Stoughton Legion Baseball Splits First Two Games; Team Has Bright Outlook

With a roster featuring many of the players who helped the Stoughton High varsity baseball team reach the Division 2 South Sectional finals this spring, the Stoughton Legion Post 89 baseball team is hoping to carry over some of that success this summer, and improve from a 5-17 season from a year ago. 

Dealing with some early season rainouts, the team has played two games so far, starting the season 1-1, winning the opener, 6-4, over visiting Holbrook on June 12, and falling to visiting Canton, 3-1, on June 16. 

"We have a very strong core of players who are coming off a nice run in the high school playoffs and we expect to have two key players back who missed much of last season for us, Pat Jackman and Mike Connelly.  I fully expect that this team contend for a playoff spot," Stoughton Legion manager Jim Derochea said. 

"We have a strong core of pitchers, with Mike Gallagher at the front of that pack.  Working closely with [SHS Varsity Coach] Mike Armour our plan is to continue to develop pitchers like Sam Werman, Zach Gibb and Jovani Pires," Derochea continued. 

Pat Raeke, Will McGrath, Kaleb Ballou, Jake Gibb and Brian Crimmins are also SHS varsity players who will contribute, as will Jamie Connors (SHS '12), and Kyle Silverman, who is finishing up is freshman year at SHS.

The Legion team will also receive help beyond the Stoughton High ranks, including Legion veterans Kyle Phillips and Jack Kane. 

"Despite hosting joint Legion-Babe Ruth Summer League tryouts, we only had two Babe Ruth players show up for any of the four joint tryout dates, so we had to venture outside of the Stoughton High community to add some depth to the team," Derochea explained. 

"We added three private school players, [Stoughton's] Matt Provost (CM), Tyler Alford-Getchell (Xaverian) and Braintree's Nic Panasci (Thayer  Academy).  All three are versatile players with both Provost and Panasci projected as primarily outfielders, and left-handed pitcher Alford-Getchell projected to get quality innings on the mound."

Playing the always compact Legion schedule, Stoughton will play more than 20 games in just five weeks. 

Against Holbrook to open up the season, Stoughton received a solid pitching performance from Werman, who tossed a complete game, striking out four, while allowing three earned runs, and scattering six hits. 

Provost led the offense with two hits and a pair of RBI. Ballou also had two hits and knocked in one. Connors and Panasci also had one RBI a piece. 

Against Canton, Stoughton pitchers combined to allow only four hits, but the offense was shutdown by opposing pitcher Jake Fishman, who pitched for Sharon High in the high school season. 

"It seemed that whenever we'd get a man or two on base, Jake [Fishman] seemed to come up with the clutch strikeout or a tapper back to the mound to get out of trouble." Derochea said. 

Fishman struck out seven, and scattered six hits. He also induced four comebackers to the mound, each with a man on base at the time.

"Hats off to him, he made the big pitches when it counted," Derochea said.

Zach Gibb (2 innings), Pires (3 innings) and McGrath (2 innings) combined to pitch for Stoughton.

Down 3-0 in the fifth, Phillips singled, and later came around to score on a Mike Gallagher single to make it a 3-1 game.  

Stoughton threatened in the bottom of the seventh, with Phillips and Crimmins both singling with one out, bringing Gallagher, the leadoff hitter, to the plate.  

"Gallagher slapped a line drive down the line that was stabbed by Canton first baseman, Nate Pederson, who turned the liner into a game ending double play," Derochea said. 

"It was a well played game all around and sometimes you just have to tip your cap to the opposing pitcher. It was his night," Derochea said after the tough loss.

Stoughton's Tuesday night game at Quincy was postponed. Post 89 is back in action Wednesday at home for a 5:45 p.m. tilt with visiting Braintree.