2011: 16-4�
Preseason polls predicted Lexington #1 and Reading #2 . . . And that’s how it turned out
We opened with a 13-2 win vs. Winchester. Scott gave up 2 hits and fanned 15 in 6 innings
15 hit attack was led by Mac Cook (homer, double, �Tully (double, single) �Zack Driscoll (double), �Chris Welch (double)� and Jeff Covitz, Tom Crowley, and Mark Sheehan each had 2 hits
Rob McHugh got the complete game win over Watertown, 9-5.
Reading used aggressive baserunning to manufacture several runs.
Reading broke open a close game in the 6th when Covitz doubled, Mike Grassi single, Sheehan ( 3 for 4) tripled, and Welch singled.�Mac Cook also tripled and Paul Andrick had a double
We pounded Burlington, 12-4 to improve our record to 3-0��Tully went 6 innings – 4 hits, 4 walks, 14 K. Drew Zaccardi pitched the 7th��
Chris Welch had a homer, triple, 3 RBI and 4 Runs.�TC went 2-4 with 2 RBI and Tully had 2 hits
A really nice feature with the reporter (Jon Hines) is that he would interview players and Coaches Farris and Zerfas for great comments and quotes
Lexington 4 Reading 0
We had our first loss, vs. Lexington. Could not find write up in Chronicle. Just as well.
We suffered our second straight loss, 4-3 to Melrose (6-0 in ML) in 8 innings
Down 2-0 in the 5th, Chris Welch launched a 3-run homer over the left field foul pole.��But Melrose tied it up in the 7th and won it on a homer in the 8th
Vs Melrose Jeff Covitz had 3 of our 7 hits. Scott Tully had a no-decision after 7 innings, 2 runs, 13 K’s
Rob McHugh ended our losing streak with 6 strong innings (3 runs, 5 hits) to earn the win. Adam Halley worked the 7th inning.
Big offensive day with� Mac Cook (triple, 3-run homer), Mike Grassi (single, double, 4 RBI),�Chris Welch (2 hits)�Mark Sheehan (triple)
Wins over Wakefield 14-6 and Belmont 2-0 brought our record to 6-2
Vs. Belmont:�0-0 in 5th when Jeff Covitz doubled, Zack Driscoll pinch ran, and Mike Grassi singled him home. In the 6th Mac Cook walked with the bases loaded for a 2-0 lead. �That is all Scott Tully needed, as he threw a complete game 2-hitter with 10 K’s.�
Vs. Wakefield, games was tied 5-5 after 5 inn.�In 6th, Mark Sheehan hit a bases-loaded triple. Sheehan singled in 2 more in the 7th as he completed his 2 for 3, 6 RBI day.
�Grassi had a key 2-run single and Greg Altobello had 2 hits.
�Drew “Zeke” Zaccardi got his first win as he pitched 5 innings. Sophomore Garrett Colantino pitched hitless 6th and 7th with 3 K’s
Tied 1-1 after 7, 8, 9… we scored 6 runs in 10th when Crowley and Cook walked and Covitz singled in a run. Stoneham miscues led to more runs.�� Rob McHugh was brilliant, yielding just 1 run in 8 innings. Tully came on to pitch the 8th and 9th to pick up the win.
Good league race. Lexington had a great team; Melrose was good, too.
Tough 4-3 loss at Winchester��Grassi and Welch knocked in runs and another scored on a 1st and 3rd play. But we could not hold 3-0 lead. ��
We only had 5 hits:
Nick Scali, Tully, Welch, Covitz (2).
Tully took his only loss of the season.
Reading 18 Watertown 2�No newspaper article, but my game notes say:
Drew Zaccardi started and threw four strong, giving us a 2-1 lead. But Watertown tied in 2-2 in the 5th. But then we went crazy with 9 runs in the 5th and 7 more in the 6th.
Key hits were by Sheehan (2-run double), RBI single by Andrew Ferraro, 3-run homer by Grassi (3 hits, 5 RBI).
Rob McHugh pitched 1.1 scoreless to earn the win. Adam Halley pitched a 1-2-3 seventh.
Reading 5 Burlington 4 (8 innings)��According to several quotes by Coach in article, team was playing with lack of energy and intensity. Thus, trailed 3-1 after 5 inn.
In bottom 6th:�Sheehan reached on error, Andrick pinch hit single, Crowley walk, Tully pinch hit single. Now 3-2. Then Tully and Andrick pulled off 1st and 3rd play to tie game 3-3. Nick Scali singled to put Reading ahead 4-3
But Burlington tied game in top of 7th.�In 8th Garrett Colantino came in and threw 1-2-3 inning. In bottom half, Andrick singled, Crowley sacrificed, and Scali delivered walk-off single
Lexington pulling away from back. We were in battle for 2nd place with 3 other clubs
We needed this win at Melrose and came back from 3-run deficit with big 6th inning.
