Diamond natural, if a bit rough

Especially when they watch him deposit a ball over the fence, as he did Monday on a 2-2 fastball off Acton-Boxborough Regional lefthander Whitney Ambrose that helped the Warriors clinch the Dual County League title with a 10-3 victory.

With Anderson still rounding the bases, Ambrose looked to the his team’s bench, shrugged and said, “It was a good pitch.’’

Anderson “can take advantage of any pitcher’s mistake,’’ said Lincoln-Sudbury’s coach, Kirk Fredericks. “And the thing is he’s still very raw. The upside is there. He has a tremendous amount of natural ability, but there is room to still improve. It’s coming along, but when he puts it all together, he’ll be scary.’’

For an encore, Anderson had a monster game Wednesday against Boston Latin, going 2 for 3 with a grand slam — his ninth homer of the season — a double, and seven RBIs. The southpaw swinger is hitting .435 this season with 33 RBIs.

With Anderson slugging away from the third spot in the lineup, sandwiched by five quality bats — sophomore Dan Celluci in the leadoff spot, senior Dave Baer hitting second, junior Michael Berry, and seniors Michael Baranowsky and Erik Watkins in fourth through sixth — the Warriors (17-2) have plenty of thunder with the state tournament kicking into gear this week. But his power at the plate can turn a game quickly.

“I’m ready to go,’’ said Anderson. “It’s going to be a great challenge. You know that every team will be throwing their best pitcher at us. We’ll have a target on our backs. We’ll get the ace, and every pitcher will be throwing their best. “

Anderson broke through to varsity last season as a sophomore. In the offseason, he dedicated himself to the weight room and the transition from table setter to base clearer.

“I was a singles hitter,’’ said Anderson. “I made plenty of solid contact, but settled for a lot of base hits. So I worked with Eric Cressey, the team trainer, “to get a lot bigger. I’ve gotten stronger, and I think I’ve developed into a more comfortable hitter. I’ve always had a little bit of a long swing. Getting stronger has helped speed my bat, definitely.’’

Anderson anchors a lineup that’s firing on all cylinders as the postseason approaches. The Warriors are averaging eight runs per game, and wrapped up their 10th consecutive league title — a “decade of dominance,’’ according to Fredericks — Monday.

Over their last four games, the Warriors scored 51 runs (and surrendered just six).

“It’s not just Carl. We have five or six impact bats,’’ said Fredericks. “At any time, any number of guys can carry us. And when they’re all going at once, like they are now, we’re a tough team to beat.’’

Anderson is just one of the bats on area baseball teams who could have an impact in the upcoming state tournament.

Arlington Catholic’s Lorenzo Papa has nearly matched Anderson’s production, blasting eight home runs — many of the moon shot variety. The junior first baseman has a .565 average, 27 RBIs, and has walked 22 times.

“His home runs, they’re not cheapies,’’ said Cougar coach Ed Coughlin. “He’s had some mammoth home runs. They’re not just clearing the fence; they travel.’’

In Tuesday’s 9-6 win over Cardinal Spellman, Papa, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound right-handed hitter, ripped a home run way over the Summer Street Field’s wall in left.

“That home run might have been the longest ball I’ve seen hit,’’ said Coughlin. “With his upper cut swing, if he catches the ball, it’s going a long way.’’

The Cougars (13-4) are averaging nearly nine runs per game, and have scored 44 runs in wins over Matignon, Lowell Catholic, and Cardinal Spellman.

“We’ve tinkered around, trying to find the right combination,’’ said Coughlin. “He’s hitting fourth right now, because we’ve found three guys who are getting on base in front of him. The thing is if first base is open, teams aren’t going to give in to him. Twenty-two walks, that’s quite a sign of respect.’’

Bellingham’s Steve Hole and Acton-Boxborough’s Jake Northrup both stroked their fifth homers of the season as their squads tuned up for the state tournament.

Hole, a senior center fielder, was 3 for 3 with a homer (and threw six innings of one-hit ball to boot) in a 10-0 romp of Blackstone-Millville Regional on Tuesday. Hole is hitting .514 with 37 RBIs.

Northrup, the Colonials’ star shortstop, smashed his fifth homer Wednesday, a solo shot to lift the team past playoff-bound league foe Newton South.

The Lions are led by three-sport star Willie Allen, who finished the regular season with a .470 batting average, four home runs, and 32 runs batted in.

“He’s one of the most dynamic players in the area,’’ said Newton South coach Ron Jordan. “When he’s on, he is ripping the ball to all fields. He’s got tremendous opposite-field power.’’

The Lions (15-6) are making their first tourney appearance since 2005.

“It’s been a pretty amazing turnaround for the program,’’ said Jordan. “Willie has been a big part of that. If he’s patient, if he waits for his pitch, he’ll have a big tournament.’’

Freshman Shannon Smith blanked previously unbeaten Hopkinton and outdueled Algonquin Regional sophomore Abby Sollis in back-to-back starts, pushing her win total to 10. She allowed just three hits over the two contests, while striking out 29.

“Two more outstanding performances for her,’’ said Milford coach Brian Macchi. “She’s controlled the strike zone and is setting the tone.’’

Meanwhile, Shannon’s older sister, Andrea, a senior, has been getting it done on both the mound and the batter’s box. She was 9-0 with a 0.81 ERA, and hitting .533 through Wednesday.

Jeff Schaible can be reached at jeff.schaible@gmail.com.