Missed Opportunities Cost Concord Post 158

The first inning against Lexington Post 38 served as a preview of things to come later in the game for Concord Post 158 in their American Legion baseball contest on Thursday night.

Visiting Concord sent seven players to the plate in the opening frame, but could only manage a single run and left the bases loaded. In the bottom of the inning, Lexington also had seven batters step up, but three of them scored.

It would be the same the rest of the way, as Post 38 capitalized on its opportunities while Concord let them slip through the cracks. Lexington would eventually win in lop-sided fashion, 15-5.

“(We had) guys left on base, not making the plays,” Post 158 coach John Morrissey said. “That’s kind of been the story of the season.”

In all, Lexington totaled 14 hits against Concord starting pitcher Gibson Holland and reliever Michael Woo. Holland went the first four innings, giving up nine runs on nine hits, while Woo cleaned up the final two innings with five hits and six runs allowed.

Post 38 scored in every inning but the second, pushing across five runs apiece in the fourth and sixth innings.

Post 158’s solo run in the first (Andrew Della Volpe walked with the bases loaded), was followed by two runs in the second. Both scored on Woo’s single to center, but the inning ended when he was thrown out trying to take second. It was another missed chance for Concord.

“That’s the game,” Morrissey said of his team not capitalizing. “It can be a little frustrating.”

Concord took a 5-4 lead in the top of the fourth inning with a pair of runs for the second straight inning off Post 38 starter Scoop Ruxin (3 2/3 innings, 6 hits, 6 walks, 5 runs, 2 strikeouts). Leadoff hitter Alex Nardone scored on a wild pitch after reaching with a double and Jackson Forelli crossed the plate on Brendan Canavan’s single through the left side.

The lead wouldn’t last long, as Post 158 didn’t score again and Lexington was only just heating up.

Nick Murray picked up the victory for Lexington, pitching 1 1/3 innings of relief. He allowed a single hit and struck out one batter. Will Marcal closed things out for Lexington

“Once they brought the (relievers) in, we didn’t get many hits,” Morrissey said. “We swung the bats well against the first guy, but the last two guys they had threw the ball much better. We weren’t able to do much there.”

Against Holland in the fourth, back-to-back walks and a throwing error on Holland didn’t start things very well, despite a flyout for the first out. Ruxin plated a pair with a triple to left-center field, while Michael Loughlin and Kyle Laughlin each had an RBI single.

Two innings later, Post 38 touched Woo for five more runs. Billy Borden had the big hit in the inning, a three-run double to center field. That came an inning after Borden smacked a pinch-hit triple to score a single run in the fifth inning.

Also in the sixth, Bobby Sabatino and Drew Burgard drove in Laughlin and Loughlin, respectively.

“We’ve been kind of struggling to hit the ball lately,” Lexington coach Matt Lawlor said after the offensive onslaught. “It’s awesome as a coach to see these guys swing the bats going into the Chairman’s Cup.”

Concord will play again Friday, returning to Emerson Field to take on Lowell.

“We’re at the point (in the summer) when we don’t have much pitching after the starter,” Morrissey said. “We’re trying to piece it together. You know (Lexington) just hit the ball well.”