Schools

Nearly Perfect: Medfield Baseball Shuts Out Hopkinton in Season Opener

Warriors' pitcher Mike Keleher loses perfect game in seventh inning; earns 2-0 shutout over Hopkinton.

It was almost a perfect Opening Day for the Medfield High School baseball team after a 2-0 victory over Tri-Valley League power Hopkinton Friday at Curt Schilling Field.

Warriors’ pitcher Mike Keleher took a perfect game into the seventh inning and recorded two quick outs before Hopkinton finally broke through, recording a single between shortstop and the outfielders in left center. Hopkinton put a second runner on after a ground ball to second base went under Medfield's Jim Magrath's glove. 

“Almost a perfect game. Do you know what it's like to pitch a perfect game? I do because I have,” Medfield head coach Matt Marenghi said to his assistant coaches, Gary Stockbridge and Brian Schools after the game. “It's awesome.”

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Keleher regained composure, focused and recorded the final out of the inning, a ground ball to shortstop Brian McCloud, who flipped it over to Magrath for the force out. Ball game.

“Mike Keleher is somebody who really shined last year but didn’t settle on that and really worked on his game in the fall,” said Marenghi. “Baseball is a game where it’s easy in New England to put it aside just for the months that you play and he clearly doesn’t do that, it’s something that he works at and this is the fruits of his labor right here.”

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Keleher, who finished with 10 strikeouts and just the two hits allowed, looked to be in mid-season form despite it being game one on the schedule. The Medfield defense played well behind him and the bats came to life in the clutch to plate two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and reward the senior pitcher with an opening day victory.

“If you like baseball, this was a great game to watch,” said Marenghi. “We are what I would consider to be one of the most fortunate if not the most fortunate high school baseball team because of this playing field. Nobody gets more field time than we do. For us to come out of the gates as a really good team, I'm not surprised because we do everything in our power to make sure we will be.”

Locked in a scoreless tie heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, Medfield’s bats came to life and it started at the top of the order with leadoff hitter, Brian McCloud, ripping a double to right center. John Buchanan followed with what was meant to be a sacrifice bunt to move McCloud to third but turned into an infield single as the bunt was placed well down the third baseline and no Hopkinton player could reach the ball in time.

With runners on second and third – Buchanan stole second – with no one out, Magrath grounded out for the first out of the inning. Catcher Will Cousins then flied out to left but hit the ball deep enough to score McCloud from third and give the Warriors a 1-0 lead. Keleher then helped himself with an RBI single past Hopkinton’s third baseman and that is all the scoring Medfield would need behind Keleher’s pitching performance.

“We didn’t get any gimme runs,” said Marenghi. “We manufactured those runs.That’s what we do. [Hopkinton] is probably one of the, if not the best team in the TVL. That’s a great way to gauge things from the get-go. We needed to play good baseball and nobody gave us anything.”

Marenghi was particularly pleased with the play of his upperclassmen.

“I’m happy that our leadership came through,” he said. “Mike [Keleher] is one of our captains and is leading the way in that regard and we are really counting on, speaking of leaders, he’s a junior but Brian McCloud sort of anchoring the infield and taking care of that leadoff spot and he did that.”

Marenghi said McCloud’s all-around play Friday was a key to victory.

“I think [McCloud] is as much responsible for the win as Mike is,” Marenghi said.

Medfield will travel to Dover-Sherborn on Monday for a 3:45 p.m. game against the Raiders.

“D-S is scrappy and likes to run,” said Marenghi. “It will be our first game on grass so I suspect it will be a bit of an adjustment. We’re going to be a visiting team there and we need to respond and come in with our game faces.”


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