Watertown Baseball Battles Burlington in Close, Chilly Game

Watertown Baseball finished off a busy week (three games in four days) Friday night April 11th with a 7 p.m. ballgame versus Burlington at Victory Field. A weekend of lousy weather was in store, and the weather gurus predicted it would start sometime Friday night, but luckily rain held off. But, it was chilly! On the mound for the Raiders was the tall, senior, hard-throwing right hander Lucas Pizzuto. In his last start Pizzuto pitched a gem, a one-hitter while striking out 10. But Friday night he was facing a strong league opponent, and after three innings it was 2-1 Burlington. Both teams, despite the chilly conditions, were swinging the bat aggressively and putting the ball in play.

Watertown Baseball Battles Belmont at Chilly Victory Field

Monday, April 7, Watertown baseball was supposed to start a busy week with a league game versus crosstown rival Belmont at Victory Field, but inclement weather made that a non-starter. Tuesday, April 8 got off to a wet and gloomy start, and it even snowed, but a little after noon the sun came out, and a make-up was scheduled for Tuesday afternoon at 4:30. This isn’t a weather article of course, but a little more weather first before the recap. It was sunny and dry, but extremely windy and downright cold. Basically, what any day in April can turn out to be like on a baseball field in New England. Well, the chilly conditions didn’t stop Belmont from getting off to a hot start, as they scored one in the top of the first off Watertown starter Jayden Pineda, and two more off the right hander in the top of the third. 

In the bottom of the third Watertown loaded the bases, highlighted by a wicked liner just inside the third base bag for a double by lefty hitter Domenic Moynihan. Shortly after, cleanup hitter Lucas Pizzuto came up with the bases loaded and was hit by a pitch to drive in Watertown’s first run. The Raiders pushed home another run, but couldn’t come up with the big hit and stranded three runners and went to the fourth inning trailing 3-2.

Nine Watertown Athletes Named Middlesex League Winter All-Stars, One Named MVP

Watertown junior Will Carty was named Middlesex Freedom MVP, as well as being All-Conference for the 2024-25 boys basketball season. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Several Watertown High School athletes received League All-Star honors, including members of the boys and girls basketball teams, boys and girls wrestling, and boys ice hockey. See who made the list in the announcement from the Watertown Public Schools, below. The Middlesex League has announced its All-Star rosters for the 2024-2025 winter sports season, with nine Raiders athletes taking home All-Star or All-Conference honors across five sports. 

Boys Basketball:

Will Carty (Freedom Division MVP and Middlesex League All-Conference)

Aiden Didovic

Olivier Labossiere

Girls basketball:

Caroline Andrade

Adrianna Williams

Boys Ice Hockey:

Domenic Moynihan

Boys Wrestling: 

Brady Gleason (Middlesex League All-Conference)

Jimmy Strestha

Girls Wrestling:

Tessa Master (Middlesex League All-Conference)

JIM’S VIEW: Watertown Baseball Crushes Opponents in First 2 Home Games

Courtesy of Watertown Cable

Watertown Baseball opened up their 2025 season at Victory Field on Tuesday April 1 – no fooling – a non-league game against Maimonides School of Brookline. Watertown baseball, fresh off a tournament run two years ago, ran into a rough season in 2024, but one season’s woes can become a new season’s expectations in no time! Tuesday was the first opportunity to create a new narrative. It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, for the 4:30 p.m. start. As you would expect, though – with with shade already enveloping the Watertown dugout and the third base line, and a hearty breeze on top of temperatures in the high 40s/low 50s – it was your typical early-spring environment. Which is to mean, it was chilly!

Watertown Wrestlers Make History at New Englands, One Finishes Second

Watertown Senior Tessa Master made history by finishing second at the New England Wrestling Championships. Here she won the MIAA Div. 3 State Tournament. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Senior Tessa Master made more history for the Watertown High School wrestling program by becoming the school’s highest finisher at the New England Wrestling Championships — improving on her junior-year performance. She was joined in Providence, Rhode Island, by fellow senior Brady Gleason, the first Raider boys wrestler to make the regional meet.

WHS Sports: 2 Wrestlers Headed to New Englands, Boys Hockey Battles Triton in Round of 16

Watertown senior Tessa Master is heading back to the New England Championships after finishing third at the All-State Wrestling Meet. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Watertown’s wrestlers made more history this week as two athletes placed at All-States and will move on to the New England Championships. The Watertown-Wayland boys hockey team skated in a close game at Triton in the Round of 16 of the State Tournament. Wrestling

For the first time, two Watertown wrestlers will compete at the New England Wrestling Championships, and for the first time a Raider will be in the boys’ bracket. On Saturday, Watertown’s Tessa Master finished third at the All-State Wrestling Meet in Methuen.

Watertown Takes Care of Business in First Round of Boys Basketball State Tournament

Watertown junior Will Carty led the Raiders in scoring against Oakmont in the State Tournament win. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

Not all winning streaks are created equal. Some teams go on a roll, pile up the wins, but something may be amiss with regards to their play — and eventually they get exposed. In other instances, and this is where we are with Watertown boys basketball, a team finds its way and puts together an impressive run. On Jan. 22, the Raiders woke up having lost two in a row including a home loss where Wakefield pushed them around in the second half, and at Winchester where they gave up their high for the season in a 87-62 loss. But, starting on Friday, Jan.

Watertown Girls Basketball Rolls Past Previously Unbeaten Oakmont in State Tourney

Watertown senior Caroline Andrade led the Raiders in scoring against Oakmont in the Round of 32 State Tourney game. (Photo by Charlie Breitrose)

On paper. A common-used phrase when analyzing a game that has yet to occur is “on paper,” as in the Oakmont High School Girls Varsity Basketball team, on paper, should be feared. They won 20 in a row, and only a loss in their last game kept them from being undefeated. And so, despite  coming into tonight’s Round of 32 MIAA Div. 3 State Tournament game against Watertown as the  18-seed, perhaps “on paper” Watertown, the 15-seed, should be worried- and the underdog? The MIAA determines seeding based on strength of schedule, a.k.a. quality of opponent, margins of wins and losses, and record. As far as Watertown was concerned, they knew they earned their 13-8 record, 11-5 in a very competitive Middlesex League. Oakmont, located west of 495, plays in the Mid-Wachusett League, and clearly the MIAA didn’t believe their record alone, while impressive, was enough to warrant a higher seed. Well, boys and girls, the MIAA got it right. Watertown came out of the gate strong, played an almost-flawless first quarter on the way to a 19-5 lead after one, and never looked back.  Watertown came away with a 63-43 win in a game that got unnecessarily chippy at the end, but fortunately no one got hurt.