Cain's Walk-Off Seals Woburn Win

In a game between two teams hungry for a win, Woburn’s Steve Cain provided the late-game heroics Friday with a walk-off, suicide-squeeze bunt.

With the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Cain dropped a short bunt down the first-base line, which brought home teammate Joe Burnham without a play at the plate, as the baseball team beat visiting Stoneham 5-4.

“It was a big win for us,” Woburn coach Wayne Pandolph said, “and hopefully it’ll catapult us through the second half of the season.”

Woburn (2-7) had been on a seven-game losing streak after opening the season with a 14-5 drumming of Bedford. Stoneham’s losing streak now stands at seven. The 1-7 Spartans also won their first game 14-5, against Winchester.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, with the game tied, at 4-4, Woburn catcher Joe Burnham got his team going with a lead-off single. Teammates Billy Cuozzo and Pat Maher then tried sacrifice bunts, but both ended up reaching to load the bases for Cain.

Stoneham had been down one run, at 4-3, heading into the seventh inning.

Center fielder Ryan Carino then led off the top of the seventh inning with a double. After second baseman Michael Kelly got him to third on a single, left fielder Shamus Landers knocked him home on a sacrifice fly to tie the game, at 4-4.

Woburn starter Nick Pineau walked Stoneham’s next batter, right fielder Kevin Young, and then was pulled by Pandolph in favor of the left-handed reliever Maher.

Maher walked the first batter he faced, catcher Dan Lumb, to load the bases with one out, before striking out the next two to get out of the jam.

Pineau gave up four runs but only one earned, as three consecutive errors in the top of the fourth inning allowed Stoneham to tie the game, at 2-2. Another error in the sixth allowed Stoneham to match Woburn again, at 3-3.

Andrew Cann went the distance for Stoneham. He gave up 14 hits but only one walk. He also got out of a big third-inning jam, as runners were on second and third with no outs, to keep his team in the game.

Woburn got RBI from Burnham and Pineau in the first inning, after center fielder Brandon Daughtrey led off the inning with a stand-up triple.

Cann and third baseman Sean Halpin knocked in Lumb and designated hitter Danny Chambers, respectively, for Stoneham in the fourth inning.

After Woburn’s Daughtry scored on a passed ball in the fifth inning, Cann got Lumb home again in the top of the sixth to tie the game, at 3-3.

Woburn second baseman Corey O’Neil then had an RBI single in the bottom of the sixth to put his team back up one, at 4-3.

Woburn returns to action at home against Winchester (3-5) at 3:45 p.m. on Monday. Stoneham’s next game is also home at 3:45 p.m. Monday, against Reading (5-2).