When a team finishes a regular season with a 20-0 record, there are obvious expectations heading into postseason play.
And while the Shawsheen Tech baseball team went 1-2 in playoff action between the state vocational tournament and the MIAA Div. 3 state playoffs, the 2025 version of the Rams sure did rewrite the record books at the Cook Street school.
The Commonwealth Athletic Conference champions beat Newburyport in the first round of the state tournament by a 5-1 score before hosting Wakefield in Game 2 and falling, 5-4.
Against the Warriors, Shawsheen jumped out to a 4-0 lead and looked to be in complete control until Wakefield scored four times in the top of the fourth inning to tie the game.
WHS added another run in the top of the sixth to take the lead.
Shawsheen went down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the sixth inning, but had a chance in the seventh.
Jake Carr reached on an error to lead off, but was picked off after a great move by Warrior pitcher Jack Pennacchia. With two outs, Dyllon Pratt singled to right, bringing the go-ahead run to the plate, but catcher Robbie Welch’s line drive was caught by Wakefield’s second baseman. ending one of the most dominating seasons in recent memory at any school.
Shawsheen took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
Pratt tripled to the fence in center field and scored when Lukas Poirier hit a one-out single over Wakefield pitcher Marc Gagne.
In the third, the Rams seemingly took control of the game.
Pratt singled, stole second and went to third on a nice bunt by Welch. Poirier then smacked an RBI triple to center. With two outs, Ryan Jamieson belted the third Shawsheen triple of the afternoon, scoring Poirier to make it 3-0.
Jamieson scored moments later on a passed ball.
Cole Pellegrino started on the mound for Shawsheen and tossed three scoreless innings to start the game with plenty of help from the Ram defense.
After a two-out double by Wakefield’s Pennacchia, Pratt made a nice play on a grounder to short to end the first inning.
In the second, a hit batsman and a walk was followed by a sacrifice bunt and a pop up to put Wakefield runners on second and third.
After another hit batsman loaded the bases. Pratt fielded another ground ball and flipped to Poirier at second to end the threat.
In the third, Warrior Andrew Nemec singled to start the frame and stole second. After Pellegrino struck out Pennacchia, Shawsheen’s Will Holloway made back-to-back catches on line drives to left field to end the inning.
In the fourth inning, the wheels came off for Shawsheen.
Aidan Bligh led off with a double and Nik Dhingra singled before a sacrifice fly by Gagne made it 4-1.
Two more singles made it 4-2 before a two-run triple off the bat of Nemec would tie the score.
Wakefield had runners on first and third with one out before Pratt and Welch caught consecutive pop ups to short and catcher to end the inning.
In the sixth, the Warriors took the lead.
Gagne walked to lead off and Shawsheen turned to Gavin Poirier in relief of Pellegrino, who threw five solid innings on the hill.
Gagne stole second and went to third on a grounder by Nemec.
Shawsheen intentionally walked Pennacchia and Dylan McDermott drew a walk to load the bases.
In a gutsy call by the Wakefield staff, Gagne ended up stealing home, making it 5-4.