Six-Run Inning Sparked by Squeeze Helps Saugus Defeat Quartz Hill

Not one to place much emphasis on early-season games, Saugus High baseball Coach Doug Worley was nonetheless impressed with several facets of the Centurions’ 8-0 nonleague victory over visiting Quartz Hill on Wednesday.

“We’re just trying to find out information about ourselves right now. If we win the game on top of that, that’s great,” Worley said. “But I thought this was a good win for us.

“Our defense played well and we kept the pressure on them. We want to put pressure on the opposition all the time. That’s the way we always play it.”

The Centurions (6-2) turned up the heat early on Quartz Hill (2-2). Saugus went ahead, 1-0, in the first inning when leadoff hitter Scott Himes swiped home on double steal.

One run was all starter John Maggiora (3-1) needed. He cruised through six innings, allowing seven hits and striking out two. Brandon Hernandez pitched the seventh.

“I thought he pitched very well,” Worley said of Maggiora. “Sometimes all John needs is a couple of hits.”

Leading, 1-0, Saugus broke open the game in the fourth--but not without help from the Rebels. With one out, Quartz Hill starter Roger Worley (0-2), no relation to the Saugus coach, was replaced after loading the bases by allowing a single and two walks.

Right fielder William Wallace replaced Worley, and Mike McGuigan, the first batter he faced, worked the count to 2 and 1 before laying down a squeeze along the first base line that led to three errors and three runs.

“We’ve tried that twice with him and he’s done a great job both times,” Worley said. “He put it right where he had to.”

Wallace fielded the ball and made a wild throw past first baseman Mike Caudillo as Hernandez scored. Anthony Rivera, who took over for Wallace in right field, picked up the ball and made an even wilder throw to second, which allowed Jarod Brunsman to score.

Not to be outdone, left fielder Freddy Coleman scooped up the ball and made a wild throw home, allowing Danny Broyles to score. McGuigan wound up on third.

“At that point I was hoping for our pitching to get the game back into control,” Quartz Hill Coach Mike Nielson said.

Three more runs scored before the inning ended, and Saugus had assumed a commanding 7-0 lead. Eleven Saugus players batted in the inning, which included three hits, two walks and a hit batter in addition to the three errors.

The Rebels committed six errors in the game.

Saugus was led at the plate by Himes (one for three, two runs scored, one run batted in) and Bobby Cowan (one for two, double, two RBIs).

“We didn’t execute and we didn’t play good defense,” Nielson said. “So much of this game is mental, and we got down early mentally.”