The game winning-home run had landed in the marsh grass beyond the outfield fence a few minutes earlier.  The excitement continued as the team gathered on the left-field foul line for its post-game meeting.  Manchester Essex had beaten much larger Marblehead High School twice in ten days to open the 2022 season.

The first win was just baseball, a season-opening win where Marblehead made too many mistakes and everything went right for the Hornets.  That wasn’t going to happen in the rematch.  Marblehead players were bigger, stronger and older --- mostly juniors and seniors.  

So a week later when Marblehead took a 4-1 lead in the ninth inning of the second game, the biggest surprise was that it took two extra innings for the Magicians to take control.  But before the game was suspended due to darkness the Hornets rallied for one run, making it 4-2.  When the game resumed three days later Manchester Essex scored two more runs to force a tenth inning.

When Ryan Andrews hit a home run in the bottom of the tenth to win the game 6-4 the improbability of the moment needed recognition and some legs.  The Hornets knew I had a baseball social media website, so I said to the still-buzzing Hornets,  "If you guys make it to the Final Four of the playoffs, I’ll write a 5,000-word story about the season.”  Here is the story.

Manchester Essex plays in the fourth of five Massachusetts high school baseball divisions based on school size.  Division 4 is the next to smallest division.  Manchester Essex Regional High School draws its students from the northeastern Massachusetts Cape Ann towns of Manchester By The Sea (population 5,400) and Essex (population 3,700).  There are about 450 students.  

Manchester Essex plays in the Cape Ann League, which has eleven schools in two divisions.  The Hornets are in the six-school Baker Division, comprised of Division 4 and 5 high schools which ME plays twice.  The Kinney Division has five Division 3 schools which the Hornets play once. The Hornets also have four non-league games.

The ME Hornets baseball program is far different from the competitive high school and college programs popularized in social media. Game results depend on coaches and players, not video technology and computer-generated statistical analytics.  Bats, gloves, baseballs and two pitching machines are the only equipment at practice.

Home games are played at Memorial Field in Essex.  It is five miles from the high school.   There are dugouts, a shed for equipment storage, and restrooms.  Major field preparation and maintenance are provided by the Town of Essex.  The Hornet coaches and players provide daily field preparation and clean up.

Starting pitcher Ryan Andrews dazzled Marblehead in his first varsity game in three years.  As a freshman he was a member of the 2019 Hornets which won the Division 4 state championship.  Covid cancelled the 2020 season and elbow surgery sidelined Andrews in 2021.  The right-hander was overwhelming, allowing no hits for 3 2/3rds innings, striking out seven, and walking one until he tired in the fourth.  Marblehead and ME were deadlocked 0-0.

Three days later with the temperature in the 40s, Weed sent the Hornets to their cars before the game to stay warm.  When Marblehead took the field their vision of three quick outs and a win vanished immediately. O'Leary drove in Coyne from third base with a sacrifice fly and Andrews scored the tying run on a wild pitch, sending the game to the tenth inning.

Marblehead worked two walks off second-baseman-turned-pitcher Coyne to start the tenth inning (throwing to reserve catcher Deoreo).  But Coyne picked off a baserunner and got two more outs. In the bottom of the tenth with two out Coyne reached on an error, bringing Andrews to the plate.  He launched a line drive over the left center field fence nearly identical to Monday's home run, winning the game 6-4.

Infielder Porat said "Ryan hitting the walk-off home run against Marblehead" was the season's most memorable moment.  Brown said, "The comeback against Marblehead set the stage for this year."  The Hornets had learned a few days into the season the formula for baseball success.  If pitchers throw strikes, the team plays good defense and the offense puts the ball in play, the Hornets have an excellent chance to win.

During practice as an assistant coach I cover the entire baseball field.  I work with the pitchers, catchers, infielders or outfielders depending on the practice plan.  Working with the outfielders is a little more relaxing. There is room to stand nearby and there is more time between drills to chat briefly.

One day in the early spring I asked outfielder Otterbein what he liked to do outside of school and baseball.  He said he liked to watch superhero movies.  Being a child of the 1960s, when the superhero roster was smaller than today I asked, "How do you tell the superheroes apart?"  Otterbein reported his simple solution. "I watch all the movies."  Of course.  This is 2022.

Watching the Hornets outfield in 2022 was like watching a good movie over and over. It seemed every opposition fly ball came to rest in a Hornet glove.  Otterbein started the season in center field until the injured Pallazola returned.  If there was a fly ball to center field you could hear Pallazola anywhere in the ball park yell, "I got it." Otterbein patrolled right field and the left field ballhawks were Doane and Deoreo.  "They tracked everything," said Weed. "It was a lockdown defense."

On April 16, in the team's third game, freshman pitcher Satchel Rubin achieved his season goal of becoming a starter. He won against Rockport, going five innings, giving up one unearned run, and striking out six in an 8-1 win.  Junior Nick Brunning started at designated hitter and had a sacrifice bunt that helped build the lead in the second inning.

Losses during April vacation against Amesbury, Hamilton Wenham and Bishop Fenwick dropped the Hornets record to 3-3.  The team was depleted by injuries and family vacations, but it gave the entire roster valuable playing time in close games.

In Amesbury on April 20 Andrews had four hits, scored three runs and drove in two, but the Indians offense overwhelmed starter O'Leary and the Hornets.  A seventh inning ME rally closed the gap to 12-10, while freshman Heney made his varsity pitching debut in relief.

The next day at Patton Park in Hamilton Andrews shut out Hamilton Wenham for five innings, allowing just one hit, but the Cape Ann League rival Generals scored six times in the sixth for a 6-1 win.  The pitching magic that worked against Marblehead disappeared. This time Coyne struggled in relief.

It was a short, very quiet bus ride back to Essex. The next day's game opponent was looming already --- Division 3 Bishop Fenwick, a high school with three baseball teams --- varsity, junior varsity and freshman.  ME had so few junior varsity players, that varsity players were often needed for the junior varsity to field a team for games.

