’s our goal. Keep winning.”