A Whatley Pioneer catcher makes the out at home on a Westfield Wheelmen runner. (Photo by chief photographer Frederick Gore)
WESTFIELD – The atmosphere was a bit charged in last night’s Vintage Base Ball game between the Westfield Wheelmen and Whately Pioneers at Bullens Field.
Westfield thundered past Whately 13-0 in a game cut short by lightning after 5 1-2 innings.
The special Vintage event was held as a precursor to this weekend’s New England Regionals featuring the host Westfield 13-year-olds.
“It was nice to put a whooping on our friends from Whately,” said Wheelmen captain Dan “Gunner” Genovese. Genovese said the game was extra special because he was a member of the 1975 Westfield Babe Ruth regional champs.
Westfield stormed out of the gates, scoring five first-inning runs.
In the first, “Silky” Nick Ochs and Steve “Sizzler” Wingate reached on errors before Matt “Matches” Avery hit a ground rule double to score one. “Jersey” Joe Hepworth drove in a run with a sac-fly. Dan “Short Order” Cook reached on a fielder’s choice, scoring another. Rich “Weezer” Winiarski hit a ground rule double. “Pistol” Pete Orzechowski followed with a sac-fly. “Gunner” made it 5-0 with a run-scoring single.
From that point on the rout was on.
Westfield tacked on two runs in the third on a pair of fielder’s choices. One inning later, the Wheelmen added two more when “Pistol” reached on an error, advanced on “Gunner’s” double, scored on a passed ball; and, Andre “Andele!” Conde hit an RBI single.
In the fifth, Westfield piled on four more runs with a two-run single, and scored twice on wild pitches.
The game was called in the bottom of the sixth when lightning streaked across the Bullens Field outfield skies. “Andele” was the winning pitcher earning a well-deserved shutout.
It was an uneventful outing for former New York Yankee pitcher Jim Bouton, a Pioneers player, whose team was blanked.
NOTES: Many young ballplayers were in attendance last night, including Westfield’s 13-year-old Babe Ruth All-Stars, who will host their New England Regionals opener tonight at Bullens Field at 7 p.m. Games will be ongoing all day, beginning at 10 a.m.
