April 12, 2024 – Story by Ava DiCecca, photo by Joshua Ross
Harbormen Baseball found themselves on the wrong side of a 5-2 season opener on Tuesday. However, there were strong moments on the Hingham side that gave insight into their great potential for the rest of the season and where they will need to improve to realize it.
After this game, they will need to turn their focus to getting more balls in play and being consistent on the mound as those are the areas where Marshfield had a slight edge, allowing them to pull through with the win. Hingham ended the game with 3 hits and while Marshfield wasn’t too far ahead, it was just enough to be a difference-maker in the outcome of the game. On a more positive note, the Harbormen were able to make the game close with a solid performance in the outfield with many players doing their jobs well. This will be a huge part of their later success as confidence in this aspect of their play will allow them to focus on growth in other areas and improve overall.
Despite Marshfield coming out on top, there were some great plays throughout the game sparked by some key players who showed promise and will be crucial parts of the team fulfilling its potential this year. At the top of the fourth, Teddy Swanson was able to drive in Tadd Cavanaugh to put Hingham on the board. At the bottom of the fourth, senior captain Aidan Devlin backed it up with some impressive catches in the field and held Marshfield scoreless for the inning. Senior captain Jeremy Aylward had some solid catches as well and senior Aiden Seasholtz with a sacrifice RBI at the top of the sixth. In all, this is a team with incredibly capable players in all positions which is instrumental in their continued optimism for the season.
Spearheading this optimism is head coach Frank Niles who, despite being disappointed about the loss, continues to have full faith in his team and his players abilities. After the game he stated plainly, “we are optimistic but we have a loss under our belts so thats that.” He went on to say, “we have to play better all the way around and I think we will but we have to hit better for sure and get our feet under us and not be overwhelmed by situations, especially at bat. I think we have a good team but we’ve got to do it.”
Niles also complimented his players, specifically Cavanaugh at bat and Aylward on defense for playing hard throughout the game and commented on the potential he sees in the team. They will look to captitalize on that going into the rest of the season. When asked where they will look to build following their first game, Niles stated “Its more a matter building on the optimism that we are going to get better.”
With this being their season opener, they should take nothing but positives and learning opportunities from this game. There will be many ways for the team to grow as a whole and for individual players to shine as the season is just beginning and they will look to jump start this improvement as they finish out the week away, taking on Scituate and Plymouth North.