Westfield second baseman Ashton Kennedy looks for the double play on Pittsfield Post 68. (Photo by Frederick Gore)
PITTSFIELD – Westfield Post 124 traveled a long, windy road before running out of gas Tuesday.
Pittsfield Post 68 took advantage of some late wildness to upend Westfield 3-2 in nine innings Tuesday, eliminating visiting Post 124 from the American Legion Baseball sectional playoffs.
“We just gave away a couple of games,” said Westfield Post 124 manager Don Irzyk, whose team threw away several chances to win in sectional play. “We had a heck of a lot better opportunities than (Pittsfield) did. We just couldn’t cash in.”
It was a tight ball game throughout.
Pittsfield scored the opening run of the game in the second inning. Brian Bonochuista and Zach Neary led off with consecutive singles. Then with one out, Westfield attempted to turn an inning-ending double play but the ball got away from the infielder at second base and a throw in from the outfield got away, allowing a run to score.
Westfield’s defense tightened up in the third and fourth innings with a pair of inning-ending double plays.
In the third inning, Westfield turned a 6-4-3 double play. In the fourth, Post 124’s 5-4-3 double play ended the threat.
Westfield tied the game in the fifth. Tim Donahue reached when he was hit by a pitch from Pittsfield’s Jordan Barbarotta. Jeff Hockenberry curled a two-out double to the right field corner, scoring the tying run.
In the fifth, Westfield starting pitcher Ken McClean retired the side, ringing up the inning’s last two batters by strikeout.
Pittsfield managed to load the bases with two outs in the sixth, courtesy of two errors and a walk. Westfield’s Matt Plasse came on in relief and induced a ground out to end the inning unscathed. Plasse got out of another bases loaded situation in the seventh with an inning-ending K.
After stranding a pair of base runners in the seventh, Westfield broke through in the eighth with a two-out rally. Evan Moorhouse reached on a single, and scored on Rob Sullivan’s booming RBI double to left center field to take a 2-1 lead.
Pittsfield would not go away.
In the bottom of the eighth, Pittsfield’s Brian Bonochuista led off with a double to left center field. Westfield center fielder Murphy nearly made a highlight-reel catch, attempting to lay out for a diving catch toward the left center field gap. Murphy knocked the ball down, and tracked it down to hold Bonochuista to a double. Zach Neary reached on an error, also allowing Bonochuista to move to third. Post 124 then turned what looked to be shaping up as a third inning-ending double play when Ryan Shook hit a ball back to the pitcher, but an error was committed on the play and the game was tied 2-all.
Pittsfield scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth. With one out, Barbarotta singled with one out, and Alex Carosotto reached on an infield error. Westfield was set up by yet another inning-ending double play opportunity when Mitch Clary knocked a sharp hit ball to the second baseman, who tried to set up a 4-6-3 double play. The infielder stepped on the second base bag and fired to first base, but the ball got away and the winning run scored.
Still, Post 124’s manager praised his team.
“I’m proud of the effort and commitment put in by these players,” Irzyk said. “We had 14-15-16 players all summer long … At some point, every one contributed individually, and combined to make it a team effort.”
