The Yawkey Baseball League season got underway Saturday, May 11, as the Revere Rockies topped the East Boston Knights 3-0 on Conigliaro Field at Revere High in what was a long-time city line rivalry.
Revere relied on some aggressive baserunning to score a pair of runs in the third inning, three double-plays in the late innings, and good pitching throughout by winning pitcher Chris Sandini, who went the first four-and-a-third innings, and Alex Wong who finished up, to secure the win.
Revere did their damage in the third inning.
Ryan Petrone led off with a walk and stole second. After Kenny Polanco flied to center, Wong walked. Petrone and Wong pulled off a double steal to put runners on second and third. Tony Iafolla walked to load the bases, and a Bobby Foote double knocked home Petrone and Wong.
Revere threatened in the fourth when Argeny Villa led off with a triple, but East Boston pitcher Watanabe Takayuki struck out Argenis Dominguez, got Petrone to ground out to second, then struck out Polanco, stranding Villa at third. The Rockies added a run in the fifth when Wong, who walked, scored on a Bobby Foote fielder’s choice.
East Boston had baserunners in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings but could not push home a run.
The Knights’ best shot came in the fifth. Bret Sanboy led off with a single. After Nick Simonenko struck out, Brian Navarro walked to put runners on first and second, and both moved up on a passed ball. With one out, Geoff Harris lined a shot to deep center field but the Rockies’ centerfielder Argeny Villa tracked it down for the second out. Simonenco and Navarro were running, though, and had to scramble to get back. Villa’s throw from deep center was cut off by Rockies first baseman Iafolla, who fired to second baseman Adam Del Rio to double-up Navarro.
In the sixth, Mike Oliveira reached on a one-out walk, but he was erased when Grofi Cruz lined to third and Rockies third baseman Kenny Polanco made a nifty grab then threw Oliveira out for the 5-3 double play. In the seventh inning, Kenny Luongo led off with a walk and moved to second base on Matt Ferro’s single. But the threat disappeared when Samboy hit into a 4-6-3 double play, then Simonenko struck out to end the game.