In his first three years with the Swampscott High School baseball team, senior Jami Ford and his teammates were 0-6 against their neighboring rivals Marblehead High School.
Ford helped put a stop to that streak on Wednesday, pitching 6 ⅓ innings, striking out seven Marblehead batters and allowing just one run as the Big Blue rolled to a 7-1 victory at DeFelice Diamond.
Senior Michael Collins crushed a home run over the left field fence in the fourth inning, his second consecutive game hitting one out of the park. Senior Caden Ross tallied three base hits while seniors Connor Chiarello and Dylan Difilippo added two hits apiece.
Swampscott moves to 2-1 on the season with the victory.
“It feels great,” said Ford after the victory. “I think my fastball was on and my curveball was pretty good too.”
Ford said his gameplan was to pound the strike zone and try to get outs as fast as he could. He gave credit to his defense behind him for making plays when the ball was hit their way.
“It’s awesome,” said Ford. “Even if the ball gets hit, I can turn around, and most of the time it’s going to be an out.”
Ford is starting his senior season strong, tossing a no-hitter in a victory over Saugus on April 4.
“He competes every pitch,” Swampscott Head Coach Joe Caponigro said of Ford. “He’s a horse, and we rode him today.”
Ford ran into trouble in the third inning, as Marblehead loaded the bases with just one out. He then struck out the next batter and forced a lineout to escape the jam and keep Marblehead off of the scoreboard.
Leading 1-0 after two innings, the Big Blue put together a string of base hits in the bottom of the third to take a 4-0 lead and give Ford some breathing room.
“We have a pretty solid batting lineup one through nine,” said Caponigro. “Our guys can hit the ball, and that’s good to have. They came through today.”
Controversy struck in the fourth inning when a Marblehead batter hit a Ford pitch over the fence. For a moment it appeared as if Swampscott’s lead was cut in half, but the umpire ruled that the batter never stepped on home plate on his way around the bases and ruled the batter out, taking a run off of the scoreboard.
Marblehead coaches argued, and fans voiced their frustrations with the umpires. Tensions even fizzled into a verbal altercation between fans, leading to umpires ejecting two spectators.
Collins hit his home run in the next half inning, making sure that he touched home plate after rounding the bases.
After the Marblehead home run, which was then taken away, the Big Blue turned on cruise control. Ford didn’t allow another hit and Swampscott added another pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a commanding 7-1 lead.
“This is always a special game playing these guys,” said Caponigro. “It’s a conference game, and it’s for bragging rights. For these kids, growing up in the rivalry like I did, I know how they’re feeling right now. This is a big win for them.”
