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Peabody's Ruotolo, English's Bowden dazzle in wins

By Joyce Erekson / The Daily Item

It was a night of spectacular pitching performances by two of the best in the area. Peabody High's Patrick Ruotolo tossed his second no-hitter of the season and English's Ben Bowden, who had a no-hitter earlier in the season, fired a one-hitter with 16 strikeouts.
Bowden's gem came in a 2-1 win over Gloucester at Gloucester. The lone hit of the game was a home run in the fifth inning by first baseman Michael Muniz that tied the game. Bowden was untouchable the first three innings, striking out the first nine batters he faced.
"He was in a zone," English coach Joe Caponigro said. "He was hitting his spots. His fastball was there. His off-speed pitches kept them off balance."
Bowden also picked a runner off first for good measure.
English scored its first run in the third inning when Melvin Cabrera singled, went to second on a Greg Gilchrist sacrifice bunt, advanced on a Lucas Harris infield single and scored on a Kyle O'Connor fielder's choice. English scored the game-winner in the fifth when Matt Merritt doubled to right to score O'Connor, who had walked.
English is 7-5.