On Saturday, May 21, the varsity baseball team played the Cushing Academy Penguins and the Northfield Mount Hermon Hoggers in the Walker Tournament Championship.
Choate’s first game, against the Cushing Penguins, was a true pitching duel. Tyler Daly ’17 pitched for the entire game, allowing four hits and striking out five players. Daly also prevented any runs from the opposing team.
However, due to Cushing’s comparably stellar pitching, it wasn’t until the fourth inning that Choate was able to get on the scoreboard. After Parker Goldstein ’16 started the fourth with a triple, the next batter, Lloyd Hill ’16, hit a sacrifice fly to score the only run of the game.
Choate’s stifling defense and great pitching were critical to the Boars winning against the Cushing Penguins.
Next, the team took on Northfield Mount Hermon in a game that was strikingly different from their first. Choate gave up three runs in the top of the first inning, leaving them to fight an uphill battle for the rest of the game.
After walking, Co-captain Jake MacKenzie ’17 worked his way around the bases. He eventually scored Choate’s first run, in the bottom of the fourth inning.
At the top of the fifth inning, however, the Hoggers retaliated with three more runs off Hill. Nonetheless, the Boars kept their energy high and were determined to win the game.
Before the bottom of the fifth inning, Coach Doug James emphasized the importance of getting one base at a time and putting the ball in play. The team responded to this advice by sending ten players to the plate and scoring six runs. Choate’s attack forced Northfield Mount Hermon into an uncomfortable position. Soon enough, the Hoggers fell short.
Northfield Mount Hermon totaled five errors in that inning, and the Choate team was able to use this opportunity to take the lead. The Boars came back onto the field in the sixth inning with even more confidence and energy.
When the Hoggers loaded the bases, Grady Bohen ’19 pitched well and gave up only one run in the inning. Choate came back out ready to steal the lead. Kevin Nusdeo ’17 opened the sixth inning with a double and quickly scored after a double by Parker Goldstein ’16. Co-captain Topher Brown ’16 and Sean Dennehy ’19 each scored a single and loaded the bases.
Next, Mason Propper ’16 hit a chopper to third base. The Hoggers used the force out at home to get Goldstein, but Brown scored on a throwing error by the catcher. Then, with a two-run lead, co-captain Patrick O’Leary ’16 came in to close out the game.
Choate emerged with a close 9-7 victory. Coach James commented, “I didn’t think we put enough balls in play early in the game against Northfield Mount Hermon, but we had a great comeback, so you can’t undersell that.” Brown added, “You know, we had to battle. It didn’t look like we had the energy at first in either game, but we had the heart.”
The boys’ excellent performance at the Walker Tournament was a great indicator of their successful season.
