Westfield State Sweeps Doubleheader to Take Season Series Over Baseball

WESTFIELD, Mass. – The MCLA Baseball team took to the road this afternoon for a matinee MASCAC twin-bill with the Westfield State Owls at Bud and Jim Hagan Field. The Trailblazer offense sputtered through the two games, combining for 10 hits while their Owl counterparts made the most of 13 hits to score 19 runs.

THE BASICS:

• Date: Monday, April 21, 2025
• Game #1: MCLA 1, Westfield 5
• Game #2: MCLA 3, Westfield 14
• Records: MCLA Trailblazers 5-22 (MASCAC 2-13) | Westfield State University Owls 22-9 (MASCAC 9-6)

HOW IT WENT DOWN

• Game #1
  • The Owls opened the game by scoring three runs on three hits off of MCLA's starting pitcher Cam Harrington (Pittsfield, MA). An RBI single by Devin Slattery was followed by a two-run double to centerfield by Justin Neidel.
  • After the rough start, Harrington settled into an impressive first collegiate start. Allowing only a fourth inning single in the second through fifth innings. The freshman began to show signs of tiring in the sixth inning, allowing a single, a walk and a hit by pitch before making way for senior William Walsh (Maynard, MA) with one out in the sixth. An error and a wild pitch allowed two unearned Owls run in the frame before Walsh escaped the jam with a fielder's choice and a fly out to right.
  • MCLA plated their lone run with two out rally in the fifth inning. Freshman outfielder Ben Jacob started the rally with a walk and then stole second to get into scoring position for senior third baseman Joshua Bissaillon (East Greenbush, NY). Bissaillon allowed Jacob to complete the circuit with a single through the left side of the infield, cutting the Owl lead at the time to 3-1.
  • While the Trailblazers' Harrington needed an inning before finding his groove, Westfield's Jack Novak walked a fine line, pitching six and a third innings, only allowing one run on six hits and improving to 3-0 on the year. Harrington took his first decision of the year to fall to 0-1.
• Game #2
  • The Owls put up a pair crooked numbers in the second and third innings to take control of the second game. In the second inning, MCLA had issues finding the plate, allowing seven walks to help the hosts score seven runs with only one hit.
  • The third inning saw a more conventional offensive push for Westfield, seven hits, including a two-run triple by Chase Racine and an RBI double by Neidel to score six runs.
  • Three walks and a wild pitch allowed Westfield to add an additional run in the fifth before the MCLA offense found a gear in the seventh inning, plating three runs on only a single hit. With the bases loaded, sophomore George Feliz came on to pinch hit and was rewarded with a hit by pitch that forced home sophomore outfielder Joe Sardo (Great Neck, NY), who had reached on an error leading off the inning. Another error allowed Jacob to reach while pushing home junior first baseman Chris Vargas (Queens Village, NY) who had walked. Bissaillon notched his second RBI of the day on a fielder's choice that scored pinch hitter Dariel Rodriguez (Bronx, NY) who had singled earlier in the inning.
  • Westfield's Andre Phaneuf was masterful, throwing six shutout innings, allowing only three hits while striking out seven to notch his first win of the season, moving to 1-0. Antonio Demarco took the loss for MCLA, dropping to 0-5.

UP NEXT:

On Wednesday, MCLA will be back in action when it travels to the David Alexander Castle Diamond at Ingram Park and Skidmore College for a non-conference matchup with the Thoroughbreds. The first pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

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