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After Hopkinton pinch hit during last year’s monsoon, the Rich Pedroli Daily News Classic returns to its usual home. The Hillers won last year’s tournament on their home turf, which was badly needed on a weekend that included rain, or the threat of it.
Natick’s Mahan Field is again hosting the two-day Classic, and while the chance for rain is minimal, the school had the infield redone last fall to improve drainage.
By the books: This Natick athlete will study history. He's already made it on the field
All four teams have at least 10 wins as the regular season comes to a close; MIAA tournament brackets will be announced next Wednesday at 11 a.m.
“It’s always a playoff-type atmosphere, so we’re always excited to host it,” said Natick coach Jason Hoye.
The Redhawks will play Lincoln-Sudbury at 7 p.m. Friday after Hopkinton and Franklin begin play at 4 p.m. The consolation (11 a.m.) and championship games (2 p.m.) will be played Saturday.
The tournament is played in honor of Rich Pedroli, a Daily News Editor and 1980 Milford High graduate who died in 2006 at age 44. His sister, Dori, annually makes the trip to attend the games.
Since 2016, when L-S won, either Franklin or Hopkinton has claimed the title over the past seven years the event was held. (Due to COVID, the tournament was cancelled in 2020 and ‘21). Natick, the highest-ranked team (No. 5 in Div. 1) in the field, is looking to win the Pedroli (which debuted in 2007) for the first time.
“We always want to win this tournament every year,” Hoye said. “All four teams are having good seasons, so of course we want to win it. You play to win the game.”
Hopkinton (14-5) enters the tournament with a recent nine-game winning streak, which was stopped by Holliston on Wednesday. The Hillers have clinched the Tri-Valley League Large title. Hopkinton lost to Ashland, Westwood and Norwood earlier in the season before defeating each team in a recent rematch.
Sophomore Matt Pedroli has a team-leading .417 batting average (all stats through Tuesday) to go with a .550 on-base percentage, three home runs, five doubles, three triples, 17 RBIs and 21 runs. Junior Noah Krammes is hitting .391 with a .508 OBP; senior captain Ryan Lang has a .348 batting average with 12 stolen bases; junior captain Michael Sullivan is hitting .333 with seven doubles, two home runs and 14 RBIs; and junior Travis Rych is hitting .311.
Senior Thomas McCarthy had a team-leading 0.91 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 15.1 innings. Junior Ethan Senseney has 14 Ks and a 2.10 ERA; Krammes has 13Ks in 13 frames and a 1.07 ERA; junior Gabe Cafazzo has not walked a batter in 10.1 innings and has a 0.67 ERA.
The Hillers earned a pair of dramatic victories last year at the Pedroli, winning 9-8 both times. They needed 11 innings to hold off Franklin for the title as Nick (no relation) Pedroli won MVP with four hits, including a home run, over the two games and 3.1 innings of relief in the championship game, where 359 pitches were thrown.
Natick (14-4) is loaded with seniors – 16 of them – on a team that has steadily improved since a 3-17 season in 2024. The Redhawks finished 14-9 last spring and advanced to the MIAA quarterfinals.
“Many of them were with us two years ago and many of them were in the lineup every day,” Hoye said. “When you have a lineup with a majority of sophomores, you’re going to live with some growing pains. The experience that they’ve had over two years, where they had the growing pains in one (year) and experienced some success in the other and they see everything in between of what it takes to be able to compete – that's invaluable.”
Natick’s Alex Jacques is hitting a team-high .404 with six doubles, three triples and 18 RBIs. Luke Dougherty is hitting .316 and has scored 22 runs and swiped 15 bases. Braeden Homer leads the Redhawks with 19 steals and 24 runs.
Dougherty is 4-0 in six starts on the mound with a 3.10 ERA and 43 strikeouts. Henry Claudio also has four wins and has the team’s lowest ERA at 2.12. Max Bonavire is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA. Jacques has been dependable out of the bullpen, recording two saves.
Hoye said Cole Miceli will be making his first start of the season on Friday.
Luke Danielson, who is hitting .370, leads Lincoln-Sudbury (10-9) with five home runs, 26 runs batted in and a 1.256 OPS. Ben Clarkin is the team’s top hitter at .429. He had a team-leading 26 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. Matthew Pazak is hitting .390 and Jackson Hornbeck is at .352 while striking out just five times.
On the mound, Simon Fletcher is 3-1 with 26 strikeouts in 23.3 innings. Drew Blanchette has a 2.12 earned run average with 22 strikeouts in 17 innings.
Franklin is 14-6 and has won four games in a row. The Panthers defeated Sharon on Wednesday thanks to an Ethan Edmunds home run. Jack Sullivan, Edmunds and Patrick Luizzi each had a pair of hits.
Luizzi is hitting .391 with Sean Kryzak at .385. Edmunds leads the team with four home runs and 26 RBIs. Jack Sullivan is hitting .370 and leads the team with 22 runs scored. Cam Lambert has a team-high 10 stolen bases.
DJ Silverstein is the team's ace, with a 4-2 record and 42 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched. Edmunds is 4-3 with 40 strikeouts. Jacoby Brown, in 10 relief appearances, has four saves and a 1.58 ERA.
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Instagram at tdumas1.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Rich Pedroli Daily News Classic returns to Natick after soggy break
Continue reading...
