WESTFIELD – Westfield State erupted for a 10-5 win over Fitchburg State in the second game of a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference game to split the doubleheader and send its senior class out on a high note on Senior Day at Bud and Jim Hagan Field.
Westfield scored two runs in each of the first three innings to stake themselves to a 6-1 lead. In the first inning, Dan McCormack led off with a single, took second on wild pitch, advance to third on Danny DiMatteo’s single and scored on a base hit by Nate Barnes. DiMatteo scored on the next play, scoring on a shallow sacrifice fly to center and scoring with a headfirst dive across the plate.
In the second, DiMatteo’s RBI groundout scored Tyler Beach, and Tyler Adams singled and came around to score on an inning-extending error.
Westfield State’s 2016 senior class and their families were recognized between games. (Courtesy of Westfield State Sports)
Holding a 6-3 lead in the 6th, the Owls tacked on four insurance runs, with Barnes singling to start the rally, and scoring on a double by Aaron Clancy. Beach drove in a run with a base hit later in the inning. Barnes and Beach each had two hits for the Owls.
Junior starting pitcher Matt Nunes (2-1) earned the win for Westfield, with senior closer Pete Liimatainen working the final 1-2/3 innings for the save.
Starter Javier Lozada took the loss for Fitchburg. Aaron Mooney finished 3-3 with a walk, 2 rbi and a run scored. Robert Lewis III finished 2-4 with two runs scored.
In the first game, Fitchburg State starting pitcher Tommy Parsons held Westfield without a hit through 5 innings on the way to a 5-3 Falcons’ win.
Westfield finally broke through with a pinch-hit double from Stephen Brown to lead off the bottom of the sixth.
Fitchburg pushed across a lone run in the 3rd, fourth and fifh innings. In the third, Andrew Currie singled and came around to score on a Nathan Littman RBI single. In the fourth, Mooney’s RBI single delivered Mike St. John to the plate.
Littman hit a 2-run home run in the top of the seventh to extend the Falcons’ lead to 5-0. Javier Lozada finished with three hits, including a double for Fitchburg.
Westfield scored three times in the bottom of the seventh to keep the game interesting, with Christian Morales RBI double the big blow of the inning, but Parsons fanned the final two Owls hitters to get the complete game win.
Parsons (5-3) allowed just two hits while striking out nine and walking four. Fitchburg is now 14-16 for the season, 7-3 in the MASCAC.
Freshman starting pitcher John Gegetskas (3-2) took the loss for Westfield. The Owls are 15-17 and 5-5 in the MASCAC. – Courtesy of Westfield State Sports