Bishop Fenwick jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning against jittery starter Brown, but ME battled back.  In relief freshmen Heney and Satchel Rubin held the Crusaders to one run in four innings.  Six Hornets scored and seven had RBIs to take an 8-5 lead in the fifth.  In the outfield reserves Ross Edelstein (two catches in right field), Jacoby Catanzaro and Brunning stepped up in left field.

The Crusaders prevailed 9-8 by scoring three times in the sixth and once in the seventh off Rubin.  Later in the season I mentioned this game to emphasize to the Hornets that baseball could be unforgiving.  It was important to remember what you accomplish, not what you don't accomplish.  The Hornets stood tall against daunting Bishop Fenwick and almost made their bus ride back to Peabody a quiet one.

Three wins in a row moved the Hornets' close to the top of the Division 4 power rankings, which would determine playoff seeding. The wins over higher division Marblehead helped, plus the loss to Bishop Fenwick was turned to a win by the MIAA (Mass. Interscholastic Athletic Association). The Crusaders use of an ineligible player bumped the Hornets record of 6-3 to 7-2. 

There was also an evolution at catcher, where both Simon Rubin and Heney had worked hard to improve their defense. Senior Rubin had started the first six games, and freshman Heney had caught one inning. Starting with the North Reading game, the pair alternated for several games, with Heney eventually starting five.  This was a delicate moment, but Coach Weed needed to learn more about the team's capabilities.  "In the regular season, I want to get a feel of what we have as a whole team," said Weed.  "We didn't have the depth.  We dealt with so much adversity."

When Heney started at catcher Rubin was designated hitter for some games, but for others he was in the dugout.  At practice he continued to work hard and helped Heney prepare for games. Bilton remembered the positive message Rubin sent to the coaches and his teammates, “A senior loses his job to a freshman and never complains about it."

These moments illustrated the work ethic of the 2022 Hornets, an asset that Coach Weed said doesn't show up on paper. "There's more things that go into baseball," he said. "There are intangibles that people don't talk about such as a lot of desire and drive."

The Hornets jumped out to a 5-0 first inning lead against North Reading on April 28 punctuated by an O'Leary home run. The lefty held the NR Hornets to one hit in four innings, and Andrews finished the 8-3 game with two hitless innings of relief.  Freshman Heney caught all seven innings in his first start, achieving a goal he had set for himself in March.

Five days later, on May 3, Andrews started against Georgetown.  This was the sixth game of the season and the captain was already a three-way force for the Hornets.  He was overpowering on the mound, a major threat at the plate and reliable at shortstop. It was hard to believe he hadn't played varsity baseball in three years. "The fire in that kid was unbelievable," said Weed.

Through six innings the Hornets were up 1-0 thanks to Andrews' RBI single in the fourth and five-hit pitching.  Two Royal runners reached in the seventh with one out and Andrews was tiring. O'Leary slid over to the mound from first base.  He saved the 2-0 game with two strike outs, the last one with the bases loaded.

In Pentucket on May 5, O'Leary needed only 87 pitches to shut out the Panthers 4-0 on two hits, striking out ten.  The outfield ballhawks corralled eight fly balls. That included two acrobatic catches in left field by Doane, which earned him the game ball from Weed.

The excellent work by the outfielders was reinforced in batting practice, when dozens of fly balls and line drives peppered the field.  I often walked the outfield to observe fielding technique, complimenting  good approaches and sharing instruction with developing players.  With baseballs raining down on six or more players scattered from foul line to foul line, I was also on the lookout for hazards to avoid injuries.

Outfielders are trained to yell, "I got it," to declare their priority in catching a descending baseball.  This is a basic rule for games and practice.  To ensure player safety "I got it" must be shouted and heard.  All outfielders understand this.  Or so I thought.

The Hornets felt the humbling power of baseball during the next five games.  Their gaudy 7-2 record fell to 7-7 in a little more than a week.  Two narrow losses and three demeaning defeats by a combined score of 41-9 had ME back on its heels.  A winning season was in doubt.  Success in the Division 4 playoffs seemed unlikely.  Maybe there was just too much to overcome in 2022.

There were many injuries, some nagging, others more.  I joked we should create the game "Injured Hornet Bingo."  Both center fielder Pallazola and infielder Parot were nursing leg injuries.  Being a responsible coach, I asked them almost daily how they were healing.  I finally gave up, as both captains always said, "I'm fine," not wanting to miss a game.

The pitching staff had just one pitcher with a full season of varsity experience, O'Leary.  Andrews, a senior, hadn't pitched since 2019 as a freshman.  Eleven games into the season (against Triton on May 10) Weed used the tenth Hornet pitcher (out of 18 players) in a quest for mound stability.

Inexperienced at catcher? Yes, but Simon Rubin and Heney relished every drill.  At practice they moved quickly from the catching station to the bullpen to the field, wherever they needed to be.  They insisted they'd be ready for their moment, the unexpected game-changing play when execution is essential.  To avoid worry about repeatedly replicating the intricate movements required by a catcher, I set a simple overarching goal: "Be smart, athletic and aggressive."

Moments later O'Leary made a post-game comment to an umpire that resulted in his ejection.  Tension from a mid-game encounter may have contributed to the umpire's negative interpretation of O'Leary's intent, but the ouster nevertheless triggered an automatic suspension for the next two games.

The discouraging Rockport loss had another teachable moment.  I learned some contemporary lingo from the 50-year younger Hornets.  It occurred in the third inning when Rubin went to the bullpen to warm up.  At Evans Field the visitors dugout is in front of the stone grandstand and the bullpen is down the right field line.  The bullpen mound is near the spectator port-a-potty far from the dugout and coaches, but not too far from fans watching the game.  

As Rubin warmed up with his catcher I realized they were alone, and could be the target of Rockport fan barbs, even if good natured.  I asked Matt McKenna to go to the bullpen to make sure the pitcher and catcher were not bothered.  "Oh," said Matt, "You want me to be the sh** talker watcher?" I thought for a moment and asked him to repeat the title of his proposed supporting role.  I did hear it correctly.  "Yes, Matt," I said. "I want you to be the sh** talker watcher and let me know if I need to get down there."

