Lee Rallies Past Mount Everett
LEE, Mass. -- For the second time this season, the Lee High baseball team was just a little bit better than its South County rivals from Sheffield.
Lucas Bombardier drove in a run with a ground ball in the bottom of the fifth to break a 6-6 tie and made a game-ending play at first base to secure an 8-7 Lee win over Mount Everett.
The Wildcats (3-5) rallied from deficits of 2-0 and 4-3 and hung on in the end, stranding the tying run at second base and taking the season series from the Eagles, who dropped an 8-6 decision to Lee back on April 11.
“It was our third comeback win, so they’re doing well,” Lee coach Tim Shepardson said. “You’ve got to be happy any time you get down and you come back. We’re trying to build on those wins.
“I guess the last time we beat [Mount Everett], it was the first time we beat this team in six years. So it’s a big one for us.”
Mount Everett (3-4) got a leg up early with two runs in the top of the first.
The Eagles took advantage of a Lee error and a pair of walks before Kolby Bleau delivered an RBI single to center field.
Lee bounced back with three in the bottom of the frame to take its first lead. Bombardier singled and scored, and Wyatt Nazor and Colin Durken each had an RBI, the latter on a double to left-center that made it 3-2.
The Eagles took the lead right back in their next at-bat, getting a two-run double from Alek Zdziarksi to make it 4-3.
The Wildcats answered with three in the bottom of the third.
Declan Drozd got it started with a leadoff walk and moved up on an error and a fielder’s choice. After Andrew Ruef walked to load the bases with one out, Mount Everett got the second out on a fly ball in foul territory, but an errant throw home on the play allowed Drozd to score the tying run.
One batter later, Garrett Hopkins hit a two-run single to left-center to give Lee a 6-4 lead.
Again, Mount Everett answered, with two in the top of the fifth.
But in the bottom of the inning, Dom Bartini, Cole Redstone and Ruef drew walks to load the bases with nobody out. Then Bombardier’s grounder to the right side scored Bartini to make it 7-6. After another walk reloaded the bases, Nazor’s groundout gave him his second RBI of the day and the Wildcats an 8-6 lead.
The Eagles rallied in the top of the seventh. Antony Lupiani led off with a single and moved up on an error. Another error allowed him to score and left Nick Vande Bogart on second.
Lee reliever Evan Heath then got a pair of fly balls and a grounder to Drozd at short. Drozd’s throw just beat the batter thanks to Bombardier’s stretch at first base that ended the game.
Lee ended up with eight runs on just four hits. The Wildcats also overcame six errors behind Heath and starter Ruef, who went three innings.
Shepardson hinted that the spring’s horrible weather played a role in his team’s defensive troubles on Saturday.
“We’re trying to come to work every day, put the work in, and good things will happen,” he said. “It has been very frustrating as a coaching staff to not be able to come out and hit ground balls. We’ve been making quite a few mistakes. … I don’t know how many errors we made this game, but we made eight last game.
“That’s not winning baseball. Usually the team that makes the least amount of mistakes wins the game, between how many walks you have and how many errors.”
Lee does not get much time to practice before Monday’s home game against McCann Tech.
Mount Everett hosts Sabis on Wednesday.