Sports: Dillon's Walkoff Sends Baseball into Post-Season

He's done it again.

Senior captain John Dillon stroke a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning to secure a 4-3 Belmont win against Middlesex League Big School Division rival Winchester in the first game of the Brandan Grant Baseball Tournament Friday afternoon, May 25.

Dillon's game winner is the Marauders tenth and guarantees the team's place in the MIAA North Division II playoffs. The win also secures second place in the Big School Division with a 6-4 record.

Belmont did drop the championship game of the Grant Tournament, 10-3, to Lynnfield in today's finals.

One more home game for Girls' Lacrosse

An loss earlier in the week to a weak Lexington High School team gave Belmont Head Coach Jessica Smith something to worry about: Would a loss to Reading, ranked 7th in the state, on Wednesday afternoon, May 23 – the team's fifth on the season – knock them out of the running for a home playoff game?

Belmont (10-5-1) responded on Senior's Day – nine players finishing up their careers (many playing varsity for the four years) – in the initial 25 minutes with great defense and two goals in the final minute from seniors Caroline McCarthy and Hollis Hunsberger to give the Marauders a 5-4 edge at halftime.

But four quick goals from Reading and an obviously tired Belmont side soon found the Belmont side go down 8-5 before junior Katie Leinback hit the back of the net to cut the lead to two at 8-6.

But Belmont could not find a rhythm in the game and lost 11-8.

Yet the next day, the MIAA apparently gave Belmont credit that they lost a pair of games to top-ten competition and selected the Marauders as the 5th ranked team in the state's North Division II playoffs. They will be hosting Hamilton-Wenham Regional High School on Tuesday, May 29 at 3 p.m. on Harris Field.