Norwood Prepares for American Legion Baseball Rubber Match-August 8, 1985

Following a 16-7 Defeat, Coach Pete Wall and the Norwood Squad Turn to Pitcher Tim Cox for Statewide Finalist Showdown

The postseason battle between Norwood and Lawrence in American Legion baseball has transformed into a fierce, back-and-forth slugfest reminiscent of a historic campaign.

On Tuesday evening, Norwood brought out its heavy artillery to bombard Lawrence 15-3. However, Lawrence struck back last night, shelling Norwood with 21 hits en route to a decisive 16-7 victory. The hill is not won yet, and the battle for one of Massachusetts’ four coveted finalist spots will be decided tonight in a 7:30 p.m. matchup at Norwood’s Balch Field. The winner advances to play at Milford at 4 p.m. on Saturday against the victor of the Grafton Hill versus Indian Orchard pairing, with the final four teams squaring off in a double-elimination series to crown the state champion.

“I’m not worried,” asserted Norwood Coach Pete Wall. “With Tim Cox pitching, we’re not going to have any trouble at all. They won’t hit him the way they hit us tonight. I could’ve pitched Cox [nursing a back injury] tonight, but I gambled, hoping to get some runs.” Lawrence Coach Jim Toomey remained tight-lipped regarding his starting pitcher after utilizing three arms in each of the past two games during Lawrence’s sixth consecutive day of competition. “The kids wanted this game. They wanted to prove we are as good a hitting team as them,” Toomey said.

Lawrence seized control early last night, plating five runs in the top of the first inning sparked by a grand-slam home run to left field by Bob Farrington off a bases-loaded count. Norwood immediately countered in the bottom half when Chris Maloof doubled and scored on Mike Wall’s single, though Norwood’s Achilles’ heel proved to be stranded runners—leaving 17 men on base, including loaded bags in the first, second, and eighth innings. Norwood clawed back to tie the game 5-5 in the third inning behind a triple by Bob Goonan, a walk to Mike Generazo, and an RBI single by Joe Benson coupled with a wild pitch. However, Lawrence pulled away with a five-run sixth inning fueled by Dean Borelli’s bases-loaded double, followed by a solo home run to deep center by Norwood’s Dave McMullin in the bottom of the sixth. Ultimately, Lawrence secured the 16-7 win, setting the stage for tonight’s high-stakes rubber match at Balch Field.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger

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