Hingham Journal

By William Wassersug
Wicked Local Hingham


Hingham — This has been a very good season for the Hingham baseball team.

With their win over Silver Lake on Friday the Harbormen clinched the competitive Patriot League Keenan Division, improving to 11-3 (9-1 Patriot League), and now look to pick up the best seed they can in the MIAA Tournament, where coach Bob Rodgers will helm his Harbormen for the last time before leaving to concentrate on the athletic director post at Whitman-Hanson.

Rodgers said this has been a great season, especially knowing he would be leaving after the season.

"This team has been such a special group to work with. We have a lot of guys on the team who either were not on varsity last year or didn't play a fulltime role but it didn't take long for guys to find their roles. This is one of the most unselfish groups of kids I have ever worked with and their accomplishments are a direct result of great senior leadership and their belief in each other as a whole,” Rodgers said of his team. “I have found myself reflecting on my three years at Hingham recently and it's starting to hit me that my time is drawing to a close. I always impress upon my seniors the importance of appreciating each moment because it goes by far too fast. I am learning that myself now as a coach and leaving this program is something I don't like to think about. Instead, I prefer to focus on how great every moment is we get to spend together as a team. I am so thankful Ms. (A.D. Margaret) Conaty gave me this opportunity to work with these young men three years ago.”

Rodgers said he felt this team could go a long way.

"The kids have never wavered in their belief that we could be champions again,” he said. “I remember saying it to them very directly at the beginning of the year that I expected us to put another number on that banner. The looks in their eyes that day was one that told me they were prepared to make it happen. When we got the final out to clinch it, they celebrated exactly how a team should....together on the field as a team."

Rodgers felt a big strength of this year’s group was in the way they blended together with a group of young players taking a lot of responsibility.

"If you watched our team play you would never be able to guess the grades of these guys,” Rodgers said. “The younger players carry themselves with such confidence and poise. I would attribute much of their success on the great leadership from our veteran players who have been great leaders and mentors for the younger guys."

The veteran coach is ready for the challenge of the MIAA Tournament.

"We are excited for the state tournament,” Rodgers said. “ If there is one thing I have learned from these kids is that they love a challenge and are ready to do what it takes to get the job done. If we keep playing well, we should earn a home game and perhaps even a first round bye. For now though, we prefer to focus on playing strong fundamental baseball and make sure we peak at the right time. I am glad we clinched so early so that now we can focus on what got us here."

Hingham qualified for the tournament last week, then in two games against North Quincy and Silver Lake clinched a share of the Patriot League title and then the title outright.

In the win over Silver Lake on Friday, Seniors Jake Magner and Alex Pompeo both delivered RBI hits in the bottom of the sixth to highlight a 4-run explosion and help Hingham erase a 4-2 deficit and earn a 6-5 victory over Silver Lake.

With the scored tied at 4 with 2 outs, Pompeo scored the go ahead run on the back end of an

early steal in a first and third situation.

Silver Lake had snapped a 2-2 tie in the top of the inning when Tommy Lennon belted a solo home run. Toby Bouchard homered in the second for the Lakers who fall to 8-7.

Junior lefty Rob Madden earned the win going 6 strong innings giving up just 3 earned runs. Senior David Hogan earned the save with a solid inning of relief in the 7th which included striking out the final batter

of the game with the tying run on third and the go ahead run on second.

Sean Greene and Eddie Bowler both had two hits (single and double) and an RBI for the Harbormen.


http://www.wickedlocal.com/hingham/sports/x941158428/Hingham-baseball-wins-Patriot-League-title-outright#axzz1Mo6nO8zw

Read more: Hingham baseball wins Patriot League title outright - Hingham, Massachusetts - The Hingham Journal http://www.wickedlocal.com/hingham/sports/high_school/x941158428/Hingham-baseball-wins-Patriot-League-title-outright#ixzz1MtLxO5Ox