LYNN — Georgetown knocked off No. 6 North Reading, 2-1, yesterday in the Division 3 North semifinals.
The No. 10 Royals will take on No. 4 Newburyport Saturday at 3 p.m. at LeLacheur Park in Lowell for the North title.
Yesterday's win should go a long way toward easing the horrible pain of last year's loss to the top-seeded Hornets in the North quarters. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh last year and the Royals' All-Scholastic ace on the hill, North Reading scored on a passed ball then two walks for an improbable 10-9 win.
This time, the Royals closed the deal.
Georgetown's Ryan Browner and North Reading's Mike Singer were both dazzling.
The Royals got on the board first. Chris Esposito (2 for 2, walk, 2 runs), singled to lead off the second. Then Adam Johnson hit a routine fly which was dropped in the outfield to give Georgetown first and second with no outs. After a pop out, Josh Ingram stroked an RBI-double to left.
Esposito came through again in the fourth, leading off the inning with a double and scoring when Slattery singled to right.
"They carried us today," said Rowe of his 6-9 hitters. "Chris has been our hottest hitter with three hits against Weston, and right down the line — Joe (Slattery) with a big hit, and Josh. We're a one-through-nine team not a one-through-five team."
Esposito said, "My bat finally came alive at the right time, I've had a hot streak for the last three games, and I finally started hitting and getting on top of the ball instead of popping out every time up. Finally I'm seeing the ball, it took me most of the season, but I'm finally seeing it."
North Reading threatened in the fourth, but a great running catch by Danyer Fabian in the gap saved at least one run. The Hornets got on the board in the fifth when Matt Barretto singled and scored on a throwing error.
In the sixth, North Reading's Nick Rosano led off with a single and advanced to second on an error. With no outs, Browner spun and threw a perfect strike to shortstop Anthony Conte to nail Rosano.
"This may sound like hyperbole, but I think the single most important play in the history of Georgetown baseball was picking that kid off second base," said Rowe, the 11th-year Royals coach. "I'm not kidding you, in all my years, if that wasn't the biggest play we've ever had I don't know what was."
"Me and Conte have been doing that all year, it was a designed pick off," said Browner. "Conte had something in his bag of tricks. (Conte's) played a lot of baseball and he knows after you get an out, the base runner is usually sleeping after the first pitch."
The Royals looked to be in trouble when star Joe Esposito broke his hand in late April to end his season. But Browner just took his game to another level.
"He's a 35 year-old man, he's not a freshman, he doesn't even look like a freshman," said Chris Esposito, Joe's brother. "He has a full-grown beard, hair of a 35 year-old man. The maturity level and the composure he has is unbelievable. He's prime time, he's for real."
Georgetown 2, North Reading 1
Division 3 North semifinals
at Fraser Field, Lynn
North Reading (1): Hartwell cf 3-0-1, Barretto 2b 4-1-1, Divecchia 3b 2-0-0, Singer p 2-0-0, Cady 1b 3-0-0, N. Rosano c 3-0-1, Calos lf 3-0-0, Vacca rf 3-0-1, B. Rosano ss 3-0-0. Totals 26-1-4
Georgetown (2): Ruh rf 2-0-0, Fabian cf 2-0-0, L'Italien ph 1-0-1, Conte ss 4-0-0, Sinkiewicz dh 2-0-0, Luisi 1b 3-0-0, C. Esposito c 2-2-2, Johnson 3b 3-0-1, Slattery 2b 3-0-1, Ingram lf 3-0-1. Totals 25-2-6
RBI: G — Slattery, Ingram; NR — none
WP: Browner; LP: Signer
North Reading (16-7):0âÇ0âÇ0âÇ0âÇ1 — 1
Georgetown (17-7):0âÇ1âÇ0âÇ1âÇ0 — 2
Next game: Division 3 North final vs. Newburyport, Saturday, 3 p.m., at LeLacheur Park, Lowell.
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