HUDSON – The Hudson High School baseball team slogged through a marathon game on marathon weekend Saturday, beating Groton Dunstable in extra innings on the road in Groton.
The game marked Hudson’s fourth consecutive victory, leaving them undefeated through the first two full weeks of this year’s spring season.
“[We’ve had a] solid start,” Head Coach Tim Reinhardt told the Community Advocate following the final out. “We want to just keep it rolling.”
Groton Dunstable strikes first
Hudson opened its season on April 5 with an 8-6 win over Nipmuc Regional High School.
The team then followed that with victories over North Middlesex and Nashoba before they headed to Groton Dunstable on Saturday.
Also off to a 3-0 start to their season, the Crusaders quickly opened a 1-0 lead over the Hawks in the first inning.
Hudson soon answered, though, tying the game in the third inning and locking this contest into what became a lengthy stalemate.
On the mound for Hudson, Max Person made key adjustments following Groton Dunstable’s first inning score, Reinhardt said.
“He came back and he just bore down for the rest of the game,” Reinhardt said.
“He got into a couple of jams and he worked out of them,” he continued.
Person pitched into the seventh inning, racking up 10 strikeouts while allowing just two hits.
He then gave way to Jason Jakobsons, who initially pitched Hudson out of a bases loaded situation in the seventh inning to force extra innings.
Jakobsons remained in the game for the remaining four innings, holding Groton Dunstable off the board to help his team secure the win.
“Max, after that first inning, settled down and played pretty well,” Reinhardt said of his squad’s pitching day. “Max threw strikes. [Jakobsons] threw strikes and the defense made plays behind them.”
Where Hudson held strong, Groton Dunstable’s defense was similarly unflappable before finally giving way in the 11th inning.
That’s when a hard hit from Jakobsons drove in Mikey DiCarlo and Bobby Long to give Hudson a 3-1 lead and, eventually, the victory.
“It was a good chess match like that back and forth,” Reinhardt said.
Hudson eyes Ahern tournament
Hudson now has a short break from action before the team will take the field again on Tuesday for the annual John Ahern Baseball Tournament, which Hudson hosts.
The Hawks have those games circled on their calendars.
For Reinhardt, the game plan in a still young season remains simple — “Throw strikes and make plays.”
RELATED CONTENT
Shrewsbury High School baseball eyes new season with veteran team
Grafton baseball enjoys game under the lights at Polar Park
Algonquin softball optimistic ahead of new season
