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No. 6 Central Catholic (5-2) is no stranger to success. The Raiders made the Division 1 quarterfinals in each of the last two seasons. This year, they’re anchored by senior Josh Florence (committed to Stonehill) both on the mound and in the outfield. Without senior Jack Savio (Worcester State), they wouldn’t be 5-0 in MVC play — his two-run double in the seventh propelled the Raiders to a 4-3 win over Andover.
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On the other side of that result, No. 7 Andover (5-1) is another battle-tested team.
The Golden Warriors are allowing an MVC-low 2.5 runs per game with a pitching staff led by All-Scholastic junior lefty Chris Jaillet (UMass). Senior Ben Workman and junior Drew Pulsifer round out the rotation.
‘It doesn’t matter who we play, up or down, in the small or large division, they’re good games.’
Andover baseball coach Danny Grams
Andover coach Danny Grams knows there’s only room for improvement for his squad, especially with starting centerfielder Will Norris (Wofford) only having made one appearance due to injury. They’ll have his bat and his glove back soon, but in the meantime, the Golden Warriors are fine with the battles.
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“It doesn’t matter who we play, up or down, in the small or large division, they’re good games,” Grams said. “It seems like everybody not just has a No. 1 starter, but they have a [No.] 1 and a 2 and some have three pitchers that throw really well.”
No. 19 North Andover is one such team with impressive pitching depth. The Scarlet Knights (6-3) get big innings out of junior Cole Mullen and senior Dom Pefine (Maine) atop the rotation, with Faro also being a big contributor on the mound. Mullen has been near-unhittable over two dominant starts against Westford (6 no-hit innings, 9 strikeouts) and Chelmsford (6 two-hit innings) to open his campaign.
‘If you can survive it, you’ll be prepared for the playoffs for sure.’
North Andover baseball coach Todd Dulin
“You’ll see Jaillet, we’ll see [Chelmsford’s Matt] Stuart later this year, Florence at Central, I’d put Cole up against anyone. Every team’s got great pitching,” said North Andover coach Todd Dulin. “If you can survive it, you’ll be prepared for the playoffs for sure.”
Lawrence, the upstart MVC team this year, is off to a 4-2 start after a few down seasons. Coach Alberto Abreu’s squad is reliant on its senior leadership, particularly Angel Castillo’s bat, along with a core that brings constant energy to every at bat. Each pitch, the Lancers’ dugout dials up the noise. Abreu, a 2012 Lawrence graduate, knows they need that energy in big games. They’ve already produced some magic with a late comeback against Haverhill, turning around a 2-1 deficit in the seventh for a 3-2 win.
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“Every game we’ve played has been against great competition,” Abreu said. “We stay together, we grind, and we’ve just got to be confident in what we’re working on. As long as we do that, we can hold our own against anybody.”
Extra bases
▪ Pitching typically rules in April, when the weather is still cold and pitchers are ahead of hitters. That was the case this week. The Globe accounted for four no-hitters in three days, coming from BC High’s Liam Kineen, Plymouth North’s D.C Brown, Catholic Memorial’s Brett Mulligan, and Brookline’s Nico Hart. Seekonk’s Tyler Kropis, Foxborough’s Ryan O’Leary, and Taunton’s Brady Morin came close too, firing one-hitters, while Declan Crowley (Seekonk) and Tom Watts (Foxborough) fired five hitless innings in mercy-rule victories.
Related: St. John’s (Shrewsbury) makes its move to No. 3 in Globe Top 20 baseball poll
▪ Malden coach Steve Freker earned his 400th career win in Wednesday’s 10-0 Greater Boston League victory over Everett. A 2016 Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer, Freker has coached for 39 years at Malden (his alma mater), Malden Catholic, and Saugus . . . Somerville righthander Ian Born picked up his fourth win of the season in Monday’s triumph over Revere . . . Last Thursday’s Sully Tournament Championship between Milton and North Quincy was postponed due to rain. The game will be made up on Saturday, May 4th at 5 p.m. at Adams Field in Quincy . . . There are only four undefeated teams left in Eastern Mass.: Georgetown, St. Mary’s, Diman, and Upper Cape. Georgetown beat Lynnfield, 7-6, on a walkoff Wednesday, while St. Mary’s scored four in the ninth inning to beat Bishop Stang, 7-3.
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Games to watch
Friday, Milton at No. 12 Catholic Memorial — After dropping two of three, the defending D2 champion Wildcats look to get back on track with a nonleague showdown against the surging Knights.
Monday No. 1 BC High at No. 4 Xaverian — The Eagles dropped their first game of the season Wednesday at St. John’s Shrewsbury and will face another tough Catholic Conference road test against a Hawks team that can pile up runs in a hurry.
Monday, Masconomet at No. 5 St. Mary’s, 4 p.m. — A great nonleague matchup between Division 2 contenders at Fraser Field. Masco is allowing two runs per game, and St. Mary’s is at 1.6.
Tuesday, Abington at East Bridgewater, 4 p.m. — First place in the South Shore Sullivan is up for grabs between a pair of teams that are a combined 7-1 in league play.
Wednesday, No. 8 Walpole at Wellesley, 4:30 p.m. — In this Bay State Conference showdown, Walpole looks to keep the good times rolling while a solid 6-2 Wellesley squad seeks a resume-boosting victory.
Correspondent Matt Doherty contributed to this story.
