The Southwick-Tolland Regional High School baseball team positioned a combination of young, budding pitchers around a well-established ace this season. The results continue to pour in and the Rams continue to be the clear winner.
Southwick sophomore pitcher Jake Hough allowed two hits, two walks, and struck out seven in six innings of a 10-0 shutout victory over visiting Gateway yesterday.
The Rams improved to 8-3 overall, 6-2 league.
“I felt pretty confident,” said Hough, who improved to 2-0 as a starter on the mound. “I was hitting spots with my fastball on the outside corner.”
When Hough did get into trouble early, he turned to his defensive mates to back him up.
“I let (Gateway) hit the ball and my defense did the rest of the work.”
Southwick scored the game’s first run in the third inning on a sharp liner from Ben Phelps. Cam Felix, who led off the inning with a single and stole second base, scored on the play. The Rams added another run in the second inning when Tom Mahoney singled, stole second, advanced to third on a subsequent throwing error, and scored on Kyle Manley’s sac-fly.
In the top of the fifth inning, Hough made a key out. With runners at first and second, the sophomore pitcher forced a weak pop fly to end the Gateway threat.
Then in the bottom half of the inning, Southwick blew open the game. The Rams batted around, tacked on six more runs, and effectively ended the game.
“We couldn’t come up with the timely hit,” Gators coach Gary St. Peter said. “If we tied the game 2-2, maybe we go into the bottom of the fifth with more momentum and feeling. But we let down.”
Southwick nearly added an 11th run in the bottom of the six, but Gateway center fielder Greg Boylan made an incredible throw to home plate to throw out the baserunner. It was not the only defensive gem from Gateway as the Gators also turned a 6-4-3 double play earlier.
Nick Massarelli came in to close out the seventh for Southwick. He retired the first two batters on strikeouts, and forced a ground out to end it.
Hough joined fellow battery mates – pitchers Mahoney (3-0) and Bob Hamel (2-2) – with at least two wins on the mound. Joe Kucienski also has a win, having picked up the victory in extra-inning relief duty.
Southwick coach Tim Karetka said team defense has played a big part in his pitchers’ success.
“We played error-free baseball,” coach Karetka said. “When you play error-free baseball, you’re going to win games. We have a lot of guys in the field with experience – there are no underclassmen.”
Gateway fell to 2-9, 2-6.
“I just keep telling the kids, ‘take each positive thing they learn each day, and take that into their next game.’”
Holyoke 2, Westfield 1
Westfield (11-2) wasted a 15 strikeout performance from Nate Barnes (4 hits allowed), and Holyoke rallied for a two-out, one-run double at MacKenzie Field a day after knocking off unbeaten East Longmeadow. The Bombers, who trailed 1-0, scored one run in the seventh to tie the game.
