With a record of 12-2, the Rebels clearly are having a very successful season. With a team loaded with so much talent, it is difficult for everyone to get their chance. The Rebels pitching staff is no exception, with pitchers like seniors Tom Ryan and John Cullen, and junior Joey Murphy keeping opposing teams off the board. On Friday May 13th, senior Jeff Meaney got the nod from Coach Bill Tompkins, and he never looked back.
Meaney, a southpaw, who does not overpower batters with his fastball, does have an extremely effective off-speed pitch and breaking ball, which keeps batters guessing. Meaney threw a complete game with an astonishingly low 86 pitches. He only allowed one earned run on five hits, striking out three and gave up only three walks.
Meaney’s five allowed hits came from Weymouth’s first two batters. Shortstop Ozzy Coalrusso and third baseman Steve Bristol managed to hit Meaney, going 3 for 4, and 2 for 4, respectively. As for the rest of Weymouth’s line up, they went a combined 0 for 21, with three k’s. Meaney had the shutout going into the fifth, when with one out, Coalrusso scored on a base hit by Bristol. Meaney stayed strong, however, retiring 10 straight batters. In the 9th inning Meaney ran into some trouble when he walked the first batter, but he stayed resilient and got the following batter to fly out. His teammates picked him up by turning a double-play to end the game.
Jeff got plenty of run support from the Rebels’ high-powered offense. Junior Craig Hanley and senior Dan King combined to go 2 for 6 with three RBIs. Fortunately, Walpole’s fielders were ready to play, not making a single error the entire game.
With such a talented pitching staff, it’s hard to prove yourself on the mound. Jeff Meaney took this opportunity and ran with it, pitching an absolute gem. With pitching like Meaney’s in their repertoire, the Rebels are going to be a difficult opponent come tournament time.
