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North Adams, Mass. – Through four innings at Joe Wolfe Field on Friday, the McCann Tech baseball team scored four runs but had no hits to show for their efforts.
Colin Booth changed it in a big way.
Booth led off the bottom of the fifth with one out to spark a three-run rally and lead the Hornets to a 9-6 win over Mount Greylock.
“I don’t do team captains,” McCann Tech coach Justin Howland said. “I don’t make a team captain in my team. I do group leaders. And Colin is definitely proving to be the biggest team leader in this group. And he brought these people together tonight.
“I wasn’t the one in our team who made them leave. It was Colin who got them going.
Booth finished 2-for-3 at the plate. Noah DeBenedetto improved to 2-1 for McCann Tech this season while Nick Gilman threw three innings of scoreless relief.
The Hornets overcame a 6-1 deficit after 3-½ innings to win their second straight game.
The Mounties (0-3) got a two-run single from Jameson Baileys (3-for-4, double and three RBIs) in a three-run fourth inning to help open the biggest lead for both teams.
McCann Tech cut the margin in the bottom of the frame and scored three runs without a hit.
Four walks and two Mount Greylock errors fueled the rally, which ended when pitcher Bayliss grounded out to second baseman Mason Kanata for the final out.
After Gilman’s one-out walk punted it around for a scoreless fifth, the McCann Tech offense took off.
Booth followed with a single with a steal of second, then the Hornets struck out, walked, struck out, walked to load the bases.
McCann lined a bomb to left center to clear the bases and give Tech a 7-6 lead.
They added to that cushion in the top of the sixth with two runs on four more hits. Austin Buda drove in a run with a single to left, and Aaron Livesey scored when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
In the top of the seventh, Bayliss led off the mound with a double to center field, but Gilman struck out the next three batters to end the game.
For Mount Gryelock fans who watched a veteran-laden team win a state championship last spring, starting the 2023 campaign is a different experience.
“We’re in growing pains,” Mount Greylock coach Rick Parris said. “We have some young guys and they are learning. We only have two returning starters. It’s basically a whole new team out there. So we have to keep working every day to get better in practice and see where it goes.
“We can’t make too many mistakes and then let our pitcher stay there for too long.”
Bayliss had two doubles in the 4-? innings before handing the ball to Cam Miller for his first varsity outing.
Lucas Rylander got the ball to start McCann and was tagged for six runs, but only got four before Gilman struck out to start the fifth.
“The defense just wasn’t there for us tonight,” Howland said. We made the plays when we had to, but we also made some critical mistakes. Nikki G comes in and sits down nicely. Lucas Rylander also pitched well. He had no defense to back him up. He threw a hell of a game, and we made some mistakes behind him that didn’t help save him.
McCann Tech will play its fourth straight Berkshire County opponent on Tuesday when it takes on Drury at Joe Wolfe.
Mount Greylock will look for its first win Monday at home against Belcher Town.
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