Sports

Watertown Baseball Faced Powerful Melrose Team at Victory Field

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Friday afternoon Varsity Baseball played their second game in three days, and looked to get back on the winning track after a Wednesday loss at Wakefield by the score of 11-2. Visiting the Raiders was a Melrose team with a 6-3 record, and winners of five in a row. Watertown sent their ace to the mound, senior righthander Lucas Pizzuto, who had pitched deep into all his outings so far this season, including an impressive 8-inning performance Friday night April 18 versus Stoneham, a game Watertown won 5-4. 

On this day, though, Pizzuto lacked a bit of his usual reliable control, and he just couldn’t get his curveball moving or throw it for strikes. It didn’t help that Melrose swung the bats early and often, spraying the ball all over the field. Pizzuto ended up only pitching two innings and giving up four runs. But baseball is a team game, and this was a team loss, final score Melrose 10 – Watertown 0.

Sports

Watertown Baseball Earns Walk-Off Win Against Stoneham

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Watertown Baseball got a walk-off 5-4 win in extra innings over Stoneham Thursday night at Victory Field. The 8-inning classic matched up two teams desperately looking for their first league win of the 2025 season, and in Stoneham’s case, their first win period. 

Both teams sent a good pitcher to the mound to try and make it happen. Stoneham’s right-hander had a decent fastball, a very good changeup and a pretty darn good slow curve. The Raiders sent their early-season ace Lucas Pizzuto to the mound. The senior right hander already had a win and a no-decision, that coming during an excellent outing against Burlington last Friday night where he pitched 6 innings and left with the game tied 4-4. (Watertown lost the game 5-4 in heartbreaking fashion, giving up an unearned run in the top of the 7th, and then getting runners on base in the bottom of the inning but not being able to push them across the plate.)

It was a beautiful April night for baseball, cool but not cold, clear skies, and most importantly no wind! Stoneham struck first with two runs in the second, courtesy of an RBI-single by the their nine-hitter in the lineup, followed by a bomb of a triple hit by the leadoff hitter to drive in the second run. Watertown answered back in the bottom of the second with a run by playing small ball. Jayden Pineda walked to lead off the inning, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Kingston Omalade, and then Adam Wainwright (remember that name) singled over the second basemen’s head to drive in Omalade. Watertown tied it at 2-2 in the third inning. A leadoff walk once again hurt Stoneham, this time to leadoff hitter Jack Brennan. He moved to second base on a fielder’s choice, and then exhibited some great baseball acumen on the base paths!

Sports

Watertown Baseball Battles Burlington in Close, Chilly Game

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Watertown Baseball finished off a busy week (three games in four days) Friday night April 11th with a 7 p.m. ballgame versus Burlington at Victory Field. A weekend of lousy weather was in store, and the weather gurus predicted it would start sometime Friday night, but luckily rain held off. But, it was chilly! On the mound for the Raiders was the tall, senior, hard-throwing right hander Lucas Pizzuto. In his last start Pizzuto pitched a gem, a one-hitter while striking out 10. But Friday night he was facing a strong league opponent, and after three innings it was 2-1 Burlington. Both teams, despite the chilly conditions, were swinging the bat aggressively and putting the ball in play.

Sports

Watertown Baseball Battles Belmont at Chilly Victory Field

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Monday, April 7, Watertown baseball was supposed to start a busy week with a league game versus crosstown rival Belmont at Victory Field, but inclement weather made that a non-starter. Tuesday, April 8 got off to a wet and gloomy start, and it even snowed, but a little after noon the sun came out, and a make-up was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 4:30. This isn’t a weather article of course, but a little more weather first before the recap. It was sunny and dry, but extremely windy and downright cold. Basically, what any day in April can turn out to be like on a baseball field in New England. Well, the chilly conditions didn’t stop Belmont from getting off to a hot start, as they scored one in the top of the first off Watertown starter Jayden Pineda, and two more off the right hander in the top of the third. 

In the bottom of the third Watertown loaded the bases, highlighted by a wicked liner just inside the third base bag for a double by lefty hitter Domenic Moynihan. Shortly after, cleanup hitter Lucas Pizzuto came up with the bases loaded and was hit by a pitch to drive in Watertown’s first run. The Raiders pushed home another run, but couldn’t come up with the big hit and stranded three runners and went to the fourth inning trailing 3-2.

Sports

JIM’S VIEW: Watertown Baseball Crushes Opponents in First 2 Home Games

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Courtesy of Watertown Cable

Watertown Baseball opened up their 2025 season at Victory Field on Tuesday April 1 – no fooling – a non-league game against Maimonides School of Brookline. Watertown baseball, fresh off a tournament run two years ago, ran into a rough season in 2024, but one season’s woes can become a new season’s expectations in no time! Tuesday was the first opportunity to create a new narrative. It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, for the 4:30 p.m. start. As you would expect, though – with with shade already enveloping the Watertown dugout and the third base line, and a hearty breeze on top of temperatures in the high 40s/low 50s – it was your typical early-spring environment. Which is to mean, it was chilly!

Sports

Watertown Takes Care of Business in First Round of Boys Basketball State Tournament

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Watertown junior Will Carty led the Raiders in scoring against Oakmont in the State Tournament win. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Not all winning streaks are created equal. Some teams go on a roll, pile up the wins, but something may be amiss with regards to their play — and eventually they get exposed. In other instances, and this is where we are with Watertown boys basketball, a team finds its way and puts together an impressive run. On Jan. 22, the Raiders woke up having lost two in a row including a home loss where Wakefield pushed them around in the second half, and at Winchester where they gave up their high for the season in a 87-62 loss. But, starting on Friday, Jan.

Sports

Watertown Girls Basketball Rolls Past Previously Unbeaten Oakmont in State Tourney

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Watertown senior Caroline Andrade led the Raiders in scoring against Oakmont in the Round of 32 State Tourney game. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

On paper. A common-used phrase when analyzing a game that has yet to occur is “on paper,” as in the Oakmont High School Girls Varsity Basketball team, on paper, should be feared. They won 20 in a row, and only a loss in their last game kept them from being undefeated. And so, despite  coming into tonight’s Round of 32 MIAA Div. 3 State Tournament game against Watertown as the  18-seed, perhaps “on paper” Watertown, the 15-seed, should be worried- and the underdog? The MIAA determines seeding based on strength of schedule, a.k.a. quality of opponent, margins of wins and losses, and record. As far as Watertown was concerned, they knew they earned their 13-8 record, 11-5 in a very competitive Middlesex League. Oakmont, located west of 495, plays in the Mid-Wachusett League, and clearly the MIAA didn’t believe their record alone, while impressive, was enough to warrant a higher seed. Well, boys and girls, the MIAA got it right. Watertown came out of the gate strong, played an almost-flawless first quarter on the way to a 19-5 lead after one, and never looked back.  Watertown came away with a 63-43 win in a game that got unnecessarily chippy at the end, but fortunately no one got hurt.

Sports

Watertown Boys Basketball Has Eye on Tournament After Closing Regular Season with a Win

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Watertown junior Will Carty and the Raiders look for a tournament run after beating Excel in the final regular season game. Here he celebrates during the Raiders’ victory over Shawsheen in a 2024 State Tournament game. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

When something ends, invariably something else begins. What ended on Thursday afternoon Feb. 20th at the Victor J. Palladino Gymnasium at the Watertown Middle School was the Boys Varsity Basketball’s regular season. What begins is hopefully a long run in the MIAA Div. 3 Tournament that gets under way next week.