LOWELL, Mass. — For a team forging ahead into history, North Andover High looked quite at home here on the finely-manicured diamond at LeLacheur Park.
Sophomore Alec Jillson slapped a two-run single in the first and Aaron Brunette — with a save from Mike Weisman — made it work swimmingly as the Scarlet Knights knocked off Reading, 2-0, before about 500 fans for the Division 2 North championship.
It is the first sectional baseball title in school history and leaves North Andover two victories away from a state championship. Tuesday night, down the road at Alumni Field in Lowell, the Knights will tackle the South champion: the winner of tomorrow's Foxboro-Plymouth North game.
"That's a lot of good teams in a lot of years that didn't do this," said the sophomore Weisman, who came on with one on and no out in the seventh and closed out the fourth-seeded Rockets on a ground out and a pair of strikeouts.
"For us to do this is just a great thrill."
Brunette, who dominated for six-plus shutout innings, strapped the 20-4 Knights on his back. The UMass Dartmouth-bound righty struck out nine with only one walk.
Only once did Brunette, now 4-2, encounter real trouble, with Rocket runners on second and third with two out in the second.
Brunette, who mixed a nasty 12-to-6 breaking ball with his effective fastball (low 80s heat) buckled up to get the No. 9 hitter, Ryan Nelson, on strikes to end the threat.
Brunette then mowed down the 12 of the next 14 to cruise into the seventh.
After a lead-off single, Weisman was summoned.
"I wanted to finish this thing, but I guess I got a little tired," said Brunette.
"The way Aaron was pitching out there today, I thought there was no chance I'd be going in," said Weisman. "He was that good."
Offensively, it again was a case of North Andover picking up just enough.
Jillson and senior leadoff man Ryan Sifferlen had two hits apiece, and that was it.
The UMass Amherst-bound Sifferlen ripped a single to left in the first, and an out later Connor Walsh worked a 3-2 walk. The pair moved up a base on a wild pickoff attempt, leading to Jillson's at-bat.
With the infielders halfway, Jillson sliced a liner that just beat the leap of second baseman Jeff Harvey.
"Hit it where it's pitched, that's it," said Jillson. "I was relaxed in there and I saw a few pitches and worked into a fastball count."
North Andover 2, Reading 0
Division 2 North final
Reading (0): Jeff Harvey 2b 3-0-1, Mike Shea rf 3-0-0, Jeff Wyer 3b 3-0-0, Remy Carpenito p/lf 3-0-0, Kerek Strukel c 3-0-1, Alex Ravanis 1b 3-0-2, Steve Cool lf 3-0-1, Andrew Gray lf 1-0-0, Ben O'Shea p 2-0-0, Ryan Nelson ss 2-0-0, Adam Paradis ph 0-0-0, Totals 26-0-5
North Andover (2): Ryan Sifferlen rf 3-1-2, Brad Patnaude ss 3-0-0, Connor Walsh 3b 2-1-0, Alec Jillson dh 3-0-2, Matt Hogan pr 0-0-0, Aaron Brunette p 3-0-0, Mike Weisman p 0-0-0, Mike Levy c 3-0-0, Paul Pollano 1b 3-0-0, Brandon Walsh rf 3-0-0, Juan Areces lf 0-0-0, Nick Blanks 2b 0-0-0, Totals 23-2-4
Reading (18-6): 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 0
North Andover (20-4): 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 — 2
RBI: Jillson 2
WP: Brunette; LP: Carpenito; S: Weisman
Next game: Tuesday at Lowell's Alumni Field, EMass Division 2 final vs. winner of Monday's Foxboro-Plymouth North game
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