DORCHESTER – The Franklin baseball team couldn’t edge out a tough second-round matchup against eventual finalist St. John’s (S) in the Div. 1 state tournament, but its top seniors ended their careers on a much sweeter note in the 46th Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Senior All-Star Game at BC High on Tuesday.
Northeastern-bound Henry DiGiorgio hit an RBI single and came around to score in the eighth inning, proving the final difference for the South All-Stars to beat the North All-Stars, 7-5, in a game with three different lead changes.
Teammate Jake Shaughnessy retired the final three outs in the next half-inning for the save, pairing with strong Panthers contributions from pitcher Matt Miller (one scoreless inning, two walks, strikeout), Rex Cinelli (1-for-2, RBI) and UMass-commit Austin Campbell, whose two strikeouts in a 1-2-3 frame earned him South pitcher of the game honors.
Franklin’s five representatives in the game were the most of any team.
“I think it was definitely good because we didn’t end where we wanted to end off,” Campbell said. “Coming and being able to play in this with a bunch of good players was just a fun environment.”
“I thought we did a great job tonight, all five of us, and it was a great team win,” DiGiorgio added. “Just getting another shot at it here, kind of cap off our high school season with a win here. … Rex Cinelli from Franklin, he’s going to the Air Force on Thursday, he’s going into training. So, I was very excited to see him get that hit in his last at-bat.”
Peabody’s Cam Connolly won North pitcher of the game, tossing four strikeouts over two innings with two earned runs. Lynnfield’s Anthony Grabau belted an inside-the-park home run to the right-center gap in the sixth inning to give North a temporary, 4-3, lead. He won the team’s MVP award.
BC High pitchers were at the forefront of the Eagles’ Div. 1 state championship, which Liam Kinneen (one scoreless inning, two strikeouts) and Brady Lane (one scoreless inning, strikeout, six pitches) extended to their final high school appearances. Lane earned the win by pitching in a 5-5 eighth inning, aided by Norwell second baseman Liam Shepherd turning his second double play of the game.
Silver Lake’s Jack Quigley (2-for-3, two runs, stolen base) won South MVP, leading off the eighth inning with a triple against Westford Academy star Jake Cullen after he struck out the side in the prior inning.
“I didn’t really expect (MVP), I kind of was just having some fun,” Quigley said. “It was an awesome experience. If you have an opportunity to play in the game, I’d definitely do it.”
DiGiorgio knocked him in with a single, and he eventually stole third base with one out to help Shepherd drive him in with a sacrifice fly for the 7-5 lead.
“The thought process was something hard on the ground or get something elevated into the outfield, ended up getting up the middle (and) doing a job,” DiGiorgio said. “Definitely just representing the South … and then also just representing Franklin, carrying our name of Franklin and bringing it here.”
BC High’s Chris Mondesir also hit an inside-the-park home run for South. Walpole’s Ryan Walsh hit a single in the second inning, stole second and scored. Plymouth North’s George Slauson got South on the board first with an RBI single. Abington’s Steve Madden (2-for-2) doubled in a run and tripled.
