Riordan's Late HR Lifts Melrose Baseball Past Reading

Tied 3-3 in the top of the seventh inning, Melrose left fielder Dan Riordan sent a solo home run over the left field fence to give the visiting Red Raiders the 4-3 win over Middlesex League rival Reading on Tuesday afternoon. 

But while the home run was a huge hit for Melrose,  the play that set it all up came in the bottom of the sixth when Riordan gunned down the potential go ahead run at home plate to preserve the 3-3 tie. 

"It was a good back-and-forth game and we held on," said Melrose head coach Bill Hirschfeld. "Ryan Hardy pitched a great game and Danny Riordan made a nice gun down at home plate and then came up the next inning and hit a solo home run for the game-winner." 

Hardy went all seven innings to pick up the win for Melrose and is now a perfect 4-0 on the year. 

The Red Raiders have been on a tear this season and now sit comfortably at 7-1 overall and are undefeated in the league. Melrose faces another tough test today when it hosts undefeated Lexington at 3:45 p.m. at Pine Banks Park. 

"It was an overall team effort," said Hirschfeld. "Everywhere, right down to the guys coming in pinch running and pinch hitting. Everybody pulled their weight and everybody contributed."

The loss was the Rockets' second of the year, and second loss inthe Middlesex League. Reading previously lost to Lexington, 4-0, on April 21 and no sits at 3-2 overall and 3-2 in the league. 

The Rockets will host Woburn today at 3:45 p.m.