Mustangs Comeback Stalls Out

The Mustangs rallied for five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to send the game into extra frames only to see Everett score three in the eighth and hang on for a 10-9 victory in a Greater Boston League game yesterday at Playstead Park. 

Medford loaded the bases with nobody out against Zarif Pajazetovic in the home half of the eighth, but could only push across two, and left the winning run stranded at third base.

The Crimson Tide (12-2, 7-0 GBL) wrapped up their first GBL title 20 years with the victory.

With the league crown on the line, Mustangs (11-3, 4-3 GBL) ace Danny Gilchrist took the ball but it was clear early on that the senior didn’t have his usual command.

“It was uncharacteristic, seven walks,” said Mustangs head coach Mike Nestor about his star pitcher’s control issues. “That hurt us. A lot of those walks came around to score.

“Danny was off. He didn’t have it today.”

Gilchrist walked seven and fanned four over four innings, while allowing seven runs, four of them earned. He didn’t factor in the decision.

Medford was also plagued by defensive miscues that ultimately led to Everett putting three runs on the scoreboard before Gilchrist had allowed a single hit.

“We didn’t come to play the first three innings,” Nestor said. “Simple mistakes ... we didn’t come to play. It’s frustrating.”

Everett starter Chris DiNapoli was in control early and it looked as though the Crimson Tide would easily dispatch Medford, much like on May 3, when they prevailed 8-1. 

Not so fast.

Trailing 7-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh, the Mustangs came roaring back to tie the score at seven all, by virtue of a five run outburst.

“I wasn’t surprised,” said Nestor about the comeback. “The kids can swing the bats, we’ve known that ... They just have to understand they’ve got to do it every single time they get to the plate. You can’t take innings off and expect to beat good teams like that.”

After retiring Medford’s first batsman of the inning, DiNapoli walked leadoff hitter Tom Flores (1-for-3, single, 2 runs scored) with shortstop Chris Salvati on deck. Salvati strode to the dish and cut Everett’s lead in half with one swing of the bat, swatting a towering two-run homer to left center. 

Next up was Gilchrist, who took over at first base after being lifted from the mound in the fifth. The Franklin Pierce recruit belted a solo drive over the fence in dead center field, to cut the lead to 7-5.

According to Nestor, it was the first time his two starting pitchers have connected for back-to-back home runs.

Salvati went 3-for-5 with a single, double and home run, while Gilchrist was 2-for-3.

After DiNapoli was yanked in favor of Pajazetovic, Nick Murphy singled with men on the corners and Pat Duffy scored the tying run on an errant throw. The Mustangs couldn’t find the winning run, however, and the contest headed to extra innings.

Everett scored three runs in the top of the eighth, but the Mustangs had a chance to stop the bleeding and couldn’t get it done.

With the score 8-7 and two outs, Everett’s Shaun McGrath got caught in a run down between first and second base with Chris McCarthy at third, and succeeded in providing McCarthy an opportunity to dash for the plate, making the score 9-7 and extending the inning needlessly.

“We practice that over and over and over,” said Nestor of the pickle scenario. “You’ve got to run the guy back to first base ... Don’t let the ball release from your hand.

“Mental mistakes,” he added.

It looked as though the Mustangs had yet another comeback in them, but with the bases loaded and two outs in a 10-9 game, Pajazetovic got Murphy to hit a short fly ball to end the game with Salvati, the potential tying run, stuck at third.

“I told them, these are tournament teams,” Nestor said after the game. “(Everett) just clinched the GBL, if we even want to be in the same league as them, we’ve got to compete, and we didn’t do that until the end today.”

Medford is back in action today, as they travel to face Cambridge in another GBL showdown.