“The turning point was the Rockport game," said Bilton. "Ten innings in the freezing cold, and to lose that game sent us on a tailspin.”

Consecutive mercy rule losses to Triton (May 10) and Newburyport (May 12) brought the losing streak to three.  Kevin McKenna started on the mound against Triton but his inexperience showed.  A lack of execution plagued the Hornets in both games, losing by a combined score of 30-7.

Their fielding and hitting woes continued against Amesbury on May 14, even with O'Leary's return.  The lefty started and overcame four errors (and three of his own walks) to limit the Indians to one run, but the Hornets could muster only three hits themselves.  They lost 1-0.

On May 16 at home against Hamilton Wenham the script was the same as the April game --- tight through six innings with the Generals up 3-2.  Starting pitcher Satchel Rubin had HW off balance.  He successfully pitched to contact and generated eight ground outs, nine fly outs, two base runner outs with no strike outs.  Rubin retired the first batter in the seventh, but the next twelve hitters reached against him and fielders-turned-relievers Deoreo, Porat and Otterbein, making it 11-2.  The last three ME hitters struck out, emphasizing the deflating loss.

Coaches are normally positive even under the most adverse circumstances, but the five losses were discouraging to Bilton.  He said the infield looked weak and the pitching was shaky. "No way we’re going to win the [Baker] division [of the Cape Ann League]," he said. "If we can’t win another ball game we’re not going to win the state tournament.”

Still, Weed was hopeful. "This was the most patient I’ve ever been in the course of a season," he said. "We didn't have the talent, but we had the desire."."

Four of the five remaining games were against Cape Ann League teams with losing records, Lynnfield, Georgetown and Ipswich (twice).  And there was a rematch against Bishop Fenwick.  This would be a good measure of the Hornets ability to rebound and prepare for the playoffs.  Coach Weed had Simon Rubin catch all five games to fully assess catching options.

Andrews came within one out of throwing his first complete game of the year against Lynnfield on May 19.  ME held a 5-3 lead in the top of the seventh.  With two out, on the starter's 100th pitch, a Pioneers single made it 5-4, and an error moved the tying run to second.  Weed slid O'Leary over from first base to face Lynnfield's clean up hitter.  With an 0-2 count after five pitches (two strikes and three fouls) O'Leary spun to second and picked off the runner for the third out and win.

On May 22, in the heat of the warmest day of the season, the Hornets irritated the Crusaders and almost beat them on their home field.  Despite heat in the upper 80s starter Brown was gleeful in getting "revenge against Fenwick" after his forgettable start against them a month earlier. Keeping the Crusaders off balance, the freshman held them to four runs in five innings.  Freshman Heney pitched a scoreless sixth.  The Hornets fell 4-3, but left the field proud. The defense was stable, and ME scored three runs against a talented Division 3 team.

Young pitchers Brown and Heney applied the pitching approach ME coaches encouraged.  Their below typical varsity pitch speed upset the Crusader batters' timing.  Pitching to the edges of the strike zone and slower curve balls made it more difficult for Bishop Fenwick to make solid contact.

Game after game, at bat after at bat, this group was calm at the plate.  No matter how many outs, runners on base, or the score of the game, these hitters were relaxed.  They looked for a good pitch to hit even if it meant hitting with two strikes.   They understood the value of putting the ball in play.  They reflected the mantra repeated all season by the coaches: "Put the ball in play and good things happen."

The Hornets split the the final two games. They beat Georgetown 7-5 on May 24 and then in the final regular season game lost a frustrating road game on May 27 to Ipswich the day after the Senior Prom.  Starter Andrews pitched well.  Despite allowing three unearned runs the Hornets had a 6-3 lead in the fifth.  Coyne relieved Andrews but could not hold back the Tigers, who rallied to win 8-6.

Bilton saw both sides of the equation.  The infield defense could be erratic, he said, and the offense was spotty. "We had only one experienced starter," he added,  "and we were relying on two freshman pitchers who couldn't throw over 62 miles an hour.”

In the Hornets' favor, said Bilton, was "their chemistry, their determination, their spirit, their will to sacrifice and to work hard and be ultimate team players."  One such Hornet was Matt McKenna, he said, who often started at third base defensively but whose place in the lineup was taken by the designated hitter. If the defense was shuffled, said Bilton, McKenna came out of the game without complaint. "He starts at third base and he’s pulled from the game in the second inning and he’s fine.  He’s over there [in the dugout] cheering." 

If some breaks went the Hornets way, thought Bilton, they might win some games. "Maybe we'd win two games and lose in the third round and we'll say, ‘Well guys we had a great run.'”

The strong start, a dip in the middle and solid finish was a good season path, said Weed. "I’ve seen it three times. Two of them we won a state championship when we started good, the middle was bad and became really good again."

This team did not have the baseball ability of the 2019 championship team that won 15 regular season games, Weed said, "I don't care if a team has a lot of talent.  I want to know if they care."

To prepare the team Weed and the three assistant coaches maintained the routine and approach they had used in the ten-week season that began in mid-March.  Practices emphasized awareness and repeating fundamentals --- hitting, fielding, pitching, and baserunning.

To Weed the blend of Junk Yard Dog persistence and Slow Heart Rate Club patience "was exactly the definition of what the team was.  You need that mix. You need the guys that are go getters and you need to guys that know when to relax in all situations. It’s a great mix."

Then there was the Hornets' lively dugout which supplied support and enthusiastic cheers from the first pitch to the last. "They wanted to be the guys that win the championship and be on the field," said Weed,  "but they never let that affect them. They were the best teammates that you could ever possibly have." 

The reserves' practice energy was the same as the starters. "They never stop practicing hard," said Weed, which pushed the starting lineup. And it was positive energy. "You'll have other teams where those guys become a cancer on the team and they complain," he noted.  "They're talking about the coaches, things like that. We don't have one of them this year and that's what makes the whole team work when you have guys who understand their role."

