Published in the July 19, 2018 edition.
By DAN PAWLOWSKI
WAKEFIELD — It was nothing for Ryan Collins and the 2018 Merchants. They’ve been here before. Three days before actually.
Ryan Collins followed up his walk-off base hit on Sunday against the Melrose Americans with another walk-off knock last night at Walsh Field for a 3-2 win against the Somerville Royals, capping a swift and exciting comeback for the ‘Chents who trailed 2-0 going into the bottom of the sixth.
Merchants Mainstay Scott Searles got the tying RBI in the sixth, with a base hit rip up the middle to score Anthony Cecere. Collins led off the inning with a single and Cecere followed with another base hit. Consecutive wild pitches first advanced the runners to second and third and then scored Collins before Searles’ big hit tied it 2-2.
The Merchants gave the ball to Mike Andrews, who pitched a complete game, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out seven.
Andrews has been a solid number two pitcher for Wakefield this summer, with a 3.36 earned run average and 19 strikeouts to just five walks in 25 innings of work.
Andrews limited the damage to just one run in the top of the first and settled in, shutting out the Royals for the next four innings.
Andrews struck out the side in the third, and sat done Somerville in order in the fourth.
The Merchants had a hard time getting to Somerville’s Paul Covelle, a former single A player in the Seattle Mariners system. Covelle’s fastball was ticking, and Wakefield couldn’t create much pressure until a two-out rally in the fourth.
Chris Butler was hit by a pitch, Searles walked and Brendan Barry hit a single to load the bases for his brother Joe Barry. A tough at-bat against Covelle came to an end when Barry was called for strike three after the ump in the field deemed he went around on a check swing. Making that call on a righty from the third base line doesn’t make much sense. Barry and the rest of the Merchants made sure the umps understood that, as a big opportunity was missed.
After a walk and an error, Somerville’s Ryan Hood stood at third when Nick Valdario hit a pop up to foul ground at first. Butler made a nice catch fading backward and quickly whirled it to home as Hood took his chance tagging up. The strong throw was clearly going to get there in time as Joe Barry made the catch and squared up an incoming Hood.
Neither player flinched.
An epic collision saw Barry, perhaps channeling frustration of the call in the previous inning, get low for leverage, like his days as a football player for Austin Prep, and explode upward, flipping Hood like a pregame coin toss that had the fans at Walsh wondering whether the poor Royal would land heads or tails.
Fortunately, it was a smooth landing for Hood as Barry quickly checked on his counterpart and both players parted ways with a smile, happy to be a part of a good old-fashioned collision at the plate, the art of which seems to be disappearing in all levels of baseball except for local leagues like the ICL.
Covelle was still a puzzle for the home team in the bottom of fifth, shutting Wakefield down in order and the Royals doubled their advantage with a lead off solo shot from Brady Chant, his first of the season. The Merchants would get out of trouble later in the inning with a 6-4-3 double play; Collins to Mike Manoogian to Butler.
After Searles and Wakefield tied it 2-2 in the bottom of the sixth, the defense was sound in the top of the seventh, first with a nice running catch in center by Bobby Losanno, then a sweet snag up the middle by Collins at short, and fine running catch at second by Manoogian on a flare to right.
Manoogian started off the seventh with an infield single and Losanno, having struck out in his first three at-bats came through when Wakefield needed him most with a single to left.
ICL hits leader Dillon Koster put a bunt down but a nice play from the catcher got Manoogian out at third.
Collins stepped up with one out, runners at first and second. He tattooed one to left, lifting it into a slow airstream of a southwest summer breeze. The ball carried directly into the Wrigley-style vines on the left field fence, creating a ground rule double, officially scoring Losanno from second and sending Wakefield to their second walk-off in three games.
It was the third straight win for Wakefield who avenged a 7-5 loss to the Royals on Sunday during part one of the double header before Collins’ first walk-off.
The Merchants beat the Andre Chiefs in Malden on Monday, behind a two-RBI double from Butler and an RBI base hit from Searles. Wakefield got great pitching from Alex Erwin (5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 K) and Brandon Bartlett (1.2 IP, 1 H, 2 K).
Wakefield (11-7) is firmly in third place in the Intercity League, four points up on fourth-place Reading, one point back of second-place Lexington and three points back of league-leading Watertown.
The Merchants travel to Ferullo Field in Woburn to play Alibrandis tonight at 8 p.m.
