Westfield pitcher Hayley Moniz winds up in the pitcher’s circle against East Longmeadow Monday. Moniz tossed her 300th career K. (Photo by Bill Deren)
WESTFIELD – Some of the student-athletes at Westfield High School deserve some extra credit for their after school work in writing history.
Haley Moniz struck out 11 batters, reaching her 300th career strikeout in the process in Westfield’s narrow 4-3 loss to visiting East Longmeadow Monday.
Moniz, who entered Monday’s contest needing just four Ks to hit the milestone, scattered five hits over seven innings and walked two. She allowed four runs, three of which were unearned.
“(We) were up for most of the game, but a few defensive miscues saw the game slip away,” Westfield softball coach Brenda Signor said. “The Bomber bats weren’t able to come back.”
Westfield led from the outset with the game’s first run in the first inning, but fell behind 2-1 in the top of the fourth when East Longmeadow responded with two runs. The Bombers rallied for two runs in the bottom half of the inning to reclaim a one-run lead, 3-2.
East Longmeadow scored the final runs of the game with a pair in the fifth.
Madi Robitaille went 2-for-3 with a double to lead Westfield at the plate. Morgan Zabielski also doubled.
Indians down Gators
Ware 19, Gateway 2 (5 inn.)
Gateway’s Ava Auclair went 1-for-2 with a double, walk, and run scored. Gators’ Stephanie Paiva and Katelyn Bean each had a hit.
BASEBALL
Saints prevail
St. Mary 9, Granby 6
Matt Masciadrelli (run, 2 RBIs), Quinn Powers (3 runs, RBI), and Kevin Rockwal (2 runs, RBI) finished led St. Mary’s with three hits apiece. Saints’ Hunter Authier (run) and Aidan Burke (run, RBI) each had two hits.
St. Mary’s Jack Masciadrelli (4 Ks), Kevin Rockwal (no runs allowed), and Matt Masciadrelli (3 Ks) pitched in for a winning effort on the mound.
Rams edge Panthers
Southwick 5, Palmer 4
Connor Roy (1-for-3, double, 2 runs), Dan Burnett (2-for-3, run, 2 RBIs), Josh Lis (1-for-3, RBI), and Tyler Keeney (walk, RBI) delivered with the bats for Southwick (5-0).
Lis struck out eight batters in five innings. Nick Kavarakis (4 Ks) earned the save.
McCann can hit
McCann Tech 18, Westfield Tech 1
Andy Daniels, Cade Bradley, Trent Adam, Mike Durkee, and Mateo Sanchez each had a hit for Westfield Tech in an independent loss at Bullens Field.
“We took one on the chin,” said Westfield Tech coach Bob Eak, whose team fell to 2-2 overall. “They’re good – (McCann) can hit the ball.”
Despite the loss, Westfield Tech remained undefeated in league play (1-0). The Tigers look to extend their league unbeaten streak to 2-0 when they travel to Hubbard Park in Springfield Tuesday to take on Duggan Academy. First pitch is at 4 p.m.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Westfield def. Northampton in OT
Hannah Jarvis (3 goals, 1 assist) scored the game-winner with 1:45 left in overtime to lift Westfield to a thrilling victory.
Lara Finnie (4 goals, 1 assist) and Kylie Buchanan (3 goals) contributed offensively, and goalie Liz Clark made eight saves.
Westfield improved to 3-1.
BOYS VOLLEYBALL
Crazy eight
Westfield def. Central 25-13, 25-14, 25-12
Westfield extended its streak to 8-0 overall, 4-0 North with a sweeping road victory.
Luis Castro (25 assists, 3 digs, 1 ace), Shane Kiendzior (12 kills, 5 digs), James Pavlyuk (9 kills, 4 digs, 1 ace), Javier Santos (5 kills), and Gabe Santiago (5 digs, 1 ace) led the attack.
Pacers nip Rams
Chicopee def. Southwick 25-15, 18-25, 26-24, 25-23
Nolan Winch (14 digs, 3 aces, 1 assist) and Zach Thorne (13 digs) led Southwick with nine kills apiece. Rams’ Chris Baker contributed eight kllls, 10 digs, and three blocks; Kacper Kisala finished with six kills, three assists, 18 digs, and one block.
BOYS TENNIS
Saints nearly knock off Purple Knights
Holyoke 3, St. Mary 2
St. Mary’s Jared Rusin won a thrilling match by tiebreaker at second singles, defeating Joe Cavanaugh 6-4, 3-6, 10-8, and the Saints split in doubles play in a narrow defeat.
Kevin Lu and Aaron Kielbasa toppled Holyoke’s Mike LuKasiewz and Brendan Leahy at first doubles 6-4, 6-3.
“After previously losing to Holyoke 5-0,” St. Mary’s coach George Hart said, “(we) showed solid improvement today.”
GIRLS TENNIS
Saints edge Panthers
St. Mary 3, Palmer 2
St. Mary’s singles players, Jessica Crosby and Erin Olearcek, and doubles pair, Maura O’Neill and Gina Mulvenna , won to propel the Saints to victory.
Crosby mixed up her shots, driving strong backhands and slashing forehands, peppered with service aces to drive back Palmer’s Flavia Huertas at first singles, 6-0, 6-1.
Crosby kept Huertas on the baseline for much of the first set. In the second set, she remained sharp with four aces planted squarely in the corner of the service box, and mixed in slices and looping forehands with her hard backhand.
At third singles, St. Mary’s Erin Olearcek edged Palmer’s Amelia Bachand in a tough three-set tiebreaker, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6.
Olearcek started the match strong and held the lead throughout the first set. In the second set, Bachand regained her footing and worked her way back into the match.
The two players started out the third set trading games with both players holding serve, but Bachand used her momentum from the previous set to surge ahead, 5-3. Olearcek settled herself, dug deep and mounted a comeback to even the set at 5-5.
Each of the players won their next game to force the match into a tie-breaker, but the momentum had shifted.
Olearcek won the first point to and never fell behind again. She won the tiebreaker 7-1, to take the match, 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 and win her first singles competition in varsity tennis.
Saint Mary’s Maura O’Neill & Gina Mulvenna defeated Palmer’s Sasha Bernard and Karrin Rimbold at first doubles 6-3, 6-3.
JV BASEBALL
Southwick 16, Palmer 1 (5 inn.)
Frank Wynglarz recorded 8 Ks on the mound and went 2-for-3 at the plate with three runs to lead Southwick. Rams’ Jack Sebastyn (three runs scored) and Josh Harriman (2 runs) each had a hit.
Sebastyn also made a half-dozen key blocks behind the plate.