Natick’s Mahan Field is again hosting the two-day Classic, and while the chance for rain is minimal, the school had the infield redone last fall to improve drainage.
By the books: This Natick athlete will study history. He's already made it on the field
All four teams have at least 10 wins as the regular season comes to a close; MIAA tournament brackets will be announced next Wednesday at 11 a.m.
“It’s always a playoff-type atmosphere, so we’re always excited to host it,” said Natick coach Jason Hoye.
The Redhawks will play Lincoln-Sudbury at 7 p.m. Friday after Hopkinton and Franklin begin play at 4 p.m. The consolation (11 a.m.) and championship games (2 p.m.) will be played Saturday.
The tournament is played in honor of Rich Pedroli, a Daily News Editor and 1980 Milford High graduate who died in 2006 at age 44. His sister, Dori, annually makes the trip to attend the games.
Since 2016, when L-S won, either Franklin or Hopkinton has claimed the title over the past seven years the event was held. (Due to COVID, the tournament was cancelled in 2020 and ‘21). Natick, the highest-ranked team (No. 5 in Div. 1) in the field, is looking to win the Pedroli (which debuted in 2007) for the first time.
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“We always want to win this tournament every year,” Hoye said. “All four teams are having good seasons, so of course we want to win it. You play to win the game.”
Hillers hot through most of May
Hopkinton (14-5) enters the tournament with a recent nine-game winning streak, which was stopped by Holliston on Wednesday. The Hillers have clinched the Tri-Valley League Large title. Hopkinton lost to Ashland, Westwood and Norwood earlier in the season before defeating each team in a recent rematch.
Sophomore Matt Pedroli has a team-leading .417 batting average (all stats through Tuesday) to go with a .550 on-base percentage, three home runs, five doubles, three triples, 17 RBIs and 21 runs. Junior Noah Krammes is hitting .391 with a .508 OBP; senior captain Ryan Lang has a .348 batting average with 12 stolen bases; junior captain Michael Sullivan is hitting .333 with seven doubles, two home runs and 14 RBIs; and junior Travis Rych is hitting .311.
Senior Thomas McCarthy had a team-leading 0.91 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 15.1 innings. Junior Ethan Senseney has 14 Ks and a 2.10 ERA; Krammes has 13Ks in 13 frames and a 1.07 ERA; junior Gabe Cafazzo has not walked a batter in 10.1 innings and has a 0.67 ERA.
The Hillers earned a pair of dramatic victories last year at the Pedroli, winning 9-8 both times. They needed 11 innings to hold off Franklin for the title as Nick (no relation) Pedroli won MVP with four hits, including a home run, over the two games and 3.1 innings of relief in the championship game, where 359 pitches were thrown.
Natick continues upward trend
Natick (14-4) is loaded with seniors – 16 of them – on a team that has steadily improved since a 3-17 season in 2024. The Redhawks finished 14-9 last spring and advanced to the MIAA quarterfinals.
“Many of them were with us two years ago and many of them were in the lineup every day,” Hoye said. “When you have a lineup with a majority of sophomores, you’re going to live with some growing pains. The experience that they’ve had over two years, where they had the growing pains in one (year) and experienced some success in the other and they see everything in between of what it takes to be able to compete – that's invaluable.”
Natick’s Alex Jacques is hitting a team-high .404 with six doubles, three triples and 18 RBIs. Luke Dougherty is hitting .316 and has scored 22 runs and swiped 15 bases. Braeden Homer leads the Redhawks with 19 steals and 24 runs.
You must be registered for see images attach
Dougherty is 4-0 in six starts on the mound with a 3.10 ERA and 43 strikeouts. Henry Claudio also has four wins and has the team’s lowest ERA at 2.12. Max Bonavire is 2-0 with a 3.18 ERA. Jacques has been dependable out of the bullpen, recording two saves.
Hoye said Cole Miceli will be making his first start of the season on Friday.
Luke Danielson, who is hitting .370, leads Lincoln-Sudbury (10-9) with five home runs, 26 runs batted in and a 1.256 OPS. Ben Clarkin is the team’s top hitter at .429. He had a team-leading 26 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. Matthew Pazak is hitting .390 and Jackson Hornbeck is at .352 while striking out just five times.
On the mound, Simon Fletcher is 3-1 with 26 strikeouts in 23.3 innings. Drew Blanchette has a 2.12 earned run average with 22 strikeouts in 17 innings.
Franklin is 14-6 and has won four games in a row. The Panthers defeated Sharon on Wednesday thanks to an Ethan Edmunds home run. Jack Sullivan, Edmunds and Patrick Luizzi each had a pair of hits.
Luizzi is hitting .391 with Sean Kryzak at .385. Edmunds leads the team with four home runs and 26 RBIs. Jack Sullivan is hitting .370 and leads the team with 22 runs scored. Cam Lambert has a team-high 10 stolen bases.
DJ Silverstein is the team's ace, with a 4-2 record and 42 strikeouts in 38.1 innings pitched. Edmunds is 4-3 with 40 strikeouts. Jacoby Brown, in 10 relief appearances, has four saves and a 1.58 ERA.
Tim Dumas is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Instagram at tdumas1.
This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Rich Pedroli Daily News Classic returns to Natick after soggy break
Continue reading...