Scott Tully got the complete game win, giving up just 3 hits with 9 K’s
Sheehan’s 2-run homer made score 3-2 and then Cook singled, Covitz walked, Sheehan singled, but runner was out at plate. But Welchy got big 2-run single to put us up, 4-3.�More hits and errors led to 7-3 final.�Welch went 3 for 4 and Sheehan and Cook both 2 for 4
Bad day on Doubleday.�Lexington scores 8 in first. Hats off – they were a great team.��Zack Driscoll had his first 2 Cooperstown hits (followed by many more in Alumni Games!)��PS – we got them back in 2012, coming back from 5-1 defiicit to win in 8
Bad day on Doubleday.�Lexington scores 8 in first. Hats off – they were a great team.�Zack Driscoll had his first 2 Cooperstown hits (followed by many more in Alumni Games!)�PS – we got them back in 2012, coming back from 5-1 deficit to win in 8
A nice weekend sweep:
4-2 over Wakefield
13-1 over Belmont
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Vs. Wakefield, Tully threw strong complete game to bring his record to 6-1.
Two runs came on a Sheehan (3 for 3) triple, Welch walk, Crowley single.
Reading scored key runs in 3rd on Scali’s single and Cook’s 2-run homer
Vs. Belmont, Rob McHugh had his best outing – 6 IP, 6 hits, 0 walks
to record the win.
13-hit attack was led by
Cook (3-3, triple), Grassi (2-3),
Welch (2-2, 3 RBI)
Team was now 13-4 on the season.
Coach’s handwritten notes to make standings accurate
16-2 Romp at Woburn��Tully gave up 3 scratch hits and struck out 11, setting new RMHS single season record with 97 K’s
Offensive Show:�16 Runs, 24 Hits��Covitz (4-6, triple, double)�Scali (3-4, double)�Welch (2-4, double),�Andrick (2-2, double)� Tully (3-3, double)�Cook and Driscoll also had doubles and Adam Halley had a base hit
, double)
Dick Scanlon Invitational Tournament, Wilmington
Reading 14 Wayland 0
Rob McHugh was brilliant, tossing a 2-hit shutout.
We had 15 hits and scored in 5 innings
Grassi (3 hits), Cook (3 hits, 2, RBI),
Covitz (3 hits, 3-run homer),
McHugh (2 RBI), Sheehan (2 RBI) led the onslaught
Reading 1 Wilmington 0�Reading wins Scanlon Tournament�Adam Halley pitched a gem – 5 innings of shutout ball to record his first win.�Tully pitched the final two innings to earn a save�g�Reading scored in the 6th when Grassi reached by error and Covitz doubled him home with 2 outs�f�McHugh, Halley, Grassi, and MVP Jeff Covitz �were all named to the All-Tourney Team��Reading finished regular season with 16-4 record
MIAA Division 2 North Tournament�Lynn Classical 6 Reading 2
We were #2 seed, playing at home.
d
Game was 0-0 through 5 innings, as Tully had not yielded a single hit. But LC’s Gauthier was just as tough.
LC broke through win 3 runs in the 6th and 3 more in the 7th. Reading responded with 2 in our last at bat, but not nearly enough.
PS We drew LC (and Gauthier) in the first round in 2012 and this time were victorious, 1-0 in 8 innings as Tully struck out 16 and Sheehan hit a walk-off double
Terrific season!�After 3-2 start, went 13-2.� Ended regular season with 6-game win streak, outscoring opponents 60-7
Some notes of interest:�In innings 6-7-extra, we outscored opponents 67-10.��As with all our teams, �scoring first (11-1) and scoring 4 or more runs (14-0) were keys
�One of our best offensive teams ever!�g�Averaged 8.4 Runs and 10.4 Hits per game�f�All-Time Ranks:�#1 in AB�#2 in Hits� #3 in Runs�#3 in BAve (.345)
Team Leaders:
AB: Cook
Runs: Covitz
Hits: Covitz
BB: Covitz
HBP: Covitz
RBI: Sheehan
Stolen Bases: Welch
Doubles: Covitz
Triples: Sheehan
HR: Cook
Sacrifices: Crowley
BAVE: Covitz
On Base Ave: Covitz
Slugging Pct: Covitz
Putouts: Andrick
Assists: Altobello:
Team Leaders:
Scott Tully led team in:
Appearances, Starts (tie), Complete Games, Wins, Shutouts (tie) , Saves (tie), Innings, Walks, Strikeouts, ERA
Rob McHugh tied for lead in Starts and Shutouts
Garrett Colantino tied for lead in Saves
Drew Zaccardi, Adam Halley, Colantino led in Winning Pct. (1.000)
Lots of good stuff here; it is all in the scrapbook on hand tonight.��Tully #1 single season K’s��Covitz #2 career BAve��ML All-Stars:� Covitz, Sheehan, Tully��Welch and Covitz;� 20 Runs, 20 Hits��Quadruple Double: �Covitz, Welch, Sheehan
Miscellaneous Moments and Memories
Comedy Nights raised us $$$ to create and maintain our beautiful field
Home Plate Greetings
We were great whenever we worked together
This is what our coaches did – take care of our own field, every day
We had a lot of serious, intense times, but our best moments were when we laughed together.
