Baseball escapes with 1-0 win over O'Bryant

( May 13, 2024 ) The baseball team won in dramatic fashion Saturday, with closer Shea Dwyer and catcher Eli MacIver combining for a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out to give the Whalers a 1-0 victory over O’Bryant School of Math and Science.

Dwyer walked the lead-off batter in the top of the seventh but struck out the next two batters he faced, and MacIver made a strong throw down to second to cut down the runner and finish off the one-run victory for Nantucket.

“That’s the advantage of having a lefty closer that’s got a good move to first,” coach Jack Pearson said. “They didn’t know when to go on him, and when they finally did Eli made a great pickup on a breaking ball. Henry (Tejada) at second base did a great job holding his ground waiting for it. Catch, tag, bang, bang. Executed perfectly.”

Ronald Del Rosario Gomez struck out 10 batters over six innings, allowing just two singles and a walk in a strong start on the mound for the Whalers’ sophomore.

“There was some chirping going on from their dugout, and I feel like Ronald used that energy. That fueled him,” Pearson said. “I want to tell him not to engage, but also his fastball is probably five miles per hour faster when he’s like that.”

Brock Beamish scored Nantucket’s lone run in the bottom of the sixth inning. The sophomore led off the frame with a single, the Whalers’ only hit of the day, then used his speed to steal second base and move up to third on a ball in the dirt. Beamish came around to score on another wild pitch.

The baseball team collaborated with the girls lacrosse and boys tennis teams to recognize Morgan’s Message, a non-profit organization that promotes mental health awareness for student-athletes, prior to the weekend’s games.

“(Varsity girls lacrosse coach) Jami (Lower) brought it to our attention, and any opportunity that we have to bring awareness to mental health I think is an opportunity worth doing. Especially for athletes, it’s different times than when I was growing up,” Pearson said.

The Whalers, now 2-10 on the season, are scheduled to travel Monday to face Cape Cod Tech. Nantucket lost to the Crusaders 3-2 on the road April 22.