LENOX, Mass. – Max Shepardson did it all for the Lenox baseball team in Tuesday’s opening day win.
The Millionaires senior struck out nine and allowed two earned runs in a complete-game, 4-3 win over Mount Everett.
He also doubled twice, including a three-run shot in the bottom of the fifth to erase a 2-1 deficit and send Lenox on to victory.
On the hill, Shepardson bounced back after giving up runs in the first and third to fall in a 2-0 hole against the Eagles (1-1).
“I didn’t really have my curve ball at the start of the game, so I was just trying to find the zone and get a good start with my fastball so I could try to set it up,” Shepardson said.
“Then toward the end, I was getting more confident with it. We were calling it more. That helped me a lot throughout the game.”
Brady DiGrigoli went 2-for-3 with a double, and Mason Abdalla, Jack Hicks and Zach Nicotra each had a hit to round out the offense for the Millionaires (1-0).
Mount Everett got a pair of hits from Matt Lowe, who also went the distance on the mound, striking out six and allowing just one earned run.
It was the Eagles taking advantage of an error in the first inning.
Jacob Kreis was hit by a pitch with two out and went to third on a pair of balk calls against Shepardson. Another hit by pitch put Michael Ullrich at first, and when he successfully stole second, an error on the play allowed Kreis to score the game’s first run.
In the third, Lowe led off with a single and stole second. He moved up on a groundout by Sean Warren and scored on Kreis’ RBI single to make it 2-0.
“We like to be aggressive,” Mount Everett coach Dan Lanoue said. “That’s the way we started. Then when it got tight … I didn’t want to overdo it too much, especially when we were behind.
“It worked to our advantage to start off, and then I kind of backed off.
“Maybe I shouldn’t have,” Lanoue added with a laugh.
Lenox’s offense, which Lowe sat down in order in the first and second, came alive in the third.
DiGrigoli and Hicks delivered back-to-back doubles to make it 2-1.
In the fifth, Hicks reached on a two-base error but was erased when Mount Everett catcher Kreis threw down to Ullrich at shortstop to catch him off the bag.
Lowe got the next out on a ground ball to Ullrich, but Mason Abdalla reached on an infield single to start a two-out rally for the Millionaires.
David Kirchner reached on an error, and Zack Nicotra followed with another infield single to load the bases for Shepardson.
He then crushed his second double of the game to left field to chase home all three runners and give his team a 4-2 lead.
“We put the ball in play, and they finally made some mistakes,” Lenox coach Kevin Downer said. “And we capitalized on them. That’s the difference. You’ve got to run on everything. I tell them that all the time.
“First game. We’ve only been on the field four or five times. I’ve got a great group of kids here, and we’re only going to get better.”
Mount Everett got a run back in the top of the sixth. Heyden Cutlip was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. Then, with two out, Lowe singled to left to move Cutlip into scoring position, and Sean Warren singled to right to drive him home.
But Shepardson got the next hitter to foul out to first baseman Tyler Giardina in foul territory.
In the seventh, Shepardson recorded his first 1-2-3 inning of the day to end the game.
Lenox hosts Franklin Tech on Thursday, when Mount Everett hosts Smith Academy.
