Logan Briand is the only senior on the Hopkinton baseball roster, but the pitcher hadn’t ever started for the Hawks. He transferred from Mascoma Valley two years ago and didn’t get a chance to play last year when the season was cancelled, so when choosing a starter for Friday’s senior day, head coach Dave Chase gave Briand the nod.
And he rose to the occasion.
Briand pitched four innings of shutout baseball, striking out three and allowing four hits and just one walk to lead the Hawks (7-3) to a 3-0 victory over Merrimack Valley (4-6) on Friday in his first career start in a Hawk uniform.
“Logan stepped up,” said Chase, Hopkinton’s longtime coach. “He was ahead all game. This was a big turnaround for the Hawks. We allowed 13 walks on Monday (a 13-7 loss to MV) and only two today.”
Junior Peyton Marshall earned the save, allowing a walk and a hit while striking out four over the final three innings to close out the victory.
“The biggest thing was that they got their breaking ball over. MV is a pretty good-hitting team,” said Chase, who noted that Briand’s 68 percent strike rate (43 strikes on 59 pitches) and Marshall’s 62 percent rate (33 strikes on 53 pitches) was a significant improvement over the duo’s previous outing.
Briand wiggled out of trouble early on, giving up a leadoff hit to Pride senior Griffin Wheeler (2-for-3, stolen base, walk) and walking the next batter, but Aiden Wood (first varsity hit) and Gavin Wheeler (1-for-3) were the only other MV batters to get hits.
Hopkinton junior outfielder Jack Morrall was also key to the shutout, running down some long fly balls.
The Pride had a great starter of its own, with junior Owen Bernier allowing four hits and no earned runs over six innings while striking out six, but the Hawks put three runs across the plate in the bottom of the third.
A fly out gave MV a quick out to open the inning, but juniors Owen O’Brien and Bryce Charron (hit) both reached base on errors to put runners on first and second.
Sophomore Joe Yanzo laid a perfectly excuted bunt down the first-base line, allowing O’Brien to score from second base, and Yanzo beat the throw to first base, giving the Hawks a a 1-0 lead with runners on first and second.
Marshall (two hits) bunted into a fielder’s choice, but the sacrifice allowed Charron to make it a 2-0 lead for Hopkinton.
Yanzo then scored the third run on a passed ball.
“Sometimes small ball doesn’t work for us, but it’s a style we have to play a little bit more to have some success,” said Chase. “Joe’s bunt was as perfect as a bunt could be. We executed some good bunts and put some pressure on (MV’s) defense, but there’s a lot more we need to do to be successful in the tournament.
“Bernier deserved a better fate; he pitched his tail off,” MV head coach Sean Wheeler said. “On offense we just couldn’t find the timely hit, leaving 10 runners on base.”
The Hawks will close out the regular season this week with a home game against Bishop Brady, while the Pride finish the regular season with a home-and-home series against Pembroke.
The brackets for the postseason tournament have already released, and both Hopkinton and MV know that they will be hosting at least one tournament game.
The Hawks will host Hillsboro-Deering (2-7) in the Division III prelims on June 3, while the Pride will take on the winner of Plymouth (5-4) vs. Kennett (5-5) in June 3’s D-II preliminary round.
Pinkerton 10, Concord 0, 5 inn.
Key players: Concord – Ryan Philbrick (hit), Brooks Craigue (hit), Jarrad Willette (hit)
Highlights: The Astros scored three runs in the fifth inning to end the game early. Pinkerton has the best record in Division I so far.
Coach’s quote: “Tough game for us all around. The boys never stopped playing, it just wasn’t our night. We will regroup and get back at it on Monday.” – Concord’s Scott Owen
Records: Pinkerton 14-1; Concord 11-5
Concord 7, Pinkerton 5
Key players: Concord – Maddy Wachter (W, 4 IP, 7 K, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER; hit), Sarah Taylor (2-run HR; save, 3 IP, 2 K, 7 H, 4 ER), Delaney Duford (2-for-4, 2 runs), Alice Rosenberg (RBI triple, run), Lillian Rienstra (hit, walk, run, RBI), Grace MacDonald (triple, run), Libby Brown (RBI sac fly), Olivia Crawford (run, SB)
Highlights: In a showdown of two of the top teams in Division I, Concord jumped on Pinkerton for four runs before an out was recorded, highlighted by Rosenberg’s triple and Taylor’s home run. Meanwhile, Wachter was dominant in her first action in the circle since taking a line drive off her leg two weeks ago. The freshman struck out six of the first seven batters she faced and spun four innings of two-hit ball. Pinkerton made it interesting late, but stranded two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the seventh.
Coach’s quote: “After a few not-so-competitive games, it was great to be involved in a tournament-intensity type game. The girls really brought it, and having Maddy back in the circle was a big boost.” – Concord assistant coach Sandy Smith
Records: Concord 14-2; Pinkerton 12-3
Merrimack Valley 6, Hopkinton 2
Key players: MV – Addie Allen (1-for-3, 2 runs), Kalee Keyser (3-for-4, 2 RBI, run), Emily Kelly (1-for-3, RBI), Liv Seeley (2-for-3, run), Livie Lacasse (7 IP, 6 K, 1 BB; 1-for-3); Hopkinton – Jordyn Barrett (4 IP), Maddie Carmichael (3-for-4), Brooke Carlson (defense), Keegan St. Cyr (defense)
Highlights: The Pride scored three runs in the fourth inning, breaking a 1-1 tie, and added a pair of runs in the fifth for some insurance, handing the Hawks their first loss of the season.
Coaches’ quotes: “Nice win after dropping the first game of the two-game series on Monday. The (bottom) half of our order had the bats kicking, collecting five hits and three RBI.” – MV’s Kevin O’Brien
“Tip of the cap to MV. (Lacasse) threw a beautiful game and (MV) took advantage of our mistakes. A good learning lesson for us today.” – Hopkinton’s Dan Meserve
Records: MV 6-3; Hopkinton 9-1