The ten days off was an advantage, said Weed, "They got to reset after the regular season," and as coach he did too. "The regular season and the playoffs are completely different ballgame," he said. "It becomes strategy more. Basically you’re scouting [opposition] games. You have an idea about [opposing] players."

With O'Leary, Bilton said, "I knew we had one legit pitcher that could stop most Division 4 teams. I didn’t think there was a Division 4 team that could really beat up on him. If we could find a way to win the other two games…” 

Monomoy trekked 110 miles from Harwich on Cape Cod to Essex for the June 6 game at 4 p.m.  They had beaten Lynn Vocational High School 7-0 in the preliminary round the day before, bringing their record to 14-7.  The Sharks were ranked 28th in the Division 4 power ranking.

Coach Weed went with senior captain O'Leary on the mound.  Both Simon Rubin and Heney had improved as catchers during the season, but Weed tapped freshman Heney to start, with Rubin at designated hitter.  Weed hoped O'Leary would go deep into the game, through the sixth or into the seventh inning.  That would limit the number of innings needed from the bullpen.

There is an advantage to being the visitors in high school baseball.  The team can get off the bus, warm up, bat first, take the lead and generate momentum.  And that's what Monomoy did.

Five of the first six Sharks reached base on two singles and three walks by O'Leary.  Aided by three stolen bases and an error, Monomoy jumped ahead 4-0.  It took O'Leary 34 pitches to get through the inning, and freshman catcher Heney was catching his first playoff game. 

With a 115-pitch limit, would O'Leary be able to pitch deep into the game?  How would Heney respond to the discouraging top of the first?  How would the Hornet batters respond?  They all pushed back --- hard. ME scored four runs in the bottom of the first to tie the game at 4-4. 

O'Leary needed only seven pitches (two strike outs and a weak ground out) to retire the Sharks in the second inning. "Vaughn wouldn’t have been able to do that last year," observed Weed. "He reset himself." The lefty would not give up another run in the playoffs.

It took O'Leary 24 pitches to get through the third inning bringing his pitch count to 69. Porat's two-run single gave ME a 6-4 lead in the third.  

O'Leary breezed through the fourth inning on nine pitches, his third straight hitless frame. Still close at 6-4 in the fifth, the lefty got two quick outs. But the Shark's number three hitter threatened to drive up O'Leary's pitch count, fatigue him and push him out of the game in the sixth, or before.

Eight pitches into the at bat, at pitch number 88, the count was 3-2.  The batter had already fouled off three pitches with two strikes. Pitch 89 was low and away to the right-handed hitter. He swung weakly one-handed and hit a soft low foul pop towards the first base dugout.  Heney sprung out of his crouch and hurtled toward the dugout. He neared the fence and reached out, snaring the ball just before it hit the ground to end the inning. The extra-effort catch got O'Leary back to the dugout to rest and prepare for the sixth inning.

Monument Mountain High School brought a 17-4 record to the second round playoff game at Memorial Field on June 8.  Two days earlier the 12th-ranked Division 4 Spartans had beaten Lowell Catholic 16-4.  Monument Mountain travelled 160 miles from Great Barrington in the Berkshires for the 4:30 game. They would face righty Andrews on the mound with Heney starting again at catcher.

For the second game in a row the Hornets had an uphill battle.  The first two Spartans reached base against Andrews.  Three stolen bases and two ground balls later ME trailed 2-0.  Four Hornets reached base in the bottom of the first on a walk, error and two hit batters, but they scored just once, cutting the lead to 2-1.

The playoff tension ruffled Andrews in the second. Two walks, a hit batter and an infield error made it 3-1, and Weed brought in Satchel Rubin in relief. A walk and two singles sandwiched around two outs stretched the lead to 5-1.  On the second single to right field the Spartans' sixth run scored and the seventh run was rounding third and heading home.

Right fielder Otterbein threw to the plate, but his throw was over Heney's head.  The ball went to the fence near the Hornets' on-deck circle.  As rehearsed in practice, Rubin was behind the plate backing up the throw.  He scurried for the ball and threw to Heney.  The catcher tagged the Monument Mountain runner for the third out to keep the score at 6-1.

Nine batters had produced four runs. As the defense left the field, Coach Weed said, "I saw guys starting to get down."  He called the reserves from the dugout for a team meeting in third base foul territory. He told the Hornets, "Chip away. One run at a time. You put pressure on, and you’ll get a momentum switch by the end. You're going to be close enough to win the game.”

Weed also substituted Simon Rubin at catcher for Heney.  Rubin was designated hitter against Monomoy and wasn't in the lineup against Monument Mountain. "He didn’t start [at catcher] at the start of the state tournament," said Bilton of the mid-game substitution.  "A freshman started and then he gets his job back.  He ran with it."

ME didn't score in the second.  Satchel Rubin pitched a scoreless third and ME added two to make it 6-3.  The Slow Heart Rate Club produced after Andrews doubled to lead off the inning and was still at second base with two outs. He scored when Otterbein reached on an error. Porat was hit by a pitch and Otterbein scored when Simon Rubin reached on an error, the Spartans third of the game.

The Spartans scored two in the fourth on a long home run into the marsh grass beyond the right field fence to make it 8-3.  But the Hornets put the ball in play in the fourth and scored three to make 8-6.  Pallazola, who reached base for the third time in the game, scored on Andrews' sacrifice fly. Coyne scored on a wild pitch, and O'Leary scored on Otterbein's ground out.

Down 6-1.  It was now 8-6. "We started hitting and they started falling apart making errors from the constant pressure of coming at you,” said Bilton.

In the fifth Satchel Rubin walked a batter with one out. The 15-year old had kept the game close for three innings. "He was a huge reason why we won," said Weed.  In relief Mike Deoreo walked a batter and the runner moved to third with two stolen bases.  Coyne relieved and the runner scored on a fielder's choice making it 9-6, with a runner at first with two out.

The Spartans had stolen seven bases in five innings.  An eighth stolen base would put the potential tenth run at second base just a base hit from scoring. On Coyne's first pitch to the next hitter the runner broke for second base.

