Brimmer @ BTA

Brimmer and May’s Hardball Gators outlasted the BTA Lions in a hard-fought, back-and-forth, three-hour-plus contest in Hyde Park to earn a 11-9 MBIL victory on Tuesday afternoon. The game included 3 innings that ended in a tie ballgame and 3 innings that saw lead changes.
 
Jimmy Yfantopulos, ’18 lead off the game with a walk, stole second base and scored on a frozen rope to right-centerfield off Matthew Hastings, ’18 bat. After a walk to Grant Iuliano, ’18 and a stolen base for each runner, Hastings scampered home on a wild pitch.
 
BTA answered with 2 runs of their own in the bottom of the inning off starter Jack Donnelly, ’18, who threw well, mixing in fastballs and breaking pitches to the BTA batters. In his four innings but was victimized by a tight strike zone and a few Gator miscues in the field. He gave up a run in the second and three in the fourth inning with only 3 of the 6 runs earned. He also struck out 7 while walking 4 (2 intentionally) and giving up 7 hits.
 
In the top of the third, the Brimmer nine took a 6-3 lead when it scored four runs. Yfantopulos led off with an infield single, Hastings was hit by a pitch, and Gabe Bryan, ’19 drew a walk to load the bases. Michael Hastings, ’18 then walked to force in a run and Dylan Rigol, ’18 hit a hard ground ball up the middle that exploded on the second basemen forcing an error and another run across the plate. Ethan Eastwood, ’18, who had an outstanding game at the plate—3 for 4 with a double and 6 RBI—ripped a single to drive in 2 more runs.
 
In the bottom of the third Rigol, the starting catcher, left the game due to arm tenderness and was replaced behind the plate by Iuliano, who volunteered to don the tools of ignorance for the first time since his Babe Ruth League days. Matthew Hastings replaced Donnelly on the mound and Paxton Wong, ‘20 entered the game at second base. BTA managed to squeeze home 1 run off of Hastings who struck out two in the inning. At the end of 5 innings the score was the Gators 8 and the Lions 7.
 
In the top of the sixth with 2 outs Iuliano drove a ball up the middle that was misplayed but untouched (?) by the centerfielder resulting in a full trip around the bases for either an inside the park home run or a single and three base error. Either way it was another run the Gators who increased their lead to two. However, in the bottom of the inning the Lions responded with 2, 2-out runs of their own before Iuliano took over the mound duties and ended the inning with a strikeout of BTA’s leadoff batter. Hastings had done yeoman’s work on the mound during his 1.2 innings, striking out 2, giving up 2 earned runs, but keeping his team in the game.
 
In the top of the seventh the Gators scored the winning runs when Bryan led off with a single and moved to second on a passed ball. Michael Hastings drew another walk and advanced to second on a ground ball to the right side. Both runners scored on a double by Eastwood, who was unconscious at the plate after his first at-bat of the game. Iuliano closed the game for his first league win and second overall. BTA’s #2 hitter got on due to an error to lead off the inning but Iuliano, working with Donnelly behind the dish, then struck out the 3, 4, and 5 hitters looking with some straight cheese and a few well-placed and nasty Uncle Charlies to send the BTA iron back to the bench with their bats in hand.
 
 
Hitting highlights included three lasers off the bat of Eastwood, including a double down the third base line, another double off the fence in right-centerfield by Michael Hastings, and two missiles off the bat of Bryan for singles as well. Isaiah Claiborne ’21 and Michael Donahue, ’19 each added crucial pinch-running stints that saw each of them cross the plate during the game.

Brimmer and May School

69 Middlesex Road
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
617-566-7462
As an inclusive private school community, Brimmer welcomes students who will increase the diversity of our school. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, sex, gender, gender identity and expression, disability, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, or any other characteristic protected from discrimination under state or federal law, in the administration of our educational policies, admissions practices, financial aid decisions, and athletic and other school-administered programs.