By Jason Greenwald
For The Signal
Saugus boys baseball lost 3-2 to Serra on the road Tuesday in the second round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 3 playoffs.
In its first playoff appearance since 2015, Saugus (16-12-1) beat Paraclete 2-1 in walkoff fashion during the first round. The Centurions and their 15 seniors looked to carry that momentum against Serra (19-11) into round two.
The Centurions scored early in the top of the first inning against Serra, manufacturing two runs from their senior shortstop Hewitt Grissom and senior outfielder/pitcher Brandyn Cruz, who both collected an RBI.
“We had some opportunities early in the game after that first inning to score some runs and we didn’t get it done,” said Saugus head coach Carl Grissom. “They took advantage of their opportunities to score and that’s basically it.”
Saugus was ahead 2-0 until the bottom of the fourth inning when Serra scored two runs, tying the game.
Senior southpaw pitcher Bobby Garcia started the game and went 5.2 innings against the Cavaliers, assembling a strong outing while striking out 6 batters.
The game was tied 2-2 all the way up to the seventh inning.
The Cavaliers brought the game to an end in the bottom of the seventh with a walkoff hit, claiming the second-round victory over Saugus.
“It was a good year for the program, we haven’t been to the playoffs in five years and getting to the second round was a good accomplishment,” said Grissom. “Obviously you want to do more, but it just didn’t happen.”