The Pilgrim baseball team fell to host La Salle 4-1 last week in the Division I play-in game to see its 2024 season come to a close.

The Pats got on the board first when they scored their lone run in the top half of the third inning to go up 1-0. The Rams responded fast, though, as they drove in three runs in the bottom half of the inning and added another in the sixth to earn the win.

Tyler Nadeau scored Pilgrim’s run while Jack McConnell tossed 5 ⅓ innings on the mound and finished with five strikeouts. AJ Ferreira pitched in relief and recorded a strikeout as well.

The Pilgrim bats never found their rhythm, finishing the day with just four hits as McConnell and Ferreira led the way on the mound.

“We knew what to expect. We’ve struggled hitting all year and it showed again today. We battled, got up a run, left a runner on third base. Those things come back to haunt you,” said Pilgrim coach Nolan Landy.

Although 2024 was a grind for Pilgrim, it did turn things around and play some of its best baseball down the stretch. Pilgrim finished the regular season by winning five of its last seven games and qualifying for the playoffs.

“We struggled all year and lost a lot of one-run games. We started to win some games, started hitting the ball a little better, made the playoffs,” Landy said.

The team also celebrated its seniors earlier in the week and played what is likely its final game on its home field as the city’s new high school is gearing up to be built in the coming months.

The team also recognized longtime assistant coach Bob Evans, who is retiring from baseball after spending more than 40 years in the Pilgrim program.

“I played for him, he’s been a part of the program for 40-plus years. He’s meant everything to Pilgrim baseball,” said Landy.