Legion Baseball Team Ends Regular Season with Win

– Allison Goldsberry

The Medford Post 45 American Legion baseball team closed their regular season with a 9-5 win over Somerville on Friday night.

“We scored 6 runs in the bottom of the 1st and cruised the rest of the way,” said Coach Ryan Kozul.

Medford High School’s John Lavoie pitched a complete game to earn his second win of the season. Malden Catholic’s Paul Covelle continued his “red-hot hitting streak” by going 3-4 with a home run, two RBI’s, and three runs scored. Medford High’s Pat Duffy, recovered after being hit in the face by a pitch against Arlington a few days ago, “returned in style” as the designated hitter, going 3-3 with an RBI and run scored.

“He showed a lot of toughness to come back and played one of his best games of the year offensively,” said Kozul.

Medford finishes up the regular season with a 7-10-1 record, a dramatic change from an 0-19 season a year ago. The team battled through multiple injuries and earned the most wins for a Medford Legion team in nearly ten years, according to Kozul.

The team is seeded #8 in the playoffs and will play ninth seed Concord on Tuesday. Unfortunately the game will be on the road at Concord because the team’s home field, Playstead Park, is booked. Medford is looking for another victory over Concord after defeating them earlier in the season on the road 8-1, with most of the runs coming in the last inning.

The winner on Tuesday will play #1 seed Billerica on Wednesday, according to Kozul.

John Lavoie is pictured above pitching for the Medford Mustangs in the spring.

Pat Duffy is shown coming home for the Mustangs last spring.