JACK LAMIRANDE
AGAWAM – Playing as the “home” team on the Agawam High School field, Westfield Post 124 scored three runs with two outs – over the span of two pitches – in the bottom of the seventh to beat Agawam Post 185 6-5 and earn a split of their Saturday doubleheader in American Legion Baseball action.
In the opener, Agawam pulled off an identical comeback, scoring three times with two outs – and again over the span of two pitches – to beat Westfield, 6-5. The teams played their regularly scheduled game first, an Agawam home game; Westfield’s “home” game, a rescheduled contest from earlier this season, followed.
GAME TWO
Westfield 6, Agawam 5
After giving up leads of 1-0 and 2-1, Westfield was facing a two-run, 5-3 deficit entering the bottom of the seventh.
With one out, Colby Gazda singled to left. He moved up a base on an Agawam throwing error. Tanner Koziol drew a full-pitch walk before Westfield’s second out of the inning. Down 0-2 in the count, Jack Lamirande’s long single to left-center scored Gazda and moved Koziol to third. Lamirande’s hustle forced an Agawam throwing error at second. When the dust settled, Koziol had scored to tie the game and Lamirande was standing on third base. On the very next pitch, Anthony Piquette singled deep in the shortstop hole and easily beat the throw, allowing Lamirande to score and giving Westfield the split.
Getting to the seventh was slow and hot.
Westfield had runners on base in every inning, but only managed single runs in the first, third and fifth. Andy Daniels singled and eventually scored in the first on Gazda’s ground-ball out. In the third, Spencer Cloutier singled and later scored on Koziol’s single in the second-base hole. Steve McKenna led off the fifth with a double and scored on Logan Krol’s ground out.
David Tirrell started the game for Westfield, pitching into the fourth. He gave up two runs on two hits, striking out three. Josh Lis relieved, allowing three runs on four hits. He struck out four.
GAME ONE
Agawam 6, Westfield 5
Agawam completed its three-run comeback with a simple bloop single to right. A one-out double and single put runners at the corners. Agawam elected to bunt the tying run over to second. An infield single that found its way into right field tied the game for Agawam, before the next pitch was blooped into right to end it.
Westfield built a 5-3 lead on the strength of a four-run fifth.
Down 2-0, McKenna led off with a single and promptly stole second. Gazda’s long fly ball bounced off the glove of the Agawam right fielder, putting runners at second and third. Lamirande scored McKenna with a single over the shortstop’s head before Krol followed with a long double to the fence in left-center, scoring two more. The fourth run scored on Piquette’s perfectly executed safety squeeze.
In the sixth, Cloutier led off with a triple and scored on an Andy Daniels sacrifice fly.
Devin Baker survived a shaky 23-pitch first inning, allowing two of the three runs he gave up on the day. After that, Agawam had trouble getting to Baker, who allowed only one run and one hit the rest of the way. He was lifted after six full innings because of the American Legion pitch-count rule. Baker gave up only two hits in his six innings, walking four and striking out seven.
Wesfield (4-5-1) plays Belchertown Post 239 on Monday at Bullens Field beginning at 7 p.m.
Because of early-season rain-outs and other postponements, Westfield plays every day this week before ending its regular season with a double header against Longmeadow. Playoffs begin a week from Wednesday.
The top two teams in each of the three divisions automatically qualify for the postseason, plus the best two records among the remaining teams across all three divisions combined. As of Monday, Westfield sits in third place in Zone 3A. – Courtesy of John Blake/Westfield Post 124