All season Simon Rubin had watched an almost uninterrupted succession of opposition stolen bases.  He had thrown out just two base runners, but he practiced as hard in June as he did in March.  Weed said, "The Kid became a very good catcher by the end of the year. And that's what it comes down to.  That's what our formula is.  You fight to the end and see the progression of players."

It was "a bullet throw to second base," as described on Rubin's catcher report card.  Shortstop Andrews snared the ball and tagged the runner to end the inning, keeping the score at 9-6. It also changed the opposition game plan.  "It doesn't mean they’re not stealing on us, said Weed, but limits their stolen bases."

Both teams scored in the sixth making it 10-7. Coyne got three quick outs on eight pitches in the seventh.  In 2 2/3 innings he gave up one hit and one run.  His pitching report card said, "Good command...Kept us in the game...1-2-3 when we needed it."

Through six and a half innings the Hornets pitching and defense kept the game from getting out of hand.  The Hornets offense generated six runs with timely hitting and putting the ball in play.  ME had struck out only three times and taken advantage of five Spartan errors and five batters hit by pitches.

In the bottom of the seventh Pallazola led off against Monument Mountain's fifth pitcher and reached on an error. Coyne grounded out and Andrews flied out pushing the Hornets to the brink of elimination.

O'Leary hit a low, soft line drive into the outfield grass to the shortstop side of second base.  On the run the shortstop reached high to his left, his arm extended and snared the ball in the webbing of his glove, apparently ending the season. "I thought the game was over there," said first base coach Bilton.

But before the shortstop could extract the ball with his hand, it fell to the ground for a single.  “I yelled to Vaughn, ‘Stay right here. Stay right here. He dropped the ball,” said Bilton.  Pallazola scored making it 10-8.

Then the Slow Heart Rate Club (Deoreo, Otterbein, Porat and Simon Rubin) took over.  After being down two strikes quickly Deoreo worked the count to 3-2 and walked.  Otterbein singled to load the bases. Porat, who had reached base five times in two playoff games, worked a bases-loaded walk.  O'Leary scored making it 10-9.  

It was a Golden At Bat for Simon Rubin, who had driven in the Hornets seventh run in the sixth inning. (The term Golden At Bat is derived from the baseball term Golden Pitch, which occurs in the World Series.  It's a pitch in the bottom of the last inning made by the visiting pitcher which could win or lose the World Series for his team.) The outcome of Rubin's at bat could end the game in victory or defeat for the Hornets.

At 6:46 p.m. Rubin hit the first pitch of the at bat, a ground ball to shortstop.  The fielder made the Spartans' seventh error of the game.  As the ball bounced into left field Deoreo and Otterbein scored.  The Hornets won 11-10 and Memorial Park was bedlam.

"When we won the walk off against Monument Mountain everyone was a part of the win," said Satchel Rubin, "and it showed we had it."  The comeback win changed everything.

"They showed more resilience than I have ever seen," said Weed.  Now the Hornets and their coaches believed they could win the Division 4 championship.  After the second round win, said Weed, "I knew 110% were going to win the championship."

"At that point I realized this may not be a dream anymore," said Bilton.  "This could become a reality,” 

It was O'Leary's turn on the mound. "He was our guy," said Weed. "We knew we were going to win every game [he pitched]."

Leicester High School travelled 81 miles from Central MA on June 12 for the Sunday 11 a.m. game.  The thirteenth ranked Wolverines were 14-6.  They had defeated Cohasset 23-0 and fourth ranked Hamilton Wenham 4-3 to advance to the third round.  The winner would advance to the Final Four.

From the first pitch O'Leary dominated the game. He struck out the first two batters.  After a walk the Leicester clean up hitter flied to right.  Only one more ball would be hit to the outfield the rest of the game.

Simon Rubin threw out his second baserunner in two games in the top of the second.  "Cut down lead runner with a 1-0 lead," noted his catcher's report card.  O'Leary struck out the next two hitters.  In the bottom of the second the Hornets took a 4-0 lead, the team's biggest in the playoffs.

The top half of the line up (Pallazola, Coyne, Andrews, O'Leary and Deoreo) scored three of the first four runs, and the remaining seven as well.  The five batters reached base fourteen times en route to the 11-0 win.  

Parot, hitting seventh, had a rough day.  After a second inning hit by pitch he struck out three times. But what happened after those at bats is what Parot remembered most. "Simon [the next hitter] backed me up after I struck out against Leicester. Hard work and trusting each other contributed." Following Parot, Rubin had three productive at bats, a walk, an RBI sacrifice fly and a single.

Meanwhile O'Leary was overwhelming.  The last ball to leave the infield was a fly ball in the third.  He struck out at least two batters an inning, ending the game with 16 total.  He no-hit the Wolverines with five runners reaching base on three walks, a hit batter and an error.  The Hornets had earned a berth in the Final Four.

The Hornets entered the playoffs with a 10-9 record. In 2022 they had won three games in a row once, at the start of the season.  Now they were in the Final Four. They defeated three teams with a combined record of 45-17.  Now ME would leave the familiarity of Memorial Park for the semi-finals.  At a neutral site they would face an opponent that felt as invincible as they did.

The Hornets were on the road for the first time in over two weeks, travelling to Fraser Field in Lynn on June 14.  The 82-year old stadium had hosted baseball games since 1940.  It was the home of minor league baseball in the late 1940s, then again from 1980 through 2007.  

Coach Weed played three seasons at Fraser Field for the North Shore Spirit of the Can-Am League from 2005 to 2007.  The Hornets gathered at Memorial Field for a light workout in the late afternoon and after a 40-minute bus ride arrived at Fraser Field about 5:45 p.m.

With three playoff wins the Hornets were 13-9 and they were facing another opponent with a gaudy record.  Ninth-ranked Abington was 18-5, bringing the Hornets' cumulative playoff opposition record to 63-22.

