WESTFIELD – The Westfield Starfires new source of Bullens Magic came from far away but was well worth the wait.
Westfield second baseman Cody Bey (Wagner College), who hails from Long Beach, California, ended a hitless night – – he had been 0-for-4 in his first at-bats – – by clubbing a bases-loaded, walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning to lift the Starfires past the Vermont Lake Monsters, 3-2, Thursday night at Bullens Field.
Westfield’s Matt Motyka got things started in the 10th inning, reaching on an error. Consecutive walks from Tyshaun Diaz and Braydon Seaburg loaded the bases, setting the table for Bey’s heroics.
“I know my speed: I can beat out a ground ball so (I was thinking) try to put it in play and get someone in and win the game,” Bey said. Bey jumped on a slider low and away, put it over the infielder’s head through the left side of the infield and as he put it “got the job done.”
Westfield second baseman Cody Bey (24) makes one of several defensive plays during a Futures Collegiate Baseball League home opener at Bullens Field Thursday night. (MARC ST.ONGE/THE WESTFIELD NEWS)
Westfield got off to a good start in the first inning, scoring the game’s first run on a long single from No. 3 batter Liam Sears (Bentley College), of Springfield. Sears’ hit traveled deep to left center field, scoring Braydon Seaburg who reached on a lead-off walk.
Westfield starting pitcher Shayne Rice flirted with a bit of trouble throughout his four innings of work, allowing two base runners to reach in each of those innings but escaped unscathed.
Rice’s surrounding infield defense bailed him out in the second. With runners at first and second base, Westfield shortstop Tyshaun Diaz made a diving stop on a hard hit ball and flipped the ball to Bey at second base for the second out of the inning. A perfect throw from catcher Jackson Peterson to second base caught Vermont’s Andrew Bergeron stealing to end the inning.
Two more base runners reached in the third – – No. 3 batter Noah Granet was hit by a pitch and Brian Hadden walked – – but Sears snared a line drive mid-air at first base and made a diving tag of the base runner attempting to get back to the bag to complete an inning-ending double play.
In the fourth inning, a hit-by-pitch and walk resulted in two more Vermont base runners, but Rice forced a fly out, ground out, and was the benefactor of runner interference on the basepaths between second and third base, wiping out a run and resulting in an out.
Vermont loaded the bases in the fifth off Westfield reliever Christian Tejada with a hit-by-pitch, a screaming Granet double – – Granet was soon picked off of third with another sharp throw from Peterson – – and consecutive walks. Tejada managed to induce a groundout to end the threat.
Vermont tied the game in the seventh with a RBI single from Caleb Jung. Jung knocked in Darrien Hagan with a hard-hit ball down the third base line. Hagan reached on an error to begin the inning and put himself in scoring position by advancing on a wild pitch.
Westfield went ahead in the eighth inning when Seaburg drove in Diaz, who reached on a two-out walk and moved into scoring position on a botched pick-off attempt.
Vermont responded with another game-tying run in the top of the ninth. Andrew Bergeron drew a walk off reliever Justin Butz and scored on an infield error.
With a home run derby looming to decide the game’s winner, Westfield took matters into its own hands in the 10th and walked away the victor.
“I thought the effort tonight was great. Hopefully we can have an effort like that every night,” Westfield Starfires manager Tony Deshler said. “Guys stayed locked in for 10 innings.”
The results easily could have been dramatically different had Westfield not stayed mentally committed. The Starfires pitching staff hit a total of four batters, walked five, and committed two errors.
“There’s not many games … where you have nine positional players, you give 11 free bases and strike out 18 times and actually win or have a chance to win,” Deshler said. “That was just good to see that we could stay in the whole time.”
According to Starfires officials, 20 more players are expected to join the team in the next week or so as college playoffs end around the country. Aidan Dunn (Eastern Conn. State) and Jimmy Hagan (Quinnipiac), both of Westfield are slated to pitch for the Starfires. Third baseman Kyle Grabowski (Endicott), of Westfield is currently already on the roster.
“We just have a lot more baseball players coming – a lot more arms, a lot more athletic players that we can move all around the field,” Deshler explained. “What you saw tonight is going to be amplified a week from now.”
It was the first of a three-game homestand for Westfield.
Notes: The Westfield, Westfield Technical Academy and St. Mary’s Saints high school baseball teams were honored during the pre-game ceremony and joined the Starfires on the field for the National Anthem.
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WESTFIELD STARFIRES
Wed., May 26
Starfires @ Worcester Bravehearts, PPD.
Thurs., May 27
Westfield Starfires 3, Vermont Lake Monsters 2 (10 inn.)
