NORTHBOROUGH – Coming into the game, Shrewsbury Post 397 Head Coach Frank Vaccaro knew his team needed more offense.
“I think we’ve got a good team. They’re going to compete. We have to step up with our bats a little bit — they’re not where we like them to be,” he told the Community Advocate in an interview after defeating Hudson Post 100 on July 8. “We’ve got to get more hits out of the top of our order, and we will. We’ve got to learn how to take pitches.”
Players on Vaccaro’s team did their best to assuage some of his concerns Friday night as Shrewsbury Post 397 met Zone 4 rival Northborough Post 234 at Memorial Field. Though Shrewsbury’s bats started slowly, a five-run rally in the fifth inning made the difference as Post 397 earned a 6-2 win in one of the team’s last regular season games.
“We got the key hits – we got them, and I’m happy,” Vaccaro said after facing Northborough. “As much as I worry about our hitting, we’ve got some pretty big boys who can hit,” pointing to Noah Basgaard, who went 1-1 with one RBI in the game.
Shrewsbury went up 1-0 in the third inning after Jimmy Mitchell’s single. The resilient Northborough Post 234 team battled back in the bottom of the inning, going ahead 2-1 after a double by Cam Citro and singles by Nick Bellofatto and Joe Russell.
However, Northborough’s offense was held in check by Shrewsbury’s Tedy Cove – a rising sophomore at Worcester State University who, alongside Mitchell, serves as the captain for Post 397. Over a full seven innings and 85 pitches, Cove struck out six, allowed five total hits, and limited Northborough’s offense to the two third-inning runs.
“Tedy Cove was the difference. The guy is pitching his heart out. He’s been just tremendous – everything I can ask for,” said Vaccaro.
Shrewsbury’s bats came around in the fifth inning. All nine Post 397 players came to the plate that inning, with key hits by Pearson Dodds and JJ Ferguson. Walks from Mitchell and Owen Mongeon kept traffic on the basepaths throughout the frame, and two Northborough errors allowed Shrewsbury to keep the rally going.
Despite the six Shrewsbury runs, Quinn Salvi – who will play baseball at Anna Maria College next year – was sharp on the mound for Post 234. Over seven innings and 98 pitches, Salvi faced 34 total batters and didn’t allow an earned run.
“Shrewsbury is a really good team. I thought Quinn Salvi pitched a really outstanding game – complete game, zero earned runs. He really did a good job of giving us a chance. When you give a great team like that extra outs, they can really make you pay,” Post 234 Head Coach Ken MacDonald said after the game.