The Green Wave had beaten Winthrop 6-2, Bellingham 3-2 and top Division 4 seed Amesbury 12-3 to advance.  Abington's playoff strength was run prevention, allowing just seven runs in three games.

The Abington High School Athletic Department website also proudly noted that the Green Wave had been awarded the South Shore League Sportsmanship Award for the 2020-21 school year, and the previous three years as well.  That was reassuring with the playoffs stakes rising.  In the third round, after ME no-hit Leicester and eliminated the Wolverines the visitors applauded the Hornets when they triumphantly displayed their Final Four banner.  The Wolverines require their athletes to adhere to a sportsmanship and behavior pledge, according to its Athletic Department website.

From the first pitch Abington gained momentum.  Starter Andrews struggled.  He walked two batters and Abington had runners on first and third with two outs.  The Green Wave started a double steal, but the runner on first stretched his lead too far.  After a fake throw, the spry Andrews ran him down for the third out before the runner on third could score.  The Hornets went quietly in the bottom of the first on three infield outs.

Andrews walked the lead off batter in the second.  During the at bat, or maybe it was the inning before when the righty threw only half of his pitches for strikes, chants of "Ball Four" came from the Abington dugout.  The third base visitors bench was packed.  Abington appeared to have filled all 25 permitted playoff game roster spots so anything distracting coming from the dugout would be heard.  The next hitter struck out but two Hornet errors gave Abington a 1-0 lead which held up through the third inning.  Just one Hornet had reached base.

In the fourth, four walks, a single and a stolen based gave Abington a 3-0 lead. When one runner reached first base, reported first baseman O'Leary to Bilton, he said, "See you later.  It's over."

The bases were loaded with one out.  Andrews had thrown 83 pitches and only half for strikes. "The goal," said Weed "was to stay within striking distance. I knew we were a late inning team that basically fought back." In the first three playoff games the Hornets had scored 18 of their 31 runs in the fourth inning or later and 15 in the last two innings.

Weed called five-foot six freshman Satchel Rubin from the bullpen. As Rubin warmed up on the mound, the Abington dugout noted his size.  Shouts of "Little League. Little League" reached the field.  

With the top of the order due up the Green Wave had a chance to break the game open.  Rubin struck out the lead off hitter swinging for the second out.  He got the number two hitter to pop out to first base.  He kept the score 3-0.

"He kept us in the game," said Weed.  "His composure is unbelievable for his age. He set an example for everyone else by not getting rattled and stays composed."  Rubin's report card the next day shouted, "bases loaded. NO RUNS!!!"

Andrews' pitcher report card showed that he walked seven of 18 batters, but more importantly it said, "limited damage kept the game in reach." Weed emphasized, "For Ryan to do what he did against Abington, get us three innings, was key for us to win that game. If he went one or two innings we wouldn't have the depth to win."

Bilton had heard the catcalls coming from the Abington dugout for three innings. "That was probably the most unsportsmanlike team that I can remember in years," he said.

Weed heard some of the Abington razzing and was alerted to it by ME coaches. But he was immersed in the game and wanted the Hornets to stay focused on baseball. "I'm a big believer in not letting a team get an advantage," said Weed.  "To me that's an advantage if you're calling that out.  If you're hearing things then you shouldn't be here... The team that lets it get to them they’re the ones that will fail during that game."

Bilton noted, "The team seemed to ignore it and BJ ignored it...They were not bothered by it."

The three-run deficit did not worry Weed. "We were gonna figure the lefty out, and we started battling off him, after he owned us the first few innings. We started working the count."

Coyne tripled to lead off the fourth. "That sparked the team," said Bilton, and Andrews followed with an RBI single to cut the lead to 3-1. Satchel Rubin dispatched the heart of the Green Wave batting order (the 3, 4 and 5 hitters) quickly in the fifth on six pitches with two fly outs and ground out. The Hornets cut the lead to 3-2 in the fifth when Simon Rubin doubled and Pallazola drove him in.

Abington loaded the bases against Satchel Rubin in the sixth with none out, threatening to take a commanding lead.  But the freshman "kept the game under control," according to his game report card.  After a strike out the Green Wave made it 4-2 on a sacrifice fly, but a ground out ended the inning.

When O'Leary struck out to lead off the sixth, the Green Wave was five outs from the finals with a two-run lead.  But following the clean-up hitter was the Slow Heart Rate Club, which so far had contributed just one baserunner to the offense.

Deoreo singled and moved to second on a wild pick off throw.  Otterbein singled in Deoreo with a base hit to make it 4-3.  Porat was down quickly 0-2.  He fouled off two pitches and called time twice and reached on a hit by pitch.  Simon Rubin fell behind 0-2 and called time.  After a wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, he drove in Otterbein with a ground out to shortstop and advanced Porat to third.  Another wild pitch scored Porat and the Hornets led 5-4.

"We fought for those runs, said Weed. "It wasn't like we just hammered the baseball all over the park. They had such a great eye at the plate. Their discipline put pressure on the defense and the opposing pitcher every single time."

With the go ahead run at second base, Weed summoned freshman Heney from the bullpen.  The next two hitters had reached base five times in the game.  Heney hadn't pitched in 16 days, but he had been throwing bullpen sessions during practice.  "Going to Connor was a feel," said Weed, "but I knew he was going to throw strikes."

Seeing the five-foot three-inch freshman on the mound brought chants of "T-ball. T-ball," from the Abington dugout. Abington CATV announcers wryly estimated his curveball at 45-50 miles per hour.  

Ten pitches later the Green Wave defense was back on the field after a fly out and ground out.  Heney's slower pitch speed was tantalizing, but the eager Abington hitters couldn't hit the ball hard.

Bilton watched. “The [Abington] pitcher jumps into the catcher’s arms," he said. "They were sky high.  What a momentum change.”

In the eighth the 123-pound Heney kept Abington off balance again.  (Heney said he weighed 130 pounds in March but lost weight all season.)  With three pitches he got a fly out (the sixth of the game snared by the Hornets outfield) and a ground out.  

