After the way the night started, the Newton Post 440 American Legion baseball team needed a much better finish to the evening to keep its playoff hopes alive.
Post 440 didn't waste much time ensuring all would not be lost in the doubleheader as it pounded out nine hits and scored nine runs in the first two innings of an 11-2 victory over Watertown Post 99 last night at Albemarle Park.
The victory came after a very frustrating first game in which Newton loaded the bases with no outs - down two runs - in the seventh inning, but couldn't push across a run in a 4-2 make-up game loss to Ashland.
Newton sits at 6-5-1 entering the home stretch of the season after the split, while Watertown dropped to 3-7 after being unable to build upon a 3-1 victory over North Chelmsford in its previous game.
``That took the edge off losing that first game a little bit,'' said Newton coach Manny Connerney of the nightcap. ``We could have gotten both those wins. That would have helped us. We're behind a couple of teams (in the standings) now, but some of them have good teams they still have to play too.''
The top four teams in all of Zone 5 move on to the playoffs starting in two weeks. While Sudbury and Cambridge have separated from the pack, Newton is just off the pace of the next group of squads that includes Weston, Lowell and Ashland.
``Those teams probably have a little edge on us right now,'' Connerney said. ``But I wouldn't say we're dead. I wouldn't say that at all. We probably have to go on a little winning streak now. But we're capable of that.''
The Post 440 bats showed their potential in the first two innings of last night's second game. After Watertown couldn't push a run across in the top of the first despite three singles, Waltham's Ken Whittier tripled leading off the bottom of the inning for Newton and set the stage for a three-run frame.
Newton South's Alex Foner followed with an RBI infield hit, Waltham's Chaz Agrillo walked and Waltham's Dylan Carnes drove in a run with the first of his three hits. Belmont Hill's Jack St. Clair then made it 3-0 with a single.
After Post 440 starter Sam Forman made quicker work of Watertown in the second, allowing just a one-out single to Waltham's Mike Hanley (2 hits), Newton came back with six more in the bottom of the frame to essentially turn the lights out early.
Newton North's Len Tocci was hit by a pitch, Whittier singled and Foner hit an RBI single. After a strikeout, Agrillo hit an RBI single, Carnes singled to load the bases and Waltham's Robbie MacDonald plated a run with a walk. Two runs came in when Dexter School's Matthew Gilmartin reached on an error and Whittier's third hit of the first two innings made it 9-0.
It was a tough scene for Watertown coach Brian Dowling to watch after his team played so well behind the pitching of Belmont's Stephen Amrein against Chelmsford. Watertown couldn't build off that despite three baserunners in the first last night.
Waltham's Dom Coviello led off the game with an infield hit for Watertown, but Agrillo gunned him down trying to steal. Then Watertown High's Jack Woodland and Greg Palazzo both singled before a fielder's choice and strikeout ended the threat.
``It's like a tale of two teams,'' Dowling said. ``But we have a young team and young teams are like that. It's a great group and we're going to be all right. We've proven the ability to bounce back from games like that this year.''
``They're green right now,'' Connerney noted of the league's newest entry. ``If they can hang around a couple of years, then they can be contenders. It's hard to be a contender in this league, especially when you're new like that.''
Watertown reliever Matt Tardiff pitched well after entering the game in the second inning as Connerney went liberally to his bench in the later innings.
``Matt did a great job coming in there and settling things down,'' Dowling said. ``I was real happy with him tonight.''
Newton made it 10-0 in the bottom of the third when Carnes hit a two-out single, MacDonald reached on an infield single and the run scored when St. Clair reached on an error.
Post 440's final run came in the fifth when Agrillo walked and scored on a MacDonald double.
Watertown's two runs came in the top of the fifth without the benefit of a hit as Trinity Catholic's Bobby Greenwood reached on an infield error with the bases loaded.
Hanley had Watertown's only extra-base hit when he doubled and was stranded at third in the top of the sixth.
Newton did not allow any earned runs as Forman went the first four innings and Newton North's Eric Howard picked up the three-inning save.
The defensive highlight of the night came in the seventh when Tocci made a great stab at shortstop and fired to first for the out.
Post 440 could have used a few of the timely hits from the nightcap earlier in the loss to Ashland.
Newton took a 2-0 lead in the second inning of that one on an RBI single from Newton North's Max Martins and RBI fielder's choice from Ken Whittier. But Ashland struck for a run in the third and three in the fourth.
In the seventh, Ken Whittier led off the inning with double, Waltham's Collin Whittier walked and Newton North's Leighton Culici singled to load the bases. Ashland then cut the lead runner down at the plate on Agrillo's smash fielder's choice. A a pop out and strikeout ended the game.
Newton returns to action tonight at Albemarle against North Chelmsford, while Watertown heads to Arlington tonight.
(Scott Souza is a Daily News staff writer. He can be reached at 781-398-8006 or ssouza@cnc.com.)
