Westfield pitcher Sam St. Jean delivers for the city’s 13-Year-Old All-Stars Tuesday night at Bullens Field. (Photo by Chris Putz)
WESTFIELD – In the blink of eye, the Westfield Babe Ruth Baseball 13-Year-Old All-Stars became the league’s sole team to have a chance to win a state title.
The Westfield 13s successfully defended their home turf – they are the host team for states – with a sterling 7-1 semifinal win over Worcester-East Side Tuesday night at Bullens Field. They will next take on Pittsfield (a 6-5 winner over Leominster) Wednesday night in a winner-take-all bout at Bullens Field at 6.
“I’m expecting a good game,” said Tuesday night’s game-winning pitcher, Sam St. Jean, “but we’re going to come out on top.”
St. Jean (1 K) toppled Worcester (E.S.) with a sharp fastball and a biting cutter, mixing up his pitches en route to tossing a one-hitter. Dalen Mochak brought the heat in the final inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced and forcing a groundout on the other.
“I felt pretty good in the bullpen (before the game) and it carried over into the game,” St. Jean said. “The coaches made a lot of good calls on pitches. It worked.”
The offense was also working – hard.
Matt Masciadrelli (2-for-3), Mitchell Longley (2-for-4), Dalen Mochak (3-for-3), and Dillon Bazegian (2-for-3) all managed first-inning singles with Mochak’s base hit scoring the team’s second run. Masciadrelli scored the first run when Worcester fielded Jack Yvon’s fly ball to center field and overthrew third base.
Westfield tacked on three more runs in the third. Yvon and Mochak hit consecutive one-out singles, and both scored on a costly two-out infield error by Worcester. Adam Dunn (2-for-3) made it 5-0 with an RBI single.
Worcester scored its only run of the game when Nick Palermo flared a bloop single to shallow right-center field, advanced two bases on a pair of passed balls, and scored on a fielder’s choice.
Westfield reclaimed the run and more in the fifth. Bazegian and Andrew Tobias singled to start the inning. Dunn blasted an RBI double. Another run scored on a fielder’s choice. Adam Kearing was credited with an RBI.