The lead off hitter stepped to the plate.  On the eight pitch of the at bat, on 3-2 count, he struck out swinging. Those five consecutive semi-final playoff outs generated this report card comment: "Executed under pressure. Over and over!!!" Three-quarters of his pitches were strikes.

Porat and Simon Rubin picked up the Slow Heart Rate Club in the eighth.  Porat worked the count to 3-2 and hit a fly ball to left that fell for a single when the left fielder stumbled.  Rubin walked on a 3-1 pitch and was replaced by courtesy runner speedster Kevin McKenna.  The ninth hitter Colby Doane, walked to the plate, but the Abington manager called time.  

Doane had started the game as the designated hitter, but had move to left field when starting left fielder Deoreo moved to second base in the fifth.  With the designated hitter now playing defense, the Abington manager said Heney should hit ninth, not Doane.  The umpires agreed.  (It's possible that if the manager had allowed Doane to hit and reach base the umpires could have called Doane out for being an ineligible batter.)

"Now the freshman is going to come up in the bottom of the eighth," reported the Abington CATV announcer, suggesting runners at first and second with none out might be more than Heney could handle. The pitcher/catcher had just one hit in the 2022 season, but Abington didn't know Heney was one of the Hornets' best bunters.

Third base coach Kevin Winship flashed the bunt sign. Heney bunted the pitch foul. Winship gave the bunt sign again. Heney tried to bunt but missed the pitch. With two strikes Winship gave the bunt sign a third time.  Bunting with two strikes is do or die. A foul bunt is an out.  

On the third pitch Heney gently tapped the ball back to the pitcher who had no choice but to throw to first.  Heney was out easily as Porat and Rubin advanced to second and third.  From the first base coach's box Bilton observed execution under pressure. “Connor lays down a perfect bunt with two strikes.”  The freshman celebrated the moment with a triumphant jump slide into first base.

Lead off hitter Pallazola was next.  Weed said Pallazola told him on the way to the plate, "Game over." In 19 playoff plate appearances Pallazola had reached base or put the ball in play every time but one. (His one strike out was called.)  He took ball one, then hit a ground ball to the third baseman.

"They totally came apart after the fourth inning," said Bilton of Abington. "They started making the errors. They started making bad plays.  They couldn’t handle the pressure."

The ball deflected off the third baseman's glove, bounced away and Porat scored the winning run.  Coach Weed played dozens of games at Fraser Field, but he never saw a celebration like this.

While the season had started three months earlier in March, players had been preparing long before.  Some started drills in fall.  Once a week captains practices began in January.  

Many baseball Hornets were also football, hockey and basketball Hornets, bringing cross-trained strength, agility and discipline to the baseball field.  All of this training took place after school, on weekends, between jobs, homework, family and social commitments.  

The day before the championship practice was relaxed to acknowledge the effort behind the success of the 2022 season.  It also allowed the players to enjoy their final day together at Memorial Park. Pitchers did their drills and threw from the mound. Players stretched their arms and took batting practice. Then there were final words from the coaches.

Seventh ranked Seekonk was the playoff opponent most like the Hornets.  The Warriors had finished the season 9-11 and over half of its 18-player roster were freshman and sophomores.  Seekonk, now 13-11, had given up only eight runs in four playoff games.  The Hornets travelled to LeLacheur Park in Lowell, former home of the Red Sox' minor league Spinners, for the 12 noon June 18 game. With O'Leary on the mound the championship game would likely be low-scoring, decided by a slim margin.

Before the first pitch Hornet coaches were upbeat. "We had Vaughn back on the mound for the championship game," said Bilton. "I didn’t think there was a division 4 team that was going to beat them.”  Weed said, "Vaughn was our guy that we knew we were gonna win every game."

Championship pitching dominated the first three innings of the championship game.  Only one batter reached base for each team.  

O'Leary walked the first batter of the game on four pitches then proceeded to strike out the next three hitters.  The lefty retired Seekonk 1-2-3 in the second and third, striking out four more.  “His fastball was good," said Bilton.  "Vaughn was not going to let anyone take that [game] away.”

Pallazola tripled to lead off the game, but did not score as Coyne and Andrews struck out and O'Leary grounded out.  The Hornets did not get the ball out of the infield in the second and third.

In the fourth Seekonk got a runner to third with one out after a single and two stolen bases. O'Leary struck out the next two batters, the second after eight pitches on a low 2-2 pitch.  Andrews singled in the fourth and was still at first base with two out.  It was time for the Slow Heart Rate Club's final act of the season. Deoreo and Otterbein were next. “Those two guys were huge in our lineup,” said Bilton.

“This is not your typical state championship team,” said Bilton.  

The Hornets weren't the right size.  They weren't the right age.  They didn't have the experience.

“It’s like a Cinderella story really," said Bilton. “It’s a team that was unselfish. They did not mind coming out of the game. They didn’t mind sitting and have someone else start. They didn’t complain about not playing.  They just cheered the next guy.”

The Hornets learned the essence of baseball: It's not what you've done, it's what you are going to do.

"In the state tournament, everything they messed up or screwed up they finally turned it around and put it all together," said Bilton. "They had heart and tenacity."

Said Weed," "I’m not saying that we were going to win, but I knew we had a chance and when there's a chance you believe and I had that belief through our losses."

"They show more resilience than any team I've ever seen," he said. "They were destined to succeed."

While the Hornets 2022 championship is an almost unbelievable story, it is also a baseball story. Small town high school baseball is one of the last refuges of pure baseball.

Teams play for their hometown.  Games are attended by family, friends and students at fields not far from home.  School pride is at stake.

Practices fill the months of spring.  There is no equipment on field other than bats, baseballs and gloves.  There are no video cameras. No radar guns. No statistical analytics.  Coaches coach.  Players play.  There is baseball talk, instruction, repetition and drills.  

Games are the pursuit of proper execution.  They bring both lessons and satisfaction.  Astute players appreciate both. That was the 2022 Hornets.  

They learned as a team, grew as a team and matured as a team.  Starters and reserves.  Three freshman. Three sophomores. Six juniors. Six seniors.  With the guidance of four coaches, eighteen players responded to their challenges.  They embraced their roles, even as they shifted during the season and into the playoffs.

