Westfield National’s Jack Lamirande scores during yesterday’s 11-12-year-old Little League game against Northampton. (Photo by Frederick Gore/www.thewestfieldnews.smugmug.com)
WESTFIELD – Last night Paper Mill Field was the site of a convincing win, as the 11-12-year-old Westfield National Little leaguers topped visiting Northampton 8-0 to advance to the district final.
That championship contest will be played against Agawam, a team it already defeated 4-2 in pool play.
“It wasn’t overwhelming, but a lot of our hits were two-out singles with runners on, which was key,” said National coach Billy Lamirande, whose team registered over 10 hits on the night. “No one stood out like in our other games, but we still got the job done.”
National’s bread and butter on the night was their work on the mound, as pitcher Mikey Hall was a buzzsaw for the home team, giving up only one hit to the visitors.
Asked of who will pitch in the title game against Agawam, Lamirande said there are two pitchers he can choose from.
“We’re not sure who is going yet. We have Kevin Pallack, who threw against Agawam last game and beat them, and we have Ethan Flaherty who finished the game tonight and has already got a no-hitter in this tournament against Southwick,” said Lamirande, before going on to describe his pitching staff’s embarrassment of riches. “Kevin Pallack is a very good pitcher. He shut down the Agawam team that was putting up anywhere from eight to 10 runs a game, and Ethan Flaherty’s thrown a couple no-hitters this year and struck out 15 in the last game of the regular season. They’re rested and they’re healthy.”
National’s date with Agawam in the district championship is set for tomorrow at Paper Mill.