The Team
Kasey Cook was our student manager/scorekeeper; we loved to have Kasey as part of our team!�
Mike “Shabazz” Sheehan was also a student-manager. Nobody loved the team and its players more than Shabazz!
Sophomores
Garrett Colantino�came up from JV to record a big win and a save.�In 6.1 innings, gave up just 1 hit and 0 runs. Went on to have excellent 3-year career for us.
Alex Valente
Athletic shortstop who had 4 hits, 5 runs
Scott Tully had a tremendous year:�7-1, 1.73 ERA�He led the team in Appearances, Starts, Complete Games, Wins, Saves, Shutouts, Strikeouts�He set the single-season K record (101)�Batted .464 in 28 AB with 8 RBI�Middlesex League All-Star for the 2nd time�Moreover, Scott was an exceptional competitor & leader
JUNIORS
Andrew Ferraro was a backup catcher/3rd baseman. �He had a good season as our every-game 3rd baseman in 2012
Mark Sheehan was a key player.
Batted .321 with 19 Runs, 18 Hits. He led the team in Triples (4) and RBI (20). Mark did the “Quadruple Double” – double figures in Runs, Hits, RBI, BB/HBP
Mark was a good outfielder and a Middlesex League All-Star
Greg Altobello was our shortstop who batted .320 in 25 AB and was 4 for 4 in SB. Greg led the team in Assists. As a senior, he was a Middlesex League All-Star
Chris Brown was a good team player with a nice lefty swing. Photo is an AB in Cooperstown
Zack Driscoll batted .455 with 2 doubles in 11 AB. �He was an athletic outfielder who could run and throw and captain in 2012
Drew Zaccardi had 3 starts and 2 big Wins for us. In 2012 he had a superb season at 6-1
Anthony DeSimone batted .385 in 13 AB. In 2012 Anthony was a superb 5-tool player as everyday centerfielder who had some big hits and made some big plays
Paul Andrick batted .378 with
10 Runs, 17 Hits.
His 150 Putouts ranks #3 all-time.
Our teams went 32-8 in the 2 years Paul was behind the plate
Mac Cook was one of our all-time greatest hitters. As out DH in 2011, he batted .357 with 17 Runs, 25 Hits, 18 RBI. Mac had 9 extra base hits and led the team with 3 homers
SENIORS
Mike Grassi played errorless left field and was a terrific hitter: .305 with 12 Runs, 19 Hits, �4 Doubles, and a homer. Grass had some big hits for us, as evidenced by his 16 RBI.
Adam Halley went 1-0 as he threw five shutout innings vs. Wilmington and was named to the Scanlon All-Tourney Team. We have never had a better kid and teammate than Halley.�Adam is RMHS Varsity Pitching Coach
Nick Scali was our center fielder who had great speed and a strong arm. �He had 30 putouts, 1 assist, with 0 errors. �Nick scored 11 Runs, had 16 Hits, 7 Stolen Bases, and walk-off single vs. Burlington
Chris Welch was a fantastic and valuable player. He played 3rd base and batted .379 �with 2 HR, 19 RBI, 9 SB.�Welchy did the rare “20-20”, amassing at least �20 Runs and 20 Hits as well as “Quadruple Double” – double figures in Runs, Hits, RBI, BB/HBP�
Tom Crowley. TC was a 2-year started at 2b, a tri-captain and excellent leader. Tom was effective offensively with 12 Runs, 14 Hits, and 10 RBI while leading the team with 7 Sacrifices. Tom was excellent on defense with just 3 errors in 47 chances
Rob McHugh was a really, really good pitcher with a good fastball and curve. He started 8 games, won 5, had 1 shutout, and ERA 2.71.�We have great seasons when we have a real good #2 pitcher and Rob was it.�Rob was also a highly regarded tri-captain
Jeff Covitz, Tri-Captain completed his future Hall of Fame career by batting .484 with 22 Runs, 30 Hits, 14 RBI
�“Vatz” led the team in Runs, Hits, Doubles, Walks, BAve, On Base Ave, Slugging Pct. and had an OPS of 1.290
Jeff did both the “20-20” and the “Quadruple Double”.
At 1b, Jeff made just 2 errors in 111 chances
He was a 2x Middlesex League All-Star��
Jeff was one of our greatest all-time leaders and hitters, and men of character.
His career .439 average is 2nd all-time.
Coach Zerfas�Coach Farris�Coach Padovani�Coach Lucci�Coach Mosc������we loved coaching you guys!
Coach Zerf and Coach Farris:�12 and 20 years of tremendous sacrifice, dedication, excellence. �They never received or asked for any pay.
How lucky was I to have my dad and mom as our greatest fans for 35 years
Congratulations Reading Baseball 2011 on your 10-year Anniversary.
We coaches were so proud of you back then; we are even more proud of you today and grateful for our ongoing friendships.