ROWLEY — Having gone the last five full games without allowing an earned run, the Newburyport Nor'Easters (13-2-1, 9-0) took care of business against Peabody, 14-3, to set up a District 10 undefeated clash with Andover Friday.
However, it was an inauspicious start for Post 150, who made four errors in the second inning behind starting pitcher and Triton graduate Joe Katin (7 innings pitched, 1 walk, 0 earned runs), allowing Peabody to take an early 3-0 lead. But the Nor'Easters got one back in the bottom half of the inning, moving Triton graduate Cam Kneeland (3 for 3, 4 RBIs, 3 runs scored) along after an infield hit.
After two nice defensive plays in the top of the third, which stranded two Peabody base runners — first on a diving catch by Newburyport's Kyle LeBlanc in right field foul territory, and then on a diving stop by Pentucket's Jordan Silva in the hole at second — the Newburyport bats went to work.
Newburyport's sparkplug LeBlanc bunted his way on, stole second, moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Silva, and scored on an RBI-groundout by Amesbury's David Smith (2 for 4, 5 RBIs, 1 run scored) after Georgetown graduate Tim Holland walked. With Holland on third base, a white-hot Kneeland gave the Nor'Easters the lead they would not relinquish with a deep-rainbow two-run home run to left-center, his first of two long-balls on the game.
"Right now for me, I'm seeing a basketball, that's what the ball looks like to me," said Kneeland, who smoked a line drive home run off the top of the left-field wall in the fifth as well. "(In a lineup like ours) every inning I almost expect us to bat around."
With a four-run fourth and a six-run fifth — in each inning Smith provided a two-RBI double — Newburyport batted around in consecutive innings to finish comfortably ahead of Peabody, 14-3.
"(We) were seeing a lot of lefties today, and I like hitting lefties. They're much easier to hit," said Smith, whose team faced three consecutive left-handed pitchers through the first five innings.
Although coach Tim Southall was pleased with the win, he said his team came out flat in the third of three consecutive games — a 3-0 win on Saturday versus Beverly and an 11-1 win over Methuen Sunday — something the Nor'Easters cannot afford Friday against Andover.
"In the top of the second we had four errors — more errors than we had in the last six games. We just came out flat and it was a real wake-up call," Southall said. "We battled back, and the third inning was a sample of our year; get a guy on, steal a base, bunt him over, score a run, hit a two-run homer."
Featuring a murderers row like 3-4-5 middle of the lineup between Holland (hitting .526 in legion ball), Smith, and Kneeland, Newburyport has been able to score runs with any team this season.
"Cam (Kneeland) is real hot. (Sunday) he was 3 for 3 and could've had two home runs. (Yesterday) he hit two home runs," Southall said. "Smitty's (Dave Smith) a machine. He just hits, he's a hitter, a good kid, and he's gotten the job done as the DH."
And not that the Nor'Easters needed it, but Katin pitched another phenomenal game only allowing three hits after the second inning.
"Joe pitched great the whole game. Balls were hit at people, we just didn't make the plays early on, but he battled and stayed with it," Southall stated. "When he's on the mound, you have a very good chance to win."
Going with his ace on Friday, Southall will call on hard-throwing lefty Michael Johnson of Brooks School against Andover Friday at 6 p.m. at Andover High School.