When the season began on the third Monday in March it was impossible to see how the Hornets could win the Division 4 championship.  On the third Saturday of June the impossible occurred.

Some Hornets kept track of their batting average and other statistics during the season, but I never heard talk about personal data points in the dugout or on the field.  At practice and during games the conversation was about proper execution, improvement and winning.

That's one reason why this narrative includes so few baseball statistics.  Try to find a baseball article in social media that doesn't mention something like pitch speed, exit velocity, batting average or strikeouts per nine innings.  You'll have to look hard.  Other than wins and losses, the Hornets 2022 season had nothing to do with the numbers that dominate most baseball stories.

For the record, the Hornets won the 12th Division 4 championship since it was created in 2010.  Only four public high schools have won the D4 championship.  Cohasset won the first two in 2010 and 2011. Georgetown won it in 2012 and Hopkins Academy (of Hadley) in 2021. The Hornets won it in 2019 and 2022.

If you're a fan of Manchester Essex and you think the Hornets won a lot of close games to the win the championship you are correct.  In fact, the Hornets average playoff margin of victory of 3.4 runs was the second lowest in D4 history.  They won three games by three runs or less.

The best part about writing this story was the months that it required.  That allowed me to relive the special moments of the season over and over. The hardest part about writing this story was my fear of leaving out some highlight or overlooking a player's important contribution.

For that reason, I am sharing below some observations that didn't fit into the season story.  Here are the outtakes from Weed's interview:

• Satchel Rubin: "For a freshman to come in and be calm and every situation and to be so successful at throwing 72 miles per hour [actually closer to 62 miles per hour according to a radar gun smuggled into practice one day], he knows how to pitch and like, you can't teach that to a freshman."

• Mike Deoreo: "After having a tough sophomore year he had some big hits and got us going." 

• Henry Otterbein: "He was a lock down defender in right field who had a hose that threw some guys out and basically nailed down our outfield defense."

• AJ Pallazola: "The kid's a coach's dream.  Talk about one hundred percent effort.  The kid's one hundred fifty percent. Anytime we need a big hit, he came up there and started things. He was on fire for us and was an on-base machine."

• Zak Porat: "His quality at bats were as impressive as anyone on this team. And he worked so many walks and he got better as the season went on. And his defense got better playing hurt the whole year." 

• Colin Coyne: "He had an unbelievable offensive year where he struggled the year before." 

• Connor Heney: "He became a starting catcher and we replaced him with Simon at the end. But the kid loved to be at the field and he's another part of why we succeeded with freshmen."

• Simon Rubin: "You couldn't tell if he was up or down. That's what I loved about him. He stays in the middle. He stays humble.  It was more basically his body language and basically he felt he belonged."

• Reserves on the Bench: You see on a lot of teams guys start to complain when they're not playing, and it’s not fun to be on the bench.  It builds character in a player. It teaches them what it feels like to not be the guy in the field and it drives them."

• Catcher Coaching (included at Weed's insistence): "Evan, the guy who's interviewing me right now, did magic tricks for our catcher Simon Rubin. For you to keep on him and not get frustrated and make him do the drills until something clicked."

• On being named Division 4 Coach of the Year by the Boston Globe: "It's coaches of the year," he said, emphasizing that the honor recognizes the contribution of assistants Winship, Bilton and Katz.

In closing, here are 2022 reflections from the Hornets that they shared the day before the championship game:

• Satchel Rubin: "When pitching or hitting wasn't going our way someone else always stepped up."

• Jacoby Catanzaro: "I have high goals for myself.  I stayed positive and tried not be be negative."

• Colby Doane: "I improved my baserunning by focusing in practice."

• Simon Rubin: "I learned that as long as you continue working you will be rewarded."

• Nick Brunning on reducing pressure when he pinch-ran: "Let you mind be free on the basepaths."

• A.J. Pallazola: "I learned how we had to stay positive and always believe in each other and always keep a positive mindset because it's contagious."

• Nick Brown: "I learned how to deal with failure."

• Mike Deoreo: "I worked hard trying to find a swing that fit me."

• Ross Edelstein: "I gained confidence with my my play."

• Kevin McKenna: "Our energy was the real impact on our team's success.

• Matt McKenna: "I started loving the game more even when I didn't play."

• Henry Otterbein: "I learned the game."

• Colin Coyne: "I went into a slump, worked extra in the cage and managed to get some hits in the playoffs."

• Vaughn O'Leary: "Stay positive and don't let anything get into your head."

• Zak Porat: "I realized the importance of focusing and locking in."

• Connor Heney: "I became more mature, stronger and loose."

• Cooper Oldeman: "I learned good life lessons."

• Ryan Andrews: "We were successful because no one ever let up."

My greatest appreciation goes to the Manchester Essex Hornets players for the great baseball ride in the spring of 2022. That was the championship of all-time.

My colleague coaches, BJ Weed, Charlie Bilton and Kevin Winship have close to 100 years of combined baseball coaching experience.  I'm in Year Two.  They shared their knowledge and insight to help me develop as a coach and gave me the flexibility to develop my own coaching style. 

Baseball parents Tim O'Leary, Jeff Rubin and Brian Heney welcomed me to the Manchester Essex baseball community.  Their support and that of other families through the season made my coaching responsibilities easier.

And a special appreciation to the caregivers and extended families of the Hornet players.  What a great group of hard-working, personable young men.  It was always a pleasant surprise when I'd ask a player how his day was going, then I would get the same question in return.

Recognition is also due to the dugout scorekeepers Satchel Rubin, Cooper Oldeman and Nick Brown who maintained the scorebook for the Hornets.  Any errors or inconsistencies are my responsibility.  It's hard to cheer your teammates and record batting, baserunning and fielding outcomes at the same time.

Finally, a huge thank you goes to my wife Liz, who supported the daily, three-month unpredictable life of a high school baseball coach.

Evan Katz

September 12, 2022