SHREWSBURY – After falling in last year’s Div. 1 state semifinals to St. John’s of Shrewsbury, Xaverian coach Gerry Lambert had the first rematch marked as a game to watch, but an early season litmus test was just what the doctor ordered.

The Hawks did just enough offensively in the fourth inning to edge the Pioneers 2-1 on the road Wednesday night to hand them their first loss.

“These guys got us last June,” Lambert said. “I don’t put a lot of stock in that, but a lot of people do and I guess I respect that at least. It’s a different team. It’s a different year, but, nevertheless this is obviously a game that you look at before the season starts and you circle and you say these are two of the better teams in Massachusetts and it’s going to be a dog fight.”

A dog fight it was as both teams had trouble offensively until St. John’s (6-1) got on the board in the bottom of the third as a wild pitch scored junior Gabe Terlato to put the Pioneers up 1-0 after an errant pickoff attempt pushed him over to third with two outs.

Xaverian (6-1) answered right back in the next half inning as it put together four hits, including a pair of RBI singles for junior Jake Lonardo and sophomore Mike O’Keefe with two down. These all came after a leadoff hit and stolen base for Nolan Rapppoli was erased as St. John’s left-handed starter Brayden Mercier picked him off at second.

“When they score a run and then we come right back and answer, I find that to be a huge mental thing for a team,” said Lambert about the fourth-inning rally. “I think that’s an enormous thing that we can hopefully build on.”

Mercier settled in after that and retired nine of the final 10 batters he faced as he went the distance while striking out seven and walking just one.

Senior captain Paul McCarthy matched Mercier for the most part as he retired the first eight batters before hitting Terlato who scored the lone run. He would get in and out of trouble in the fourth and fifth as well as he struck out seven over five two-hit frames.

“Starting in the third, (McCarthy) had to work around some trouble,” said Lambert. “That’s a guy with a lot of experience, a lot of mental toughness who’s able to make a pitch when he has to and that’s to his credit.”

Senior Nick Wenstrom came in for the final two innings and struck out three while stranding the tying run in Mercier at second while getting a hard flyout to center and a groundout back to the hill to close out the contest.

“Two years ago, (Wenstrom) was key for us,” Lambert said. “He went through some injuries and last year he really wasn’t truly himself in terms of physicality wise. He looks back now. He’s got some swagger and throws violently.”