Pub, Recs even after two games in NSBL finals

Matt Williams, The Salem News, Beverly, Mass.
·2 min read

Aug. 15—Two big swings of the bat — one by a rookie and one by a grizzled veteran — have the North Shore Baseball League championship series tied up after two games.

Youngster Nolan Hills hit a 3-run homer in the first inning of Sunday's Game 2 to send Peabody to a 4-1 win over Beverly at Twi Field. Pitchers Ty Leavitt and Scott Weismann combined to limit the Recs to five hits to even the series at 1-1 after Beverly took Game 1 on Friday night.

Game 3 of the best-of-seven slate is set for Monday night at Cooney Field.

Sunday, James McCarthy and Jon Cahill reached in the first to set up Hills' first-pitch bomb over the left field fence. Champs added a run in the fourth when Bobby Jellison knocked home Zach Begin.

The Recs got on the board in the sixth when Danny Mello (2-for-3) came around on a double by Brandon Bingel. Beverly's only other hits were singles by Frank DiOrio and Matt Burgess, however. Jordan Anzouni had a solid relief appearance for the Recs, tossing two hitless, scoreless frames.

Leavitt threw 5 1/3 with five strikeouts for Peabody and Weissman cleaned up with the last five outs. Mike Mabee, Zach Keenan and Chris Mansour also had hits.

In Friday's Game 1, Recs player/manager Matt Mello came off the bench to pinch hit with the game tied and delivered an RBI single in the top of the sixth to send the Recs to a 4-3 victory.

Bingel got the last five outs to earn the save for Beverly, allowing no hits and just one baserunner while striking out three.

The rematch of the 2016 Finals won by the Recs was scoreless through the first three frames with Nathan Ing of Champions (6 1/3, three strikeouts) and Nick McIntrye of Beverly (3 2/3, three strikeouts) pitched out of trouble. In the fourth DiOrio launched a 2-run homer to left to break the seal. Kevin Murray's RBI single scored Matt Burgess to make it 3-0 before the Pub, seeking its first title since 2011, went to work.

Ethan Doyle's RBI single, a sacrifice fly by Jellison and McCarty's RBI single got it tied in the bottom of the fourth. Eric DePiero came in for the Recs and put out the fire to keep it tied up, however.

Bingel and Dillon Gonzalez added hits for Beverly while Burgess and Tim McCarthy were both 2-for-3. For Pub, Keenan had a 2-for-3 effort and Ing and Andrew O'Neill chipped in with hits.