Hart, Saugus Left in Dark by Umpire

What developed into a pitchers’ duel in the sun--and eventually the dark--finally ended when the plate umpire abruptly called lights out Tuesday afternoon, er, evening, at Saugus High.

In the bottom of the ninth inning of a 4-4 baseball tie between Hart and Saugus, the umpire suddenly leaped from behind the plate and called the nonleague game off.

No light? Indeed, it was becoming dark. But more apparent was the umpire’s displeasure with Saugus Coach Doug Worley’s decision to call a timeout.

With one out and Saugus’ Walter White at second base, Worley summoned the runner to the foul line for a few words of advice. They never reached White’s ears.

“That’s my offensive timeout,” Worley argued. “He said he would give us one more inning. I have no clue what he was thinking.”

Probably that this game--the first in three years between the teams--might go on all night.

Saugus (3-2-1) scored twice in the bottom of the fifth to tie the score, but from there all bats were silenced as relievers Andrew Lorraine of Hart and Doug Maggiora of Saugus locked horns in a strikeout bout.

Lorraine, a senior left-hander, struck out 10 in the final five innings, including the side on 10 pitches in the seventh. Maggiora, a junior submarining right-hander, struck out nine in four innings, including five in a row at one stretch.

White reached first on an error to begin the ninth then stole second after several pickoff attempts by Lorraine.

“They tried nine throws to first base,” Worley fumed. “They knew what they were doing. I’d say Hart was all out to tie this game.”

Coach Bud Murray of Hart (3-1-2) defended the cancellation.

“Why should you pull a guy off to the sideline when it’s night?” Murray said. “I think the umpire did the right thing.”