Fourth Inning Rally Helps Stoughton High Baseball Beat Brockton

Behind productive days at the plate from outfielders Mike Gallagher and Jovani Pires and another solid pitching performance from Will McGrath, the Stoughton High baseball team beat visiting Brockton, 4-2, Monday afternoon in a Patriots Day tilt. 

With the win, Stoughton improves to 2-3.

Despite having five of the first six batters reach base in the bottom of the first, Stoughton only scored one run, when a single from Gallagher drove in McGrath.

Brockton tied the game in the top of the second and took the lead, 2-1, in the top of the fourth, but Stoughton's bats responded in the bottom half of the inning.

Jake Gibb led off with a walk and stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball. With one out, Sam Werman singled Gibb home to tie the game. Pires then doubled to drive Werman home, giving Stoughton a 3-2 lead. 

The Black Knights added an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Jake Gibb's sacrifice fly brought Gallagher home from third to make it 4-2. 

Stoughton is starting to string together hits or productive at-bats in key situations, something the Black Knights weren't doing in the first three games of the season (0-3).

"We talk about quality at-bats and controlling what you can control and I think a lot of guys are starting to do that," Stoughton coach Mike Armour said. 

While Armour said the team still took some third strikes against Brockton, "all in all, we're getting better," he said. "Our pitching and defense is going to keep us in games. If we cam get our bats going I think we'll be just fine."

Armour credited Pires for sparking the offense from the ninth spot in the batting order, going 2 for 2 with a single and double, driving in a run, and reaching base a third time getting hit by a pitch. 

Gallagher, Zach Gibb and Jake Gibb picked up stolen bases for Stoughton.

McGrath went five innings on the mound, allowing just two runs. Armour said McGrath kept the team in the game. 

"He's just a leader, a captain. He was frustrated with the two runs that came in. He demands a lot out of his guys and demands a lot out of himself," Armour said. 

Mike Dixon came on to close the game out, pitching the final two innings, keeping Brockton off the scoreboard. 

Stoughton looks to get back to the .500 mark and erase a 0-3 start Wednesday at Foxborough.