Blue Sox blank Bulldogs in Game Two

Melrose – The second skirmish in the Battle of Lexington went to Blue Sox with a 2-0 win over the Bulldogs. The Blue Sox lead 2-0 in the best-of-five series. The Sox are now a win away from the 2025 Intercity League Championship.

Matt Draper started for the Blue Sox and pitched six shutout innings to earn his second win of the finals. Draper pitched in and out of trouble all game, earning his only 1-2-3 inning in the fifth. The Bulldogs loaded the bases in the first with two outs on two singles and an error. Draper struck out Shane Costello, looking to end the threat. In the third, the Bulldogs again loaded the bases with two outs, this time on a double and two walks. Draper retired Costello again, this time on a groundout to third. The Bulldogs stranded 12 runners in the game, including two in the seventh and eighth innings. Draper finished the night with eight strikeouts, scattered four hits, and walked four.

Both Blue Sox runs came in the fourth. With one out, Julian Alvarez singled to start the rally. Luis Antiles and Anderson Jimenez singled to load the bases. David VanderZouwen hit a grounder to third, which Brett Stone fielded cleanly, but his throw home was low and went past catcher Jay Voica, allowing Alvarez to score the only run the Sox would need.  Antiles attempted to score from second on the play, only to be out at the plate. Pat Casserly lined a single into leftfield, driving in Jimenez, giving the Blue Sox a 2-0 lead.

Ryan O’Rourke came out of the bullpen to close out the game for the Blue Sox and got the save. He hit the first batter and walked the second, putting runners on first and second with no outs. O’Rourke then got Ian Born on a wind-blown foul pop-up that Sox third baseman Erick Ramirez made a nice catch on. He struck out Jaden Valis and Stone, both looking to end the game.

Coley Schaefer made his second start of the playoffs for the Bulldogs. He pitched a complete game, giving up six hits, two runs, walking one, and striking out seven. In his first start, against Malden, he pitched six one-hit innings, while walking seven and striking out four.

This was only the second time the Bulldogs had been shut out in 2025. The first was 1-0 by Middlesex on July 20.

This was the first Blue Sox playoff shutout since August 6, 2024 in game one of the semifinals against Middlesex. In a game that was moved to East Boston Stadium, Draper started and blanked the Expos for seven innings. Unfortunately, his teammates could not get a run off of Middlesex starter Dan Shaw. Jake Zawatsky pitched the eighth for the Blue Sox and earned the win when the Sox walked off the victory in the bottom of the eighth.

The third game is Monday night at Morelli Field with first pitch set for 8:00 pm.

 

By Bruce Hack

Lexington Blue Sox Team Historian