by Kristian Lundberg
Baseball’s season ended Thursday when the Tigers lost at Malden Catholic 16-4.
An impressive four-game winning streak near the end of the season earned the team a spot in the postseason, but, being the lowest seed in the tournament, making a deep run seemed unlikely for the squad.
May 25, the Tigers defeated Needham 5-1 at home. With the win, the Tigers qualified for the State Tournament, securing a record of at least .500 with their 10th victory.
“We had good pitching, good defense and timely hitting, which is pretty much hard to figure out since it mostly happens by luck,” Siciliano said.
The win came at a critical point in the season and extended the Tigers’ winning streak to four games.
After an 8-4 home loss to South May 14, the team stood at 6-8, and their chance of qualifying for the State Tournament seemed to be slipping away.
However, the Tigers came up with a clutch win on the road against Brookline May 20, and came back the next day with a 3-2 win against Weymouth at home, according to Siciliano.
The Tigers then edged Framingham 2-1 in 12 innings at home May 23. Junior Jeff Howard held the Flyers at bay with “fantastic pitching,” Siciliano said. He pitched 10 innings, striking out 13 and holding Framingham to a single run.
“The win was a tribute to the whole team’s mental toughness and focus up there,” Siciliano said.
According to senior Jack McLaughlin, a captain with seniors Danny Anderson and Alex D’Agostino, the Tigers’ success this season “depended upon our pitching.”
“When our pitching comes through, we play well, but if our pitching struggles, then we struggle as a team,” McLaughlin said.