Monday Night April 28th Watertown Baseball looked to end a two-game losing streak versus perennial Middlesex League Baseball power Reading. Unfortunately, it didn’t come to be, as Watertown took it on the chin by the score of 14-2 in five innings at Victory Field.
It was a beautiful spring night, not a cloud in the sky and nary a sign of even the slightest breeze as the flag located down the first base line was entirely still.
Senior co-captain Domenic Moynihan has done his best to do it all this spring, from playing second & third to catching (while starting-catcher Andrew Reilly heals from an off-season injury), to pitching, all while batting second game after game. Last night he was asked to take the mound by Coach Aram Manoukian. What transgressed was any pitchers worst nightmare, and one that many before the well-intended Moynihan have experienced – he couldn’t find the strike zone.
The first four Reading hitters all drew walks. 1-0 Reading. Moynihan hung in and struck out the five-hitter, and was now a double-play ground ball away from escaping the inning. Control woes returned though, and three of the next four walked and Moynihan’s night on the mound was done. Nine batters, seven walks, one hit, one strikeout. Leftfielder Kingston Omalade and Moynihan swapped positions, and five batters later the inning was finally over, but not before 10 runs had crossed the plate on 8 walks and 3 hits.
Watertown tried to answer back in the bottom of the first as Moynihan fought past the disappointment of his pitching outing, sending a ball to the left-center gap for a one-out double. The Raiders loaded the bases and after a one-out strike out, Adam Wainwright was hit by a pitch to bring in a run, and then Omalade drew a walk to bring in Watertown’s second run. But after working the count full, including fouling off a number of pitches, DH Peter Pavlides just couldn’t catch up with a fastball for strike three and the end of the inning. Only one hit in the inning, when even one more would have made it a game.
Watertown didn’t score again, and after the game became official after five and down double digits, the game was over. Final score again, Reading 14- Watertown 2. Watertown goes to 3-7 on the season, 1-7 in league play. Wednesday the Raiders end the month of April on the road at Winchester, and return home Thursday night to begin the Month of May versus Arlington.
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1 2 3 4 5 R H E
Reading 10 2 1 0 1 14 7 1
Watertown 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 2