Westfield Strikes Early in 9-5 Win over Baseball
Chris Kendrick (@CKendrick86)
NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – Westfield State used home runs from seniors Pat McWilliams (Duxbury, Mass.) and Tim Santilli (Southbridge, Mass.) to power past Elms, 9-5, in a non-conference contest at the New England Baseball Complex Wednesday night. The Blazers drop to 5-8 on the season, while Westfield State, ranked fourth in New England, improves to 9-2 overall.
Westfield State junior centerfielder Dan McCormack (Shelton, Conn.) led off the bottom of the first inning with a single up the middle, and came around to score as McWilliams launched a two-run homer over the left field fence, staking the Owls to a 2-0 lead. Leading 3-0 in the second, the Westfield State offensive continued to roll as McWilliams delivered an RBI single, followed by a three-run blast from Santilli, to extend the Owls advantage to 7-0 after two innings.
The Blazers chipped away at their deficit in the third with senior centerfield Brady Forrest (Hampden, Mass.) scoring on a wild pitch from Owls senior starter Mike Molta (Nantucket, Mass.). Junior second baseman Tim Gelzinis (North Dighton, Mass.) scored on an RBI single from sophomore first baseman Jordan Zima (Berlin, Conn.). With runners on first and third, senior third baseman Geoff Frost (Ludlow, Mass.) came home on a RBI fielder's choice from sophomore catcher Stephen Harrison (Southbury, Conn.), to make it a 7-3 game.
The Owls pushed their lead to 9-3 in the fourth as McWilliams scored on a Blazers fielding error, followed by an RBI sacrifice fly from junior catcher Evan Moorhouse (Westfield, Mass.). Elms added a run in the seventh on an RBI fielder's choice from Zima, and a run in the eighth with an RBI groundout from Gelzinis, as the Owls went on to the 9-5 victory.
McWilliams raked from the plate for the Owls, going 4-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs scored, while Santilli, junior left fielder Danny DiMatteo (Dennis, Mass.), and sophomore first baseman Nate Barnes (Westfield, Mass.) each had two hits for Westfield State. Zima knocked in a pair for the Blazers.
Molta (3-0) earned the win, allowing three runs, one earned, on four hits in 2.1 innings of work. The Owls bullpen held the Blazers to two runs on two hits over 6-plus innings. Elms freshman Michael Bombard (1-0; Chicopee, Mass.) suffered his first loss of the season, surrendering seven runs on seven hits with a pair of strikeouts. Junior Tom Weldon (Springfield, Mass.) gave up two runs, one earned, on three hits in three innings of relief, while sophomore Cody Lemieux (Torrington, Conn.) worked two scoreless frames out of the bullpen.
The Blazers are tentatively scheduled to return to the diamond in their home opener against Framingham State on Monday, March 30th at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke. First pitch is slated for 7:30 p.m. Westfield State will face UMass Boston on Tuesday, March 31st at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton at 3:30 p.m.
ELMS BASEBALL
