12 hours Ago
BROOKLINE – “The whole game is left to play,” Walpole baseball coach Chris Costello told his squad after giving up a lead-off home run. It was a simple message that was important for Costello and his team to recognize. “Lead-off home runs set the tone and set the momentum,” Costello said.
“What it does is it instantly energizes your team, takes a massive amount of emotion, and puts it in your dugout. I think that kind of jumped us a bit.” It took the Timberwolves (6-5) a while to respond, but once they got into a rhythm, it was tough to slow them down.
Walpole left Warren Field on Wednesday afternoon with its sixth win of the season after returning to defeat the Warriors (6-6) by a final score of 10-6 and record its third consecutive victory. After giving up the lead-off run, Walpole pitcher Mikey St. Martin retired three straight to keep the Brookline lead at one.
This was a common theme for the Timberwolves — giving up hits and runs early in innings and having to dig themselves out of a hole. “It felt like we were fighting ourselves for most of the game,” Costello said. “We weren’t making plays that we typically make, which resulted in runs.
It just put more pressure and stress on our pitchers.” The Walpole offense took a few innings to get started. Brookline pitcher Eli Hoffman notched three strikeouts while only giving up one hit through the first two innings.
Hoffman continued his hot streak, limiting the Walpole offense to just one run through the first three innings. Yet, while the defense was struggling, the Walpole offense repeatedly bailed out the defense. Something clicked for the Timberwolves, down 3-1 heading into the top of the fourth.
After the lead-off batter struck out, Walpole scored three runs to go up 4-3, highlighted by a Drew Cantrell double that knocked in two runs. From there, sophomore reliever Luca DiGuilio went to work on the mound. Although his stat line might not jump out — allowing three runs in his four innings pitched — DiGuilio’s ability to keep his composure in clutch situations made his performance on Wednesday so crucial.
The Timberwolves were leading 7-6 in the bottom of the sixth with bases loaded and only one out. DiGuilio, with the confidence of a more experienced pitcher, struck out the next two batters, stranding all three runners on base. The Walpole offense responded with a three-run seventh inning, giving DiGuilio a four-run lead and closing out the Warriors.
“For a sophomore, he’s incredibly mature,” Costello said. “(DiGuilio) handles those types of situations incredibly well. From opening night against Braintree, he’s shown he can handle the bright lights in the late-inning games.
” The Timberwolves have had a weird start to their 2025 campaign. After winning their first three games, Walpole went on a five-game losing streak. They’ve since bounced back, winning their third straight after today’s victory against Brookline.
Walpole hopes to keep its streak alive when it faces Newton North on Monday, May 5, at 4:30 p.m. As a coach, Costello knows his ability to contribute to winning baseball is limited.
“There’s only so much coaches can do,” Costello said. “You can lead them up there and stuff, but ultimately, it’s your seniors, and this is a tremendous senior group.” Not only does Costello see the talent on his squad, but he also praises their mentality of sticking through the tough times and staying committed to what they are building in Walpole.
“It takes a lot of character to get through that stretch we went through,” Costello said. “But we handled it well, and we’ve bounced back nicely heading into the second half of the season.”.
