MCLA Plays Tough, Comes up Short

WESTFIELD, Mass. –Westfield State University captured the Massachusetts State Collegiate Conference (MASCAC) regular season baseball championship by sweeping MCLA, 5-3, 8-3, on Tuesday, April 26.

Under the guidance of veteran coach Ray Arra, the Owls captured their fourth MASCAC regular season championship in the past five years. Westfield is 18-6 overall and 11-1 in the MASCAC with two conference games remaining, a Senior Day twinbill scheduled for Saturday, April 30, when it hosts Fitchburg State.

Westfield will host the four-team MASCAC postseason tournament on May 5-7-8.

The Owls again received steady pitching defense (1 error in two games) in posting their doubleheader sweep of the Trailblazers. The opener went an extra frame as the Owls prevailed, 5-3 in eight innings. In the nightcap. Westfield snapped a 1-1 deadlock by scoring three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings, with the big blow a three-run homer by Kevin Greene.

Westfield and MCLA traded runs in the opener. Both teams scored a run in the first inning (MCLA was the designated home team). Josh Blair's RBI double gave the Owls a 2-1 lead, but MCLA scored in the bottom of the third on solo home run by Osiris Mendez.

Westfield manufactured a run in the fourth to take a 3-2 lead. Pete Hogan led off with a walk and Greene dropped a bunt single. Medeiros sacrificed the runners to second and third and Alex Cloutier plated a run with a sacrifice fly.

MCLA tied the score in the bottom of the sixth. Rick Massey drew a two-out walk and Joe Parillo pounded an RBI double to right-center.

In the eight, the Owls scored two runs on one hit and two errors. Grillo led off with a walk and Hogan was hit by a pitch. Medeiros then delivered the game-winning hit, an RBI single to centerfield. Grillo scored an insurance run when Tim Heintz reached safely on a throwing error.

Westfield out-hit MCLA, 11-7. Blair was 3 for 4 with a double and Heintz was 3 for 4. Jeff Ackerman was 2 for 3. Paul Procopio was the only player with multiple hits for the Trailblazers; he was 2 for 3.

Curt Everett, the third on four Westfield pitchers, was credited with the victory and Connor Buckley pitched a 1-2-3 eighth for the save. Starter Sean Keane pitched four and a third innings, allowed six hits and four walks and fanning two.

In the second game, Aaron Messier pitched four and two-thirds innings for the victory, leaving the game with a 7-3 lead. He allowed seven hits and three walks and whiffed three.

Westfield scored three runs on three hits and two walks to take a 4-1 fourth-inning lead. Grillo had an RBI sacrifice bunt to make it 2-1 and Medeiros and Blair followed with RBI singles.

Greene delivered his big blow in the fifth, a three-run homer over the scoreboard in rightfield that gave Westfield a 7-1 lead.

Westfield also out-hit MCLA, 11-7, in the second game. Medeiros was 3 for 4 with an RBI and two stolen bases and Matt Kelly was 3 for 3 with two runs scored. Greene was 2 for 4.

Parillo was 3 for 4 with an RBI and Procopio was 2 for 2 with a double and RBI.