QUINCY – Wellesley remains on track to complete some unfinished business.
The third-seeded Raiders – the Division 1 state finalist last season – earned a second straight trip to the Div. 1 South sectional final following a back-and-forth 7-4 victory over No. 7 Xaverian yesterday afternoon at Adams Field in Quincy.
Junior Henry Weycker went the distance on the mound for the Raiders and also contributed at the plate with a two-out, two-run triple in a four-run sixth inning as Wellesley (18-5) rallied late to knock off the Hawks in the sectional semifinal game.
“(Henry) is a big-time player; he stepped up for us last June and he is doing it again this season,” said Wellesley head coach Rob Kane. “He is definitely a June player, but this was a team win.”
Trailing 4-3 to start the bottom of the sixth, Wellesley loaded the bases with nobody out on a single from Colin Blasco, an error and a bunt base hit by Tommy Lieberman (3-for-3, three runs). However, after leadoff hitter John Ciolfi’s line drive was dropped in the infield and turned into a 6-2-5 double play, the Raiders season hung in the balance.
And then it didn’t.
Wellesley went on to tie the game on an infield error before Weycker drove a ball to deep center to score two additional runs. Kai Grocki plated another run with an RBI single before Weycker closed out the semifinal with a quick 1-2-3 top of the seventh.
“Different guys have stepped us for us in every game this season,” Kane added. “It’s nice when your next game you get to play for (sectional) trophy.”
The Hawks fell behind 2-0 after two innings before rallying to tie the game in the fourth on a sacrifice fly from Charlie Bean. Wellesley would retake the lead in the home half of the fourth when Lieberman scored on a wild pitch, but the Hawks scored twice in the top of the sixth on two-out RBI base hits by Bean and Sean Birch to grab a short-lived 4-3 lead.
Xaverian finished the season at 14-9.
