Extra innings
News and notes from yesterday's state baseball championships
233
Total pitches thrown by Auburn's Jeff Croteau and Plymouth North's Joe Flynn.
2:03
Game time for the Plymouth North-Auburn Division 2 state final, despite the game extending to 10 innings.
10
Years since the last undefeated team in Massachusetts.
7
Number of years since BC High last won a state baseball championship.
1
Number of 1-2-3 innings Scott Warwick threw in his complete-game win for BC High.
6
Wins in a row by EMass teams in the state finals. Including the 2006 season, EMass teams have won eight of the last nine title games. The last Central Mass. school to win was Algonquin in 2006.
48
Westwood's run differential this postseason. The Wolverines outscored their opponents, 72-24, in seven tournament wins.
12
Batters during in Westwood's eight-run third inning.
12
Westwood's seed entering the Division 3 South tournament.
Tied for 3d
Westwood's finish in the Tri-Valley League's final regular-season standings behind Hopkinton, Ashland, and tied with Norton.
Routine play
An unusual play occurred when Plymouth North's Tom MacInnes led off the eighth inning with a hard-hit ball to Auburn's Jon Geeze at first. The ball bounced high off Geeze's glove, but second baseman Nick Natoli was able to get to the ball, field it, and throw out MacInnes at first.
Hustling catcher
Auburn's Brendon VanBeekom hit a grounder to third but was safe when the throw flew over the first baseman's head. VanBeekom tried for second, but was thrown out by Plymouth North catcher Matt Walsh, who was backing up the throw to first.
It wasn't Dice-K
Both pitchers in Plymouth North's win over Auburn were efficient, which allowed them to pitch the 10-inning game. Flynn had innings where he threw five, six, and seven pitches (the fifth, ninth, and sixth innings) while Croteau had innings of nine, nine and 10 pitches (fifth, seventh and ninth).
Stars out tomorrow
Want to see more? The 31st annual High School All-Star baseball games will be held tomorrow at Fraser Field in Lynn. The Central will play the West at 3 p.m. followed by the North-South contest at 7. Then it's back to Lynn Thursday for the game between Massachusetts and Connecticut at 6 p.m.
