On July 25, 1988, Norwood‘s seasoned post-season experience paid off as the squad swept a Zone 6 semifinal doubleheader against visiting Medfield at Balch Field on Saturday night.
Head coach Pete Wall and his players demonstrated their tournament poise by battling back from an early deficit to secure a 4-3 victory in the opening game before coasting behind a stellar six-inning, three-hit performance from pitcher Brian Adams to take a 2-0 shutout in the nightcap and improve their record to 24-4.
In the opening game, Medfield (15-14) capitalized on an opening error in the fourth inning when Mike Garzone reached base, stole second, and scored on an RBI single by Steve Govini. Medfield extended its lead to 3-0 in the fifth inning when Mark Nickerson launched a two-run home run.
Despite not allowing a runner past first base through the first three frames, Norwood starting pitcher Jim Doherty buckled down to escape further trouble. Norwood answered immediately in the bottom of the fifth by sending nine batters to the plate and erupting for four runs on four hits.
Consecutive singles by Scott Generazo and Brian Adams, followed by a walk to Tom Benson, loaded the bases. A sacrifice fly by Derek Ghostlaw plated pinch-runner Bob Grenham, and two-out RBI singles by Jim Doherty and Dan O’Rourke drove in three more runs to put Norwood ahead.
Though he surrendered only two earned runs on five hits, Jim Doherty handed the ball over to reliever Jim McCready, who pitched the seventh inning to nail down the victory. Crossman added a double for Medfield, while Mark Nickerson took the loss on the mound.
In the second game, Norwood seized an early 2-2—or rather, a 2-0—lead in the second inning during a pitcher’s duel. Dan O’Rourke, who anchored third base solidly all evening for Norwood, sparked the frame with a double. Ted Decareau followed with a single to move Dan O’Rourke to third, and Scott Generazo lifted a deep sacrifice fly to center field to open the scoring.
After stealing second base, Ted Decareau advanced to third on an infield out and scored Norwood’s second run on a mental error when left-handed pitcher Chris O’Sullivan lost control of a return throw from catcher Jody Codispoti, allowing Ted Decareau to chug home safely.
Following the second-inning tallies, both teams clamped down defensively as rain began to fall, combining for just three hits over the final five innings. Brian Adams settled into an exceptional rhythm backed by airtight defense, and in the seventh inning, head coach Pete Wall once again called upon Jim McCready, who struck out the side to pick up his second save of the evening.
Reflecting on the sweep, Pete Wall stated, “We played good baseball. Really, both teams did. We had some tough short work from McCready and [previous] rainouts gave our arms a rest. I’m glad that we won both tonight so we didn’t have to play [Sunday] and then again on Monday.” With the sweep, Norwood advanced to face the winner of the Foxboro versus West Roxbury series.
Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger
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