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"I think we just kind of figured out how to win," says leadoff hitter Julian Ponsetto of Wayland's improvement in American Legion play. (PATRICIA McDONNELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE) |
Globe West Sports | On the diamond
Wayland closes season with flair
Legion team jelled with Samp's return
Ed Samp vividly recalls the exact time, 10 o'clock at night, and the specific spot on the driveway of his parents' Wayland home in which he landed awkwardly, spraining his left ankle badly.
His was shooting jump shots, but the injury left him hobbling just three days before the start of the American Legion baseball season.
The ankle, he says, eventually swelled up "to the size of a grapefruit.
For an inexperienced Wayland Diamondbacks squad - only half of the 18 players on the roster entered this season with a varsity experience at the high school level - the injury was a blow.
Wayland lost seven of its first eight games; a good portion of the losses were close (the team has had seven one-run games, losing four), but inconsistency at the plate kept the Diamondbacks from breaking through.
However, Joe Regonlinski's squad showed plenty of resolve, developed plate discipline, tightened up its infield defense, and turned its season around. The Diamondbacks strung together timely hitting to knock off Natick and Newton, and take care of business against Concord and Hudson. On Wednesday night, Wayland closed out the season dramatically, thumping Zone 5A leader Sudbury, 12-2, to finish 7-11 overall.
"I think we just kind of figured out how to win," said leadoff hitter Julian Ponsetto, who, prior to the Sudbury game, was pacing Wayland at the plate with a robust .453 average with two doubles, one triple, and a grand slam.
The return of the 18-year-old Samp as a starter on July 1, for the ninth game of the season, certainly served as a spark. With Samp back in the lineup, the Diamondbacks went 6-4.
Samp will be the first to tell you he wasn't the rallying point, and his 0-2 record on the mound gives that point some merit. He says the ankle "isn't quite completely healed," and he wears a brace when he pitches. But his resilience on the hill, and the ability to keep the bullpen fresh by racking up a lot of innings, has earned praise.
"He's been an inspiration to our ball club," Regonlinski said. "His demeanor is that of a prizefighter, giving it his all until the last out is made."
Regonlinski points to that July 1 game as an example. Samp received his first action of the season out of the bullpen the night before, throwing 25 pitches in a loss to Ashland, but went over the 100 mark in the 4-3 loss to Natick.
"That kind of effort depicts a player that values and appreciates the Legion season," Regonlinski said. "The players took Eddie's lead-by-example persona, and have instilled it into their own repertoire."
In five appearances on the mound, covering 22 innings, Samp struck out 22 hitters.
Samp points to another moment from the game as the instant the ship was righted. At one point, a Natick runner bowled over Samp in a collision at home plate, clearing the benches for a moment.
"It was a bizarre incident, but that in a way turned us around," said Samp, who will enroll at Northeastern University in January. "It kind of fired us up."
Wayland received consistent production from the top of the order from players like Ponsetto, Joe O'Brien (.391), and Cam Owens (.354), and at the bottom from youngsters such as Ben Karp and Mike Trueblood, who knocked a solo homer in Monday's home loss to Weston. Karp belted a homer and knocked in five runs against Sudbury.
Newton manager Manny Connerney said, "They can knock the ball around. They're young but solid, and they'll be pretty good next year."
Now, if only the season started July 1.
Quick hits
Scanlan, who pitched L-S to the Division 1 baseball state title in 2007, struck out 12 batters and scattered 10 hits in three relief appearances that totaled nine innings.
"One thing I learned is I can compete with them," said the lanky left-hander, entering his sophomore year at the University of Maine.
For now, he's enjoying the rest of his summer working out, taking a class up in Orono, and pitching Lexington Blue Sox of the Intercity League. Having played against some of the nation's premier collegiate talent, there's a considerable advantage coming back to this level, he says.
"I pitched what I thought was a good pitch, up in the zone a little bit, and it gets taken for a home run," Scanlan said. "The Cape League teaches you not to make mistakes."
Led by Southern Connecticut State-bound A.J. Rouleau, who earned Mid-Wach B MVP and All-State honors as a third baseman this year for Westborough High, Northborough has four everyday batters hitting over .400. Algonquin Regional's Kevin Brown leads the team with a .471 average, followed by Rouleau (.479), Nick Delbuno (.444), and Mike Pelland (.410).
Aside from the eight-run output, one of the most notable changes for Newton was its everyday center fielder making his first start on the mound. Lefty Max Ricciuti walked six batters, hit two, and struck out four, but only allowed two hits.
It was good enough an outing for Ricciuti - who was Newton North's number two starter this spring - that Connerney says he will have a spot in the playoff rotation.
Brendan Hall can be reached at bhall59@hotmail.com.
© Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company.
