GREENFIELD — Westfield Technical Academy rightfully got all the attention in the MIAA Division 5 state baseball tournament after winning two games as a No. 34 seed and advancing to the round of 16. But what about the team that quietly became a No. 15 seed that suddenly found itself playing a home game in the state quarterfinals?
Greenfield was in that position after a 5-2 win over Westfield Tech on Tuesday afternoon at Veterans Memorial Field. The Wave scored four points early and had enough to withstand two mid-game comebacks from the Tigers.
The Green Wave (12-10) will have to wait for the rest of the teams to catch up. Vaughn, last year's Division 5 state champions and 5-17 this year and seeded 23rd, will host No. 26 Mount Greylock (9-13) on Wednesday for a round of 16 match. The winner will play in Greenfield at a date yet to be determined.
Tuesday's game had a bizarre ending with the host Wave leading by three runs. With one out in the top of the seventh, Greenfield starter Michael Pierce hit the Tigers' Josh Elmer with a pitch. Arthur Fitzpatrick, coming in to relieve Pierce, caught a grounder to center field hit by Antonio Simpson. Second baseman Chase Zraunig caught the ball and threw to second base, where shortstop Caleb Thomas got the out, but Elmer and Thomas collided on the base. The umpire quickly ruled Elmer had interfered and got the batter-runner out on a double play without attempting to throw to first.
“I've seen interference, but nothing that ended the game,” Greenfield coach Tom Sachanek said. “That ball that hit the base and became a pop fly (in the bottom of the fourth inning for Greenfield) I didn't see anybody catch it and get the out at home plate. I don't know if they caught it or not, I don't know.”
“If you can score early, it usually puts pressure on the other team. Some teams fight back, some don't. Chase Zraunig had a big hit, even though he's only an eighth-grader.”
Zraunig scored three runs for the Wave, while Pierce allowed only three hits and one earned run in 6 1/3 innings pitched, walking four and striking out eight.
“We knew with Michael we had a good chance. It was just a matter of whether we could score enough to close the game, and we did,” Suchanek said.
Westfield Tech (16-6) wasn't last among the teams remaining in the state baseball tournament (that honor goes to Belchertown, ranked 37th in Division 3), but the Tigers rallied and didn't flinch after falling behind 4-0 early in the innings. After Pierce retired the first nine batters on just 30 pitches, Simpson hit a sharp single to left to start Westfield Tech's fourth and then stole second base. With one out, Deven Warbiskis drew a walk before Pierce got two outs. Michael Sanchez then pinch-hit for the runner and tried to steal a double.
Catcher Luca Schiano's throw went past third baseman Zraunig and rolled a little down the left field line, but it was enough for Simpson to scramble home for the visitors' first run, before Pierce struck out Sanchez to make the game 4-1.
In the fourth inning at Greenfield, the Wave missed a golden opportunity due to a weird bounce of the ball. Leadoff hitter Deven Duby singled deep to short and stole second base, but Sanchez struck out the next two batters. Pierce reached base on an intentional walk after reaching a three-ball count, and then Caleb Thomas was out when a ball bounced to center field that hit second base and bounced nicely off the feet of shortstop Simpson.
Pierce was safe at second base, and Duby rounded third base and tried to make a run for home plate, but Simpson's throw to catcher Warviskis was long enough for him to get out.
Westfield Tech fought back in the fifth inning when Andrew Galczynski walked and Pierce advanced the runner to second on a balk. With two outs, Elmer walked and Simpson singled to right to load the bases. Josiah Pouliot walked to send Galczynski home to make the score 4-2. Then Welbiskis hit a hard ball to left that was caught near the foul line by Wave's John Malchevka.
AJ Richter then walked as the Tigers' leadoff batter in the sixth inning and stole second base, after which Pierce struck out three consecutive batters, the last two of which gave him eight strikeouts for the day.
The Wave added another run in the bottom of the sixth on a walk to leadoff hitter Duby, a stolen second and a wild pitch and a walk to Marczewka before Pierce hit a fly ball to left field and Duby scored on a sacrifice fly for Greenfield's fifth run.
Greenfield left runners on base in all six of his at-bats, including two each in the second, third and fourth innings, and left nine runners on base overall.
In the top of the first inning for the Wave, Duby drew a walk from Tech starter Sanchez, stole second base and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Then, with Duby on base, Zraunig hit a grounder to right field to give the Wave an immediate 1-0 lead.
Zuraunig came into his own in the second inning, which saw Greenfield score three runs, starting with a walk to Siano, a sacrifice bunt by Nick Prasol, a walk to Fitzpatrick and an infield grounder by Preston LaFleur, where the Tigers failed to record an out. Duby hit a single, leading to a balk on Sanchez and allowing Siano to homer. Duby walked to load the bases again, and Zuraunig smashed a two-run single down the right field line, scoring Fitzpatrick and LaFleur to make it 4–0. That marked the end of Sanchez's day on the mound, as Elmer relieved Sanchez from second base and pitched the final 4⅔ innings for Westfield Tech.
“We've talked about it. In the United States, it doesn't matter where a team ranks,” Suchanek said. “Teams can have good runs and you never know what's going to happen. They're a good team and they didn't give up after we were up 4-0 and fought back. They're on the same level as us. If they can get a couple of important hits, we'll still be in the game.”
#4 Pioneer 11, #13 Bromfield 0 — The Panthers led 3-0 after three innings but continued to ride the momentum, scoring five runs in the fourth and three in the fifth to seal a dominant win over Bromfield in a Division 5 round of 16 game on Tuesday night at Northfield.
The Pioneers (18-5) will host the winner of No. 12 Douglas and No. 28 Mount Everett in a state quarterfinal matchup on Wednesday.
“I keep telling our pitchers that it's our pitchers that stay in the game,” Panthers manager Kevin Luipold said. “I have confidence in the guys that are on the mound, No. 1 through No. 4. We've only allowed three runs in our last five games, so with that in mind, it's nice to be able to stay in the game. Our defense is good, we're hitting the ball well and it's working well.”
Jackson Glazer pitched well for the Pioneers, striking out nine in six innings and allowing only three hits. Ethan Quinn pitched the final inning, striking out all three batters he faced.
Ben Warner had two hits and four RBI at the plate, Hugh Cyhowski had two hits and one RBI, Ethan Maus had a hit and one RBI, and Alex McClelland had the game-winning hit.