Fri., May 28
Starfires vs. Nashua Knights, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Sat., May 29
Starfires vs. New Britain Bees, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Sun., May 30
Starfires @ Pittsfield Suns
Mon., May 31
Starfires @ Vermont Lake Monsters
Tues., June 1
Starfires @ Norwich Sea Unicorns
Wed., June 2
Starfires vs. Pittsfield Suns, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Thurs., June 3
Starfires @ Norwich Sea Unicorns
Fri., June 4
Starfires @ Brockton Rox
Sat., June 5
Starfires vs. Vermont Sea Monsters, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Sun., June 6
Starfires vs. Vermont Sea Monsters, Bullens Field, 3 p.m.
Mon., June 7
OFF
Tues., June 8
Starfires @ Brockton Rox
Wed., June 9
Starfires vs. Brockton Rox, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Thurs., June 10
Starfires vs. Worcester Bravehearts, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Fri., June 11
Starfires vs. Nashua Silver Knights, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Sat., June 12
Starfires @ Vermont Lake Monsters
Sun., June 13
Starfires vs. Vermont Lake Monsters, 3 p.m.
Mon., June 14
OFF
Tues., June 15
Starfires @ Norwich Sea Unicorns
Wed., June 16
Starfires @ Pittsfield Suns
Thurs., June 17
Starfires vs. Brockton Rox, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Fri., June 18
Starfires @ Pittsfield Suns
Sat., June 19
Starfires @ Vermont Lake Monsters
Sun., June 20
Starfires @ Vermont Lake Monsters
Mon., June 21
OFF
Tues., June 22
Starfires @ Pittsfield Suns
Wed., June 23
Starfires vs. Pittsfield Suns, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Thurs., June 24
Starfires @ Norwich Sea Unicorns
Fri., June 25
Starfires @ Worcester Bravehearts
Sat., June 26
Starfires vs. Nashua Silver Knights, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Sun., June 27
Starfires vs. Norwich Sea Unicorns, 3 p.m.
Mon., June 28
OFF
Tues., June 29
Starfires @ Brockton Rox
Wed., June 30
Starfires vs. Pittsfield Suns, 6:30 p.m.
Thurs., July 1
Starfies @ Norwich Sea Unicorns
Fri., July 2
Starfires vs. Nashua Silver Knights, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Sat., July 3
Starfires @ New Britain Bees
Sun., July 4
Starfires vs. New Britain Bees, Bullens Field, 3 p.m.
Mon., July 5
OFF
Tues., July 6
Starfires @ Norwich Sea Unicorns
Wed., July 7
Starfires @ Worcester Bravehearts
Thurs., July 8
Starfires vs. Worcester Bravehearts, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Fri., July 9
Starfires @ Brockton Rox
Sat., July 10
Starfires @ Norwich Sea Unicorns
Sun., July 11
Starfires vs. New Britain Bees, Bullens Field, 3 p.m.
Mon., July 12
OFF
Tues., July 13
ALL-STAR BREAK
Wed., July 14
ALL-STAR BREAK
Thurs., July 15
Starfires @ Norwich Sea Unicorns
Fri., July 16
Starfires vs. Brockton Rox, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Sat., July 17
Starfires vs. New Britain Bees, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Sun., July 18
Starfires @ Norwich Sea Unicorns
Mon., July 19
OFF
Tues., July 20
Starfires vs. New Britain Bees, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Wed., July 21
Starfires vs. Worcester Bravehearts, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Thurs., July 22
Starfires @ Pittsfield Suns
Fri., July 23
Starfires @ New Britain Bees
Sat., July 24
Starfires @ Worcester Bravehearts
Sun., July 25
Starfires @ Norwich Sea Unicorns
Mon., July 26
OFF
Tues., July 27
Starfires vs. Pittsfield Suns, Bullens Field, 10:30 a.m.
Wed., July 28
Starfires @ Pittsfield Suns
Thurs., July 29
Starfires vs. Pittsfield Suns, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Fri., July 30
Starfires @ Nashua Silver Knights
Sat., July 31
Starfires @ New Britain Bees
Sun., Aug. 1
Starfires @ Nashua Silver Knights
Mon., Aug. 2
OFF
Tues., Aug. 3
Starfires vs. Vermont Lake Monsters, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Wed., Aug. 4
Starfires vs. Vermont Lake Monsters, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Thurs., Aug. 5
Starfires @ Nashua Silver Knights
Fri., Aug. 6
Starfires vs. Worcester Bravehearts, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Sat., Aug. 7
Starfires vs. Brockton Rox, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Sun., Aug. 8
Starfires vs. Pittsfield Suns, Bullens Field, 3 p.m.
Mon., Aug. 9
OFF
Tues., Aug. 10
Starfires @ Vermont Lake Monsters
Wed., Aug. 11
Starfires @ Vermont Lake Monsters
Thurs., Aug. 12
Starfires @ Norwich Sea Unicorns
Fri., Aug. 13
Starfires vs. Norwich Sea Unicorns, Bullens Field, 6:30 p.m.
Aug. 14-19
PLAYOFFS
