Eagles Primed for Oliver Ames Rematch

After an all-around superb outing in a 6-1 victory over Dighton-Rehoboth to open the playoffs on Friday, the Sharon High baseball team is riding high into a matchup with archrival Oliver Ames on Monday.

In the Division II South Quarterfinals, the Eagles (13-8) will hand the ball to junior lefthander Will Ginsberg to face their Davenport Division foes, the #2-seeded Tigers (15-5), in the third meeting between the squads this season.

“I’m very excited to play them on Monday. It should be a very good game,” said Eagles senior captain Jake Fishman. “We need to pitch, make the defensive plays, and the hitting will do its job.”

Ginsberg will look to follow up Fishman’s excellent outing on the mound from the playoff opener. During the regular season, Ginsberg was 4-3 with a 2.17 ERA but did not face the Tigers. Senior captain Nathan Pedersen said, “Hopefully, Will will be doing his best [on Monday], like normal.”

Head Coach Joel Peckham says that consistency will be crucial for Ginsberg. “Will has to step up and pitch as effectively as he can. He’s got to keep the ball down, get his curveball over, pitch in spots.”

In Sharon’s first-round victory over the Falcons, Peckham says that the Eagles “did everything right.” Junior third baseman Frank Sullivan says that he anticipates Sharon’s defense being a lynchpin behind Ginsberg on Monday.

“Our pitching is always nasty for us – Will and Jake are always phenomenal. As long as we play to our ability, our fielding is unbelievable,” Sullivan said.

During the regular season, Sharon and Oliver Ames defeated each other at home. On April 24, Sharon won, 8-3, at Eagle Ballpark, while the Tigers prevailed at Frothingham Park, 7-3, on May 15.

As for the latter contest, Pedersen says that the Eagles had their opportunities offensively. “We had so many good contacts and hits to the outfield, but they were always right there [in the field]. We just need to get that ball into the gaps. We had a lot of runners in scoring position who were left there,” he said.

“We were right in that game,” Peckham said. “We’ve got to pitch well [on Monday]. If we do that, we’re in that ballgame. They’re good, they’re tough – but they’re beatable; we already proved that.”

Peckham says that limiting Oliver Ames’ top hitters, including Hockomock League All-Stars David MacKinnon and Andrew Mancini, both of whom hurt the Eagles during the regular season, will be vital.

The squad’s familiarity with each other’s personnel will be a factor. Pedersen said, “We know how they do they do their stuff and they know all our stuff,” he said.

Sullivan says that Sharon will look to carry the playoff mindset from the Dighton-Rehoboth game into Monday. “Being live, up, loud - it’s the energetic mentality that you need to have in the playoffs.”

A large ‘Screamin’ Eagle’ contingency is expected to make their presence felt at Frothingham Park on Monday. Sharon senior captain Brad Kaufman said, “I think it’ll be great for the school to come out and show their support versus our rival, OA.”

Pedersen says that facing a rival ratchets up the intensity even more for the win-or-go-home game, and that defeating Oliver Ames in Easton to end their season would be a sweet feeling.

The winner will advance to the sectional semifinal and play Monday’s Greater New Bedford/Stoughton victor on Wednesday or Thursday.

Sullivan says that the Eagles are ready for Monday’s challenge. “We’re no short of excitement and skill in every aspect – we’re ready; we’re going to keep rolling.”