Westfield catcher Evan Moorhouse fails to tag Springfield’s Steve Starr as he stumbles across the plate on a sacrifice fly attempt in the third inning. Starr missed home plate and was tagged out for an inning-ending double play. (Photo by Cody Goldman, Westfield State athletics department student intern)
WESTFIELD – Steve Starr was 3 for 4 with two doubles and an RBI, and Frank Calabrese doubled and drove in the eventual game-winning run with a sacrifice fly to lead Springfield College to a 5-4 non-conference baseball victory over Westfield State University on Tuesday, April 22. Springfield improves to 18-11 with its sixth straight victory. Westfield is 13-15-1.
The Pride scored two runs in the top of the ninth on one hit, three walks and a sacrifice fly to take a 5-3 lead. Springfield held on for the victory as the Owls rallied for a run in bottom of the ninth and stranded a runner at third base.
Shane O’Leary opened the top of the ninth by drawing a walk and advancing to second on Billy Paskowski’s second sacrifice hit of the game.
Jared Hopkins ripped a single to right field and O’Leary was held at third base. Starr was intentionally walked to load the bases and the Pride took a 4-3 lead when Billy Peterson walked on four straight pitches. Calabrese then clubbed his sacrifice fly to deep left field.
Westfield scored a run in its final at bat on a pair of pinch hits. E.G. McMillan lined a single to left field and Zach Clifford hammered a two-out RBI triple to deep left-center field. Dan McCormack was retired on a sharply hit ground out to first base to end the game.
Springfield took a 1-0 first-inning lead. Starr led off with a double and scored on a two-out single by Sean Smith.
Westfield was retired in order in the first three innings then rapped four hits in the fourth to take a 2-1 lead on a two-run single by D.J. Bishop.
Springfield tied the score with a run in the sixth. Calabrese led off with a double, was sacrificed to third and scored on Dan Bergami’s single.
The Owls regained the lead, 3-2, in the bottom of the sixth. Tim Santilli and Danny DiMatteo opened with singles and advanced to second and third on Bishop’s sacrifice hit. Kyle Colesanti plated Santilli with a sacrifice fly.
Springfield again tied the score with a seventh-inning run. O’Leary led off with a bad hop infield single and advanced to third on bunts by Paskowski and Hopkins. Starr then stroked a two-out RBI single thru the right side.
Springfield outhit Westfield, 12-8. Smith, Bergami and O’Leary each had two singles. Santilli singled twice for the Owls.
Jack Baldwin, the final of four Springfield pitchers, hurled an inning and two thirds for the victory. Kevin Zyrkowski pitched the last two innings and was tagged with the loss.
