WESTFIELD – Sunday night’s Westfield v. Westfield showdown had more on the line than just city bragging rights. The two teams were the two highest-scoring squads in Pool B of the district pool play, while allowing just three runs in their first two games–by far the fewest.
After Westfield National’s 8-3 win Sunday evening at Papermill Road, the road to the district championship was cemented to go through the Whip City, specifically Papermill. National improved to 3-0 in pool play and sealed the No. 1 seed out of pool play, while Westfield American fell to 2-1 in Pool B.
“We put the ball in play and set the tone, just like we did against Easthampton,” said National Head Coach Shane Collins. “It was a nice way to start and get into the game. I’m really happy with where we stand. It’s a far cry from a few days ago and now we’re playing really well.”
A game after Josh Mayo shut down a potent Easthampton offense Thursday, Cody Collins took the mound for National and shut down the hottest offense in the district. American had scored 66 runs in their first two pool B games, but Collins and the National defense allowed one unearned run on two hits over his 4.2 innings. Collins also controlled the bats on his own, striking out eight American batters. Ethan Porter would wrap up the game in relief for American, who scratched a couple runs late when National held a big lead.
“(Cody) pitched a gem,” said Collins. “He pitched his allotted 75 pitches and kept them off-balance all game. I couldn’t have asked anything more from him. He hit his spots and threw his changeup for strikes. He pounded the zone and had 12 first-pitch strikes, so he was pitching ahead the whole game. That was the big part for him (and) when he does that, he’s really successful.”
Similar to the Easthampton victory, National spread the offensive production throughout the lineup, taking advantage of five American errors. Collins and Nicholas Goodwin provided the only hits in a four-run first inning for National, which also scored via numerous walks, fielder’s choices and errors.
The Nats poured on more insurance runs in their three-run fifth inning, highlighted by RBI singles from Jesse Paroline and Goodwin. The duo led National with two RBIs apiece and seven Nats recorded at least one hit, led by Collins’ two hits.
“(The offense) was really spread out,” said Collins. “We manufactured runs and good teams take advantage of other teams’ mistakes. Every time they made a mistake, we took advantage of it.”
American’s offense was led by Jay Scherpa and Alex Provost, whose RBIs in the sixth inning gave the designated home team life and cut the margin to five, but the National defense shut the door on their rally. Scherpa and Jacob Wagner each had two hits for American, while Liam Poole recorded the fifth hit.
Both Westfield teams will travel north on Route 10 for their final pool play games Tuesday. National will look to continue their momentum north of the border when they travel for a 6 p.m. showdown with Southampton. American’s loss sets them up for a crucial final game at the same time in Easthampton, where the winner will earn the No. 2 seed out of Pool B.
“We talked about staying focused and not letting down at all because once you let down, it’s hard to turn it on and off,” said Collins. “We’re not going to give any slack. We have to win Tuesday so that we keep that feeling going heading into the semifinals.”
