Dynamic and Determined: HB Cavs improve to 7 Wins on the Year

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Dan Aulbach, Staff Writer

On May 11, 2021, the Hollis Brookline Baseball team kept rolling and improved to a 7-0 run after beating Souhegan 7-1 at home. HB scored those runs on 7 hits, including a dominant hitting performance by senior Drew Gryniwcz (3-4, HR, 2B, 5 RBI), bringing in 5 of the 7 HB runs scored against the Sabers. Also driving in runs was Paul Vachon (1-3, 1B, BB, RBI) with a hard hit single to right field and catcher Torin White with a double (1-3, 2B). Padge Macsean and Zach Sommer also recorded hits.

Hollis Brookline had control of the game right from the start, with star pitcher Brandon Hsu pitching another quality start for the Cavaliers, throwing another complete game (7 innings pitched, 3BB, 12Ks), and only allowed 2 hits and 1 run to the opposing team. The stellar pitching by Hsu allowed the offense to get right to work, tallying 12 total bases on 7 hits, as well as drawing 5 walks.

 Although the hits by Gryniwcz clearly changed the tempo of the game, all but one player on the team were able to get on base. Reaching base has been an emphasis all year by the coaching staff and the main mission of their offense. Not only is the team focused on team commitment during games, but working closely together has been a factor in the team’s early success, “We have built strong connections with each other and each win we get is a result of every player’s role, not one person,” said first basemen Zach Sommer ‘21, 

This offensive explosion has not been new to Gryniwcz however. Throughout the 7 games, he has been on a tear. Hitting a phenomenal .625 batting average with 2 home runs and driving in a team leading 12 RBIs, he continued to put on a show with the blast against Souhegan. The shortstop is happy his offensive contributions can help out the team in whatever way possible, just like when he kicked off the offense for the game last Tuesday, “I’m very glad I was able to have a good game and set the tone for the rest of the team and fire everyone up. Once everyone loosened up our entire team contributed on both offense and defense.

Also contributing some major playing to the team on both sides of the ball, URI commit Brandon Hsu has been dealing damage on both sides of the ball. There is no doubt Hsu has been the most dominant pitcher for the Cavaliers, as he has yet to give up a single earned run all season while retiring 58 batters on strikeouts. Gryniwcz and Hsu have been teammates for years, and have been putting in the hours to help lead the team on their 7-0 run. Padraig Macsean, the starting center fielder who was one of the players with a hit against Souhegan, admires the leadership from the two leaders and all of seniors on the team have displayed, “These guys want to win and it shows, they leave everything on the field and I have so much respect for them.”

With a dominant start to the season, it is no secret that the team has the playoffs on their mind already. With no season a year ago due to Covid, the last appearance the team made was, of course, in the championships, where they lost a close matchup in the final game. “While very obvious, I think the thing everyone is looking forward to the most is going back to Delta Stadium and this time winning the game in the 7th,” said Sommer, who was on the team when they made the finals 2 years ago.

Unfortunately, the team was handed their first loss of the season on May 15th, but the team looks to bounce back and keep their offense hot.