Come state tournament time, it’s anyone’s ball game. The pressure builds with every pitch, and sometimes the smallest moments carry the biggest weight. What looks like a routine play can suddenly decide a season. A simple fly-out could end a 15-5 team’s season. Gloucester proved that in dramatic fashion Sunday night, outlasting North Middlesex in a 10-inning battle to punch their ticket to the Division 3 Sweet 16.
Sophomore Nolan Aiello was the night’s hero, flying out to right field in the bottom of the tenth to score Brayden Francis from third base.
But in the first nine innings, Gloucester failed to get the ball rolling on offense. The Fishermen had just four hits throughout the game, none of which came during the tenth inning.
It was Brayden Francis who kept them in the game, pitching 8 shutout innings and allowing just 2 hits across the frame. The Endicott College commit struck out 9 batters, successfully commanding the mound for the Fishermen in a 107-pitch outing.
After Giacomo Martell got the Fishermen out of a jam in the top of the tenth, Gloucester’s offense looked to end the 10-inning dogfight for good. Francis opened the inning with a hit on an error before Lukas Albano and Nico Alves loaded the bases (on a walk and a hit by pitch, respectively).
It was all Nolan Aiello from that point.
The sophomore hit a deep fly-ball down the first baseline, sacrificing to score Brayden Francis from third base and walk it off.
Now entering the Sweet 16, the #10 Fishermen will travel on Wednesday to face Sandwich